Oxford vice-chancellor rejects sponsoring schools

Oxford University vice-chancellor, Professor Louise Richardson, has rejected government proposals for universities to sponsor schools, according to a report from the BBC.

The government’s ‘Schools that work for everyone’ consultation set out plans that would require universities to sponsor a school or open a new school if they wish to charge more higher tuition fees.

The plans, first outlined by Prime Minister Theresa May, form a core part of her education reforms, including plans to open new grammar schools, which she claims will raise education standards, give more pupils access to a high quality education and improve social mobility.

However, Richardson told the BBC that Oxford had ‘no experience’ in running schools and that doing to would be a ‘distraction from our core mission’.

She added that it would be insulting to head teachers and leaders to assume that universities could step in a do a better job.