A Cambridge University college is set to target a select group of independent schools in a move intended to improve the “quality” of its applicants.
Trinity Hall has approved a policy to use a “targeted recruitment strategy” to approach students at 50 independent schools, including St Paul’s Girls, Eton and Winchester.
In a memo outlining the policy, Marcus Tomalin, the college’s director of admissions, claimed “reserve discrimination” is a concern and “the best students from such [private] schools arrive at Cambridge with expertise and interests that align well with the intellectual demands”.
“To ignore or marginalise this pool of applicants would risk overlooking potential offer holders who are not only exceptionally well qualified but who have been encouraged to engage critically and independently with their subjects in a way that Cambridge has historically prized”, he continued.
The policy has been criticised by Trinity Hall staff, who told The Guardian a “significant number” but were unable to stop it when it was presented to the governing body last month.
via Wikimedia Commons
One member of staff said: “This is a deeply alarming policy. Claiming that the best students come from an elite set of schools will make many of our wonderful diverse community feel unwelcome and risks returning Trinity Hall to the boys’ club culture of the past”.
Another described the move as a “slap in the face” for state-educated students and university staff who had campaigned for widening participation in Cambridge admissions.
A Trinity Hall spokesperson said:“There has been no change to Trinity Hall’s widening participation policy. This modest additional activity is aimed at ensuring we get the best applications from talented students from all backgrounds.
“The College is very proud of the progress it has made in widening access. Average admissions from state schools at the College in the past three years has been 73 per cent and Trinity Hall admitted 20.4 per cent of its UK students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds last year, an increase on previous years”.
The University of Cambridge has been contacted for comment.
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