At St John’s, the Access and Outreach team liaise with schools and colleges in our linked regions to provide students, parents, carers, and teachers with accurate information about applying to, and studying at, the University of Oxford. We coordinate and deliver outreach events at St John’s, including Study Days and school visits which allow potential applicants to gain experience of university and understand the admissions process. The Access and Outreach team are a point of contact for prospective students and their schools, as well as, current students and staff who wish to support access work at St John’s.

You can meet the team here, or meet some of our tutors and the brilliant students they work with.

Dr Sandra Campbell

Fellow for Admissions and Access and Supernumerary Fellow in Physiology

I have greatly enjoyed working in higher education for the last 20 years. In my current position as Supernumerary Fellow and Tutor in Physiology for St John’s, I am involved in many aspects of College life including those that relate to the students directly (teaching, welfare, discipline, presidential collections, admissions, schools liaison), and those that contribute to the effective running of the college (various committees, interviewing for JRF, alumni interactions admissions, and as Dean for Degrees). I am currently the lead tutor in Biomedical sciences, and I have a substantial role as a Medical tutor. I also contribute to the teaching of the Experimental Psychology students.

Dr Ana Wallis (Maternity Leave)

Inspire 12 & 13 Programme Lead

My role is managing the Post-GCSE Inspire Programme. This includes our Year 12 Inspire Programme, Study Days and Subject Exploration Days. After attending the University of Nottingham for my undergraduate degree in Genetics, I moved to Oxford to study my DPhil (PhD), examining how our genetic material (DNA) is copied when a cell divides. During my DPhil I designed and delivered science outreach materials. I greatly enjoyed this outreach experience, and afterwards went on to work at St John’s College, Oxford and the Oxford University Museum of Natural History creating STEM outreach programmes for families and pupils.

Lucy Russell

Inspire 12 & 13 Programme Coordinator

As Programme Coordinator for the Inspire 12&13 Programme, I work with colleagues in the Access Team to deliver Access and Outreach events for pupils in years 12 and 13. I am responsible for coordinating the St John’s Inspire Programme for Year 12 and 13, as well as academic Study Days and Subject Exploration Days. Originally from Luton, I have an undergraduate degree in Politics and Social Anthropology from Magdalene College, Cambridge, where I worked as JCR Access Officer. I am dedicated to ensuring the doors to higher education remain open to everyone, regardless of their background.

Lucy’s Office Drop-In hours are 3:00pm-5:00pm every Thursday. Call her on TEAMS at lucy.russell@sjc.ox.ac or by phone at 01825 277355.

Dr Eleanor Baker

Inspire Years 9, 10 & 11 Programme Lead

As Programme Coordinator for Inspire Years 9, 10 & 11, I work with colleagues in the Access and Admissions Team to run programmes and deliver resources for school pupils aged 13-16 (Years 9 to 11). I am responsible for the delivery of the Inspire Scholars Programme for Years 9, 10 & 11 (for non-selective state-school pupils in the St John’s College link regions), as well as Inspire Critical Thinking (available nationally for non-selective state-school pupils). I am passionate about supporting pupils’ academic attainment and potential, and working with academics, schools, and other educational institutions to provide fun, exciting, and challenging opportunities for secondary school pupils and their communities.

Richard Waters

Access Lead

It’s my responsibility to manage, develop and expand the College’s Access programmes.

St John’s has partnered with St Hilda’s, St Hugh’s and Somerville to form the Oxford for South East Consortium with whom I work to ensure consistent access and outreach provision across the region.

Sarah Jones

Undergraduate Admissions Officer

I am the contact for individual application enquiries, interviews and Open Days. In addition to managing the undergraduate admissions process, I also provide tours of St John’s and coordinate the college’s participation in Open Days.

Thomas Lockyer

Digital Engagement Officer

Hi, I’m Thomas and I’m the Digital Engagement Officer within the Access & Outreach team. This means I spent a lot of my time video editing, producing various clips for Inspire Programme projects. I have enjoyed interviewing various college alumni, creating career focused resources for the St John’s Summer School. I have also helped produce interview previews, promoting this content across the Access social media accounts. 

Moving forward, I will be looking to raise the profile of university ‘Student life’, collaborating with the Senior Tutor and Communications Office to share greater elements of college life. We will also be collaborating to produce an interactive 3D college model and virtual escape room, both of which will integrate academic content with the college’s unique history and character.

I have enjoyed working with the team so far and I am looking forward to starting these exciting new projects. 

David Aldridge

Programme Support Officer

I have recently joined the Access and Outreach Team as a Programme Support Officer. My role involves helping support the running of the St John’s College Access Programmes and the Inspire Programme.

I have experience of working in administrative roles in environmental protection and education. I have also worked as a careers adviser in schools and colleges.

External Evaluation

Marianne Talbot

External Evaluator for the Pre-GCSE Inspire Programme

My name is Marianne Talbot and I’m a freelance education consultant, with a BSc in Geology and an MA in Creative Writing, and many years’ experience in developing and evaluating qualifications and outreach activities. I have worked for awarding organisations, government departments, regulators, universities, and professional bodies, in the UK and internationally. I also lead professional development courses for the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors, of which I am a Fellow, based at the University of Hertfordshire.

At St John’s, I will be evaluating the Inspire Pre-GCSE Programme, using a range of methodologies including online surveys, telephone interviews and observation in the schools at their Aspiration Days, reporting on how successful the programme is at meeting its aims. I am excited to be part of this innovative initiative.

I live in Leamington Spa with my husband, teenage daughter, and a ginger cat called Arlo, who thinks it is HIS house, of course.