@TheOxStu
Michaelmas Term, Week 5 | Friday 15 November 2024
OXFORD STUDENT The
The University of Oxford’s Student Newspaper, est. 1991
The Return of the Sunday Roast. Rordon Gamsay
Interview: Life Map of a Wanderer. Krikor Momdjian
Read more on page 29
Features. Oktoberfest meets Oxford on Headington Hill Read more on page 16
Read more on page 21
Council postpones “Dark skies” proposal Daisy Outram
F
ollowing backlash towards the Oxford County Council proposal to cut streetlight hours across the county, plans have been deferred for further consultation. The County Council currently operates 60,000 streetlights, with around 45,000 of these being in residential areas. The proposed scheme to switch off many of the county’s streetlights between 11pm and 6.30am could save £400k annually, and the Council also claimed that street lighting is the largest single contributor to
Pembroke College. Credit: Dave S via Flickr
their operational carbon emissions. Plans are to be discussed tomorrow at a cabinet member’s decision meeting of the Deputy Leader of Oxfordshire County Council. Ahead of this meeting, Councillor Pete Sudbury today expressed that the final decision would await further consultation with the public and police. Backlash towards the scheme raised questions over the potential impact on the safety of the public, leading to petitions and statements expressing concern.
State schoolers and access programs up Rich at home, broke against the same system at university Continued on page 4
Comment
Anandita Abraham
T
he Independent Schools Council(ISC) is a lobby group that represents over 1,400 private schools in the UK. Two weeks ago, it said it plans to sue the Government over a decision to impose a tax on private school fees. A quick search reveals that at least 10 of the 15 people on the ISC board of directors went to Oxford or Cambridge. Oxbridge academics and graduates have spoken extensively, just in the last five years, about assaults on the private school sector, “disadvantages” faced by white, privately educated men in admissions, and – as a Cambridge don argued two weeks ago – that universities should be more “exclusive and hierarchical.” These are minority views that seem to be materialising in systemic is-
sues that impact both the success of access programs, and how disadvantaged students at Oxford feel.
“93% of students
in England go to state schools, but only 67.6% of Oxford-goers came from state schools. 93% of all students in England go to state schools, but only 67.6% of Oxford-goers came from state schools. School visits, talks, residentials, online courses, scholarships, college tours and application guidance are just a few things that colleges in Oxford are en-
gaged in, in the effort to change the material reality. 5.9% of school-goers in the UK are privately educated. But in 2023, private schools accounted for almost 30% of Oxford applications. This percentage does not account for students who met the AAA entry, but independently educated students are more than twice as likely to receive A or A* at A Level. This measure is still not reflective of the additional quality of education disparity between a “state school” student who went to a highly selective Grammar school and someone who attended an “inadequate” comprehensive secondary school according to Ofsted. For state schoolers who attend the low-ranking colleges for state-school proportions, the “state-private” and...
Continued on page 4
Chloe Smith
T
he rich get richer, or so they say. But for some students, their families’ wealth is only making them poorer at university. The government has announced a 3.1% rise in maintenance loans for students for the 2025-26 academic year, equivalent to the rise in tuition fees. For students studying at Oxford this is a £317 increase to the maximum maintenance; for
students in London, it is a £414 rise. The government states that the 3.1% rise is an increase in line with inflation, yet the maximum £414 extra fails to uplift student maintenance loans in real terms, leaving students struggling more than ever. Money Saving Expert calculates that the 2024-25 uplift of 2.5% in maintenance loans fell “well short” of the actual 4% inflation rate, creating a “real-terms cut” for students.
Continued on page 10
Oxford High Street. Credit: Cameron Samuel Keys