11 Jun 08

It's amazing what you can do if you try: the Oxford University Looked-After Children Project includes abseiling as well as science masterclasses

Oxford University has been awarded the Frank Buttle Trust Quality Mark in recognition of its work with children in care and support for care-leavers.

The Frank Buttle Trust is a charity established in 1953 to provide for the education needs of adopted children. Its quality mark recognises that a university has considered the particular needs of care leavers during recruitment, application and admission as well as ongoing support for their time in university.

At an event attended by the Vice-Chancellor, the Quality Mark was formally awarded by Gerri McAndrew, Chief Executive of the Frank Buttle Trust. She said: ‘You have demonstrated to us a commitment to children in care through your access strategy and range of services. The colleges’ ethos and culture are well placed to offer the supportive environment so needed by this particular group of students.

‘You have been working with the local authority to establish aspiration-raising activities for local children in care, and develop a series of workshops to help care leavers transition from school to higher education. A generous bursary, pastoral support and other support services have all been put in place to demonstrate your commitment and forms the basis for your gaining the Trust’s award.’

Also present at the launch were teenagers who are currently part of a novel initiative run by the University in cooperation with the Oxfordshire County Council. Eight Year 9 children were recruited last year to take part in a three-year programme, called the Looked-After Children Project.

Sinead Gallagher, Access-Co-ordinator at the University of Oxford, explains the idea behind the initiative: ‘Currently, of the 60,000 children in care, 4,500 will leave with no educational qualifications, and only one in 100 children in foster care will go to university. The aim of our programme is to inspire the children well before their GCSEs to pursue educational opportunities and show them education as fun, interesting and useful.

‘Every two months we run activity days, usually to coincide with school holidays. The programme so far has been a mix of confidence-building activities and academic sessions. Next year, as we move closer to GCSEs, we will focus on attainment and revision skills, and then look at what’s next after GCSEs.’

The participants are also allocated mentors who are current students at Oxford. They keep in regular email contact and help out at activities. ‘I like to show that Oxford is accessible and open,’ says Meera Joshi, who currently studies Medicine. ‘For me it is interesting to meet people from all walks of life. It’s rewarding to be part of a three-year programme and to see how all the participants develop over time.’

The outcomes so far have been promising. Social workers have reported increased confidence in several of the students and all achieved their SAT results in line with predictions, some even exceeding these.

Kirsty, 15, who is one of the eight Oxfordshire youngsters taking part, sums up her most recent experience of a confidence-building two-day residential: ‘I really enjoyed it. The activities are amazing. Thanks for having me although I moaned. I enjoyed it loads because of the group work and facing our own fears when we did the rock climbing.’

And regarding her academic ambitions, she surprised herself: ‘I didn’t think I would enjoy the masterclass as much as I did. I would like to do more science activities in the future.’