16 Jul 08

Teachers from the North West could see a mock interview at the conference at Lymm High School

From Dungannon to Glasgow and Aberdare to Exeter, members of the Oxford University Undergraduate Admissions Office team have been travelling to all four countries of the UK in the last month, holding regional teachers’ conferences to help teachers offer the best possible guidance to students who may be considering applying to the university.

The conferences are a new initiative and the day-long sessions have covered the whole application process from a teacher’s perspective – including how to identify and support potential candidates and the timetable for applications and pre-interview tests. Teachers have had the opportunity to have a go at test questions and watch mock interviews, giving teachers the chance to see the kind of questioning school pupils will face in the often unfairly dreaded Oxford interview.

The aim of the conferences is to assist teachers and guidance advisors in preparing school and college students to make informed applications to Oxford. This is the first time the University has run events specifically for teachers at venues outside Oxford and it is hoped that holding the conferences at locations around the country will make them more accessible for teachers.

There have been seven regional teachers’ conferences this summer and the student recruitment team has been joined by senior tutors and current students who have taken part in mock interviews.

Mike Nicholson, Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Oxford University, said: ‘With teachers playing an important role in advising and encouraging students as they make choices about careers and further study, the University wants to dispel any myths about the Oxford application process.

‘The University values the work done by teachers and guidance advisers in preparing students, often in difficult circumstances, and we hope that this programme will support this significant and important activity.’