©
John Cairns
The gift will help to fund three major outreach projects taking place at the University from October 2025. These include a new programme providing GCSE mathematics mentoring to students who show promise for the subject, and an innovative ‘online school’ that gives 14-19-year-olds the opportunity to learn maths and physics at a deep level.
Together, they will support disadvantaged students starting their GCSEs right through to those finishing their first year at Oxford, with each programme designed to address specific challenges these students experience when choosing to study STEM subjects.
The donor, who has opted to remain anonymous, has also made a gift to the University of Cambridge to support projects aimed at increasing participation and attainment in STEM subjects. While the programmes will be administered separately, the universities will work together – sharing online resources and materials, as well as academic tutors – to ensure maximum impact for participating students.
Professor James Naismith, Head of the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences (MPLS) Division at Oxford, said: ‘Science depends on talent. This generous gift significantly enhances our ability to support talented young people who want to pursue STEM subjects but face obstacles to their dreams. These innovative programmes will enable Oxford to support the next generation of scientists, mathematicians and engineers. Oxford's commitment is to look for talent everywhere and in new places, and to make sure everyone thrives at Oxford.’
The gift to Oxford will:
- Fund a new targeted GCSE mathematics mentoring programme to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds get the results they deserve, and increase their take up of maths and further maths at A-Level. Participating students will be teamed up with a mentor and receive weekly maths tutorials, as well as an invitation to attend an annual residential at Oxford. It is hoped that the programme will work with approximately 850 students in its first four years, tracking their journey from GCSEs through to A-Levels and into university
- Support the expansion of COMPOS, an online outreach programme for 14-19-year-olds that helps them to develop their physics and maths skills. The programme, which has been running since 2021, fills a gap in high-quality extra-curricular opportunities for students with a passion for STEM and helps to prepare them for future study at university. The donation will support Oxford’s ambition to grow the number of participating students from 500 to 1,200 each year, while also widening the programme’s scope to include computer science, pure mathematics, chemistry and biology.
- Enable the growth of the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division’s bridging programme, which supports students coming into the division during the important period between receiving an offer and completing their first year as an undergraduate. Participants are invited to a residential week prior to the start of their first term and given the opportunity to join an online programme aimed at helping them refresh and fill gaps in their subject knowledge and learn new study skills. The donation will double the number of students able to undertake the residential and expand the timeframe of support they receive.
At Cambridge, the donation will extend funding for two major initiatives that help students from disadvantaged backgrounds to succeed in STEM:
- Isaac Physics, a free online platform for teachers and students, was developed by Cambridge academics in response to the national challenges in physics education, and now also covers maths, further maths, chemistry and biology. It enables teachers to set homework and have it automatically marked, saving an estimated 500,000 hours of teachers’ time per year. Students develop essential problem-solving skills as they are guided through questions rather than being supplied with answers.
- The STEM SMART programme, launched in 2021, uses the Isaac Physics platform to set weekly work and supplements it with live online tutorials and mentoring from university students. The most engaged pupils are invited to stay in a Cambridge college for a four-day immersive experience of university life.
Together, the programmes at Oxford and Cambridge will provide a joined-up pathway for talented young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, helping to raise aspirations and attainment in STEM subjects.