Black Ambition: Cambridge BBC2

I see what you are getting at when you say oxbridge is like 'public school with bars'.

there seem to be an awful lot of £1/2k public schools that are very much affordable for the upper middle class. I suspect that the numbers from seriously 'posh' public schools only make a small proportion of the independent percentage,

The phrase 'public school' only refers to a certain number of very old independent schools anyway. Independent schools are different from public schools, although public schools are independent.

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The phrase 'public school' only refers to a certain number of very old independent schools anyway. Independent schools are different from public schools, although public schools are independent.

The phrase 'public school' only refers to a certain number of very old independent schools anyway. Independent schools are different from public schools, although public schools are independent.

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Public schools are associated with the HMC, (headmasters conference) or the female version of it, whatever it is....

Honestly what is so shocking about there only 84 black people in Cambridge? This country has predominantley white people anyway and if is just that the admissions tutors see the other black people who applied as not as suitable for Cambridge as the white people then so be it I say.

The problem is it's clearly indicative of an underlying problem though. Admissions tutors might not be acting in a racist way (although this is always possible) but there is something going wrong somewhere in the education system which means that black students are vastly under-represented.

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And Oxbridge are told to take more of them to solve the problem? Hardly addresses the roots behind whatever makes black children "fail" in school, does it?

On a slight detour, but bear with me...
In no way are 50% of Oxbidge students from public schools. I think you mix up public with independent maybe? I have seen lots of different definitions of what constitutes a public school, but from what I've seen I think most people agree that there's a difference. As far as I know, the numbers of ex-public schoolers at Oxford hasnt actually been measured. Also, the figures you use are wrong anyway, even if you meant independent schools. Apart from the fact that over half of home students are from state school (meaning less than 50% are from the independent sector) there are also international students, who I think constitute about 10% of the Oxbridge population. I'm not sure what the total percentage of independent schoolers is, but its considerably lower than 50%.
Hope this clears it up a bit.

This won't actually help in any way, it might make things worse actually.
I'm from N.I. and my school is a grammar school i.e. non-fee paying, entry based on 11+results primarily. But it is classified, here at least, as an independent school, because it is not state controlled but a Catholic school. I'm not sure how this is classified by Oxbridge, or any other University.

If the matter is important to you then you should contact them to find out. If it isn't so important to you I guess you could hazzard an educated guess. It would be reasonable to assume that one of the main significances of the status of the school you attended is to give admissions staff an inkling of your social class group, or maybe your family's wealth (???). The fact that you attend a non-fee paying school would indicate that you have not been particularly 'priviliged' in your education. So, I think your place in the statistics would be with the state schools.

I'm not sure it's fair to blame Cambridge for the low incidence of black students there. The underachievement of black students is recognised throughout the education system and, I would argue, it has failed them long before they get anywhere near their UCAS forms.

As far as the state vs. independent/public school discussion is concerned, I think that those of us who have come from the former have had to work much harder and with greater determination to be in a position to compete. We are all judged on an equal footing yet, speaking as someone who has come from a 'bog-standard comprehensive', I have had to earn my 12 GCSEs (7 A*, 5 A) and AS AAAE in classes of thirty-plus, playing Russian roulette with the quality of teaching. In Year 11 my Science teacher left and I ended up having to teach myself the syllabus for triple Science. My mum taught me a GCSE set text for English because some incompetent had forgotten it and 'the system' had not noticed.

I am an aspirant music student. I was told I was good enough to compete for a place in the National Youth Orchestra but didn't bother when I discovered that the residentials, of which there are several per year, cost around £400 a time. One of my instrumental teachers is recognised as being one of the best in the country. He'd willingly teach me on a regular basis, yet I only get to have lessons with him every three months or so because we cannot afford for me to travel halfway up the country more frequently for lessons, nor pay his fees.

Yes, I know the Special Access Scheme exists (and I have seen no discussion of that anywhere on this forum) but my mum is a graduate, albeit from a crap uni and has no A levels and I'm not sure my 'bog-standard comp' counts as being THAT bad. She teaches in an inner-city comp in Special Measures. That means it's officially crap, yet she teaches students there cleverer than I will ever be who don't even dream about applying to uni, never mind Oxbridge. In any case, I'm happy to compete with the same AAA offers that everyone else gets.

Just don't try to tell me it's a level playing field. Those who have been fortunate enough to have come from the independent, public school or better selective school scenario cannot begin to imagine what some of us have had to do just to find ourselves sitting on the same sofa as you outside the interview rooms.

ZOE - thanks for your detailed response.


Yes I can use a dicitionary, but quite simply, could'nt be bothered. Is it really neccessary to demonstrate your broad vocabulary on here? Isn't it obvious that I do not feel the need to use all these words in everyday life? Anyway, if you feel the need to question my intellegence please question away.

I am not going to waste my time addressing the rest of your post because you are an idiot. Many of the points you try to make are, quite frankly, nonsense. Since when is Howard part of the Ivy league?

Before trying to impress people with your vocabulary, try to get your facts right.

Let me get something straight: I do not feel offended by the fact that you disagree with my opinion. I am offended, instead, that you are talking shit and therefore cannot back up your own opinion.

Just don't try to tell me it's a level playing field. Those who have been fortunate enough to have come from the independent, public school or better selective school scenario cannot begin to imagine what some of us have had to do just to find ourselves sitting on the same sofa as you outside the interview rooms.