The university had been criticised in the wake of the rejection of a state school pupil, Laura Spence, who subsequently was offered a scholarship for Harvard University in the United States.

BBC: Oxford reaches out to state schools

The jury heard that Ms Spence worked in a TSB call centre after leaving school and then worked with the Co-operative Bank before moving to HSBC.

BBC: Lynda Spence trial: Mother's tears for missing daughter

Commentator Lester Spence thinks public school systems across the country need a total makeover if students are to keep up with the global change.

NPR: America's Troubled Schools Need Reform Now