Access to Banking Residential 2025

Access to Banking is our free two-year programme, in collaboration with Barclays Bank, for Year 12 students attending a non-selective state school who have an interest in studying at a top university, and pursuing a career in the banking sector. The residential at Wadham follows a visit to Barclays in Canary Wharf.

Access and Outreach Officer, Hugh Munro said, "it's amazing coming from the Canary Wharf visit to welcome them to Wadham and show them what the University has to offer."

This year, our cohort, joined by a team of student ambassador volunteers, had sessions on Economics, Mathematics, Finance and Physics, with particular attention on learning how to think through subject-specific problems at a university level.

Participants also developed broader analytical skills through a session at the Ashmolean Museum, handling real historical artefacts while discerning their origins and purpose. And for the university application process itself, Wadham's Access and Outreach Officer, Hugh Munro, led a workshop giving guidance on what universities are really looking for.

The student ambassadors are a valuable resource for participants to tap, providing first-hard accounts of their own experiences through the journey of arriving at Oxford. Hugh Munro explains, "with the partnership of Barclays and current students we can share a range of role models, putting faces to aspiration."

Mandeep, an ambassador, shared, "Demystifying Oxford life was a key enjoyment of the residential. For many of these students it was their first time visiting the university. I am so grateful for the opportunity to talk candidly with potential Oxford applicants who are from a similar background to myself. I recognise the wealth this residential provided for them, and wish I had something like this when I was in Year 12."

Another benefit participants receive is each other. They are connected with pupils at different schools and through the residential, get to form friendships with other people exploring similar paths.

Ellie Chen, who works on our Sustained Engagement Programmes, shared, "something you hope for in putting together the programme but cannot guarantee is that theyll form meaningful connections with each other, and it's lovely to observe them making those connections."

Access to Banking is part of Wadham's Access to Excellence project.