BETWEEN 2010 and 2015, just 20 of Britain's 650 parliamentary constituencies accounted for 16% of successful applicants to Oxford University, by one ranking the world’s best. By contrast 156 constituencies got on average less than one pupil a year into Oxford. Although the university attracts many more students from ethnic minorities and state schools than it once did, such figures show the difficulty it has in bringing in students from the poorest parts of Britain. How does Oxford hope to change its intake?

Two main barriers stand in the way of a more diverse university. First, poor pupils are less likely to apply to Oxford. That is mainly because they tend to lack the top grades needed to get in. But it also reflects a tricky application process, particularly for those whose schools send few people to any university at all, and some teachers’ reluctance to encourage students to aim high. Second, those who do apply are less likely to get in, since they disproportionately apply for the most sought-after courses and are more likely to miss out on the grades required by the university’s offer of a place. Some critics also suggest that poorer hopefuls struggle in interviews, either because they lack the broad subject experience that helps (theatre visits, say, for an English student) or because of a degree of prejudice from some interviewers.

The university has worked to attract students from beyond Britain’s private schools. Oxford colleges employ people to traverse the country encouraging applicants. The university runs a summer school for teachers to challenge myths about the sort of students it is looking for. But the numbers arriving from poor parts of Britain have remained stubbornly low. Thus the university is beginning to experiment with fresh ways to bring in more students from such places. One college has established a foundation year for promising students from tough backgrounds who don’t have the requisite grades. Another has created 10% more places for students who would currently just miss out on a place; a summer school will then get them up to speed. Meanwhile, the university’s outreach efforts are beginning to focus more on raising attainment in schools, rather than just knowledge of the university. It puts on more summer schools for talented schoolchildren and works with charities that seek to widen access, including Target Oxbridge, which aims to get black pupils into Oxford and Cambridge, and Into University, which runs “learning centres” for 900 children from poor families.

Critics complain that the college system makes progress difficult, as some are more enthusiastic about attracting new students than others. The university has been slow to put in place the sort of long-term programmes working in schools with young children which research suggests are the best way to increase participation. But there are signs Oxford appreciates the scale of the task. Since seven of the past ten British prime ministers went to the university, that could have big implications.