ISC responds to Professor Stephen Toope's comments about Oxbridge admissions
Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the ISC, responds to comments from the vice-chancellor of Cambridge, who told the Times Education Commission that independent schools need to accept they will get fewer students into Oxbridge.
ISC chairman Barnaby Lenon said: "School type is not of itself a proxy for background or an indicator of socio-economic advantage or disadvantage. Many pupils in state schools come from high income homes and many pupils attending independent schools receive means-tested bursaries. Contextual admissions are only a sensible part of the selection process if they are applied properly.
"It is a shame that this debate is so often presented as independent vs state. Independent schools actively support state school Oxbridge applicants through partnership projects and our schools are responsible for having set up some highly successful state schools in terms of Oxbridge success, including the London Academy of Excellence and Harris Westminster."