Mary Hockaday, master of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, has issued a statement defending the college's admissions policy after an internal memo sparked controversy. The memo, which suggested targeting elite private schools for student recruitment, caused distress and anger, but Hockaday insists the college's commitment to widening participation remains unchanged.
Hockaday clarified that Trinity Hall has not altered its admissions policy, emphasising that the college does not confuse opportunity with ability. The admissions team is skilled at assessing academic potential in the context of background and schooling, and top-performing students come from all parts of the country, school types, and backgrounds.
Data supports this: 73% of domestic undergraduates over the past three years are from state schools, up from 61% a decade ago, and over 20% are from disadvantaged backgrounds. The action referred to in the articles applies only to a small number of humanities subjects where applications are declining across higher education, partly due to reduced access to relevant A-levels in state schools.
The college proposes adding a small number of independent schools to a mailing list of over a thousand state schools to advertise outreach work, online Q&A sessions, and informative podcasts about these subjects. Hockaday acknowledged that language in the memo caused upset but stressed it does not reflect the college's continuing commitment to offering places to students with potential to thrive.
