Spotlight on... Researcher in Residence
Part of the Faculty of History’s access and outreach programme
Plenary session at Trinity College from the 2023 summer visit
What is it?
Researchers in Residence offer a sustained programme of contact developing a relationship between local state secondary schools and the Faculty of History. A current Graduate Outreach Tutor (the ‘Researcher’) is linked to a local state secondary school (the ‘Residence’) where they work with the school throughout the academic year to support history teaching and outreach activities. The programme aims to promote a collaborative approach to working that supports the development of the researcher as well as the students and teachers at the partner school.
Who do we work with?
Local young people share their city with the University but many of them never step foot inside its hallowed halls (in fact, one of the insights from the programme is that many of them never venture into the city at all). One of the residencies’ aims is to break down these barriers and connect with our local community in a meaningful way.
Since the programme launched in 2021 we have worked with 3 local schools per year. So far, we have partnered with: Bartholomew, Cheney, Cherwell, Greyfriars, Henry Box and The Oxford Academy. Each residency is unique, drawing upon the strengths and needs of both parties. Examples of projects and activities undertaken include:
Students from Cheney and Bartholomew School in the Bodleian map room on the 2024 summer visit
- 121’s with A-level students to support coursework and applications;
- Production of teaching resources;
- Cataloguing an archive;
- Classroom teaching experience;
- African school knowledge exchange;
- Library research skills project.
Following a year of activities such as those outlined above, in the summer term the faculty hosts a visit for students from the partner schools at Trinity College. The event offers the opportunity for students from different schools to collaborate on a historical project and enjoy a free college lunch (always a highlight!). In June 2024 the theme of the summer visit was ‘mapping memory.’ Students got up close with the Bodleian Library’s’ map collection, took a historic walking tour round Oxford and created their own maps of the city based on places that meant something to their own personal histories.
Impact
The relationships we have built with students and teaching staff at the partner schools have been enriching for all parties and invaluable for informing the wider outreach programme.
Testimonials:
I benefitted hugely. I was able to learn teaching techniques from experienced teachers, and to gain firsthand experience in the classroom in a variety of challenging contexts. I was also able to refine my own teaching practice by ‘getting back to basics’ – learning how to teach things like source analysis and research skills at a school level has been hugely helpful in my work with university students, particularly with transition support for students just beginning university.
Clare Burgess
Researcher in Residence at Cheney School, 2023-24
My relationship with the school has led to further career opportunities at the University of Oxford, as I am now the Learning Coordinator of the Ashmolean Museum's new Inspiring Growing Minds pilot program, a partnership between the museum and Greyfriar's School in which I will be continuing my work in developing student passions in learning about the past.
Aaron Larsen
Researcher in Residence at Greyfriars School, 2022-23
The sessions we did with Florence about source work were really helpful. The workshop went far beyond the requirements of the A-level exam and helped us to understand better how historians work. This was really interesting but also very useful for the extended coursework I was writing at the time.
Oliver
Student at Cheney School
It has been deeply enriching working with the researchers in residence over the last three years. They have provided students with a range of rewarding opportunities that are linked to their areas of research including workshops, seminars and lectures as well as collaborative research projects with international schools! There has been great flexibility in how the researchers have been deployed in our school context and a strong dialogue is what works with different groups of students at different times of the year. I would be incredibly keen to continue having the partnership with the university programme and the wonderful researchers that they use.
Toby Dove
Teacher at Bartholomew School
How it supports the Faculty’s wider outreach programme
An exhibition of items from the archiving project at Henry Box school
Researchers in Residence contribute to a programme that challenges structural inequalities and counter sustained under-representation at Oxford University and within the UK’s history departments. It costs £2500 to fund a Researcher in Residence for a year and thanks to a recent alumni donation towards the programme we can continue working with three of our partner schools for the next three years.
The Researcher in Residence programme aims to increase access to studying history at university and works to challenge educational inequalities within the UK. The programme seeks to:
- support students’ curiosity about the past beyond their schoolwork;
- help develop students’ abilities in analysing primary sources;
- work with school teachers to enrich the history curriculum;
- encourage students to apply to read history at university, including at the University of Oxford;
- develop Oxford ‘Researcher’s’ pedagogical skills through exposure to trained teaching professionals and real-life teaching experiences at partner schools.
The Researcher in Residence programme offers a sustained approach to outreach to the Faculty of History’s activities. Wide reaching interventions such as our online resources, videos and skills workshops reach broad audiences, can be easily shared and disseminated and help to provide consistent insights and guidance for prospective applicants. But a more focused, sustained programme of engagement with a relatively small group although more labour intensive is widely found to be more effective. We work closely with the partner schools to develop a programme that seeks to meet widening participation and attainment goals for both the faculty and the school.
The faculty’s priorities are informed by data on educational inequalities at Oxford and beyond, collaborations with school history teachers, and feedback from current students. We work collaboratively with colleges and other faculties on events to increase access and to support Oxford University’s Access and Participation Plan. Additionally, Researchers in Residence contribute to the History Faculty’s work to ensure that the most able and motivated students, whatever their background, have the skills and knowledge to apply successfully to study history at university, including at the University of Oxford.
