CASS alumna off to Oxford

Improving Australia’s education system is needed so the nation continues to be competitive in the modern world, says ANU alumna Helen Baxendale.

Baxendale has been awarded one of nine prestigious Rhodes Australia-At-Large scholarships, which will see her study at Oxford University this year.

“It still hasn’t really sunk in yet, it’s all a bit surreal,” she says.

She completed a Bachelor of Philosophy at ANU from 2007 to 2011, and graduated with First Class Honours. She also received the ANU Medal for Political Science.

Baxendale wants to undertake a Master of Philosophy in Comparative Social Policy at Oxford, looking into education policy, social and welfare programs.

“I’m particularly interested in education policy, in particular education and social mobility and what the implications are for Australia’s school system.”

She says her experience at ANU has been “tremendously important” in determining her future.

“Probably the decisive point was when I was admitted to the PHB-Arts program, where as an undergraduate I had a lot of contact with a couple of academics who had a particular significant influence, including Jon Hart, Ben Wellings and Larry Saha.

“I was able to develop research skills and various interests at ANU that have propelled me to go on and apply for the Rhodes and I hope will stand me in good stead at Oxford.”

Baxendale has been recently working as a teacher in Canberra, through the Teach for Australia program, but wants to explore why Australia has a high rate of what she refers to as “social mobility” or the movement from low-incomes to high-incomes across generations.

“The international literature suggests that, usually, education plays a part in that. But there hasn’t been much study over what that relationship is in Australia and whether we can do better than we are already, if we make certain changes to our schooling systems and structures.”

After her research, she hopes to have some sort of direct impact on education policy in Australia.

“Given the economic transition that’s already underway from a manufacturing, resources, and agricultural-based economy into a service and knowledge-based economy, it’s all the more important we have a schooling system that prepares our young people for knowledge-based jobs and I’d like to play a part in making sure we remain a very competitive society on the international stage.”

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Young AO, says the achievement is a rare honour.

“I’d like to congratulate Ms Baxendale on receiving the Rhodes-At-Large scholarship,” he says.

“She joins the likes of former Prime Minister Bob Hawke, current Prime Minister Tony Abbott, former Governors-General, Nobel Prize winners and court judges, in receiving such a distinction.

“What’s more, Ms Baxendale was a resident of Burgmann College and this makes her the fourth Burgmann Alumnus to receive a Rhodes. That must be close to a record for Australia.

“I wish her every success in her studies at Oxford and look forward to hearing about her achievement there, and in the future.”