Lucy Powell, the newly appointed education secretary and Labour MP for Manchester Central, has faced scrutiny over a statement regarding her academic background at Oxford University. Powell previously claimed she was the only student from her year group at Xaverian College, a sixth-form college in Manchester, to gain admission to Oxford in 1992. However, former pupils from Powell’s year at the college have disputed this, stating that several other students also matriculated at the university that year.

Powell made the claim during her campaign for Labour deputy leadership and reiterated it in a BBC interview following a government reshuffle in September, where she was dismissed from her prior role before being named education secretary last week. She said she was the only one from a year group of about 2,000 students at the college to attend Oxford at age 18. Powell, who initially studied chemistry at Oxford, left after a year and transferred to King’s College London, citing feelings of being out of place as a northern, comprehensive school student.

Two former Xaverian pupils told journalists that at least three other students from Powell’s cohort also went on to study at Oxford, with one enrolling after a gap year. They noted having shared classes with Powell during their time at the college. The school, which has a reputation for sending students to Oxford and Cambridge, said it did not retain records from the 1990s that would confirm specific university destinations.

A spokesperson for Powell responded, saying that her comments were intended to convey her personal experience as a state-educated northerner gaining a place at Oxford and the sense of isolation she felt at the time. The spokesperson added that Powell did not intend to diminish the achievements of other students and welcomed correction if other admissions occurred in the same year.

Xaverian College, formerly a grammar school for boys until its conversion to a co-educational sixth-form institution in 1977, counts notable alumni including novelist Anthony Burgess and actor Steve Coogan, though none attended Oxford or Cambridge.

Powell has also spoken about her background, describing her family’s trajectory as a "journey of social mobility." While acknowledging her working-class roots, she said her family is now middle class. She characterized her childhood area of Didsbury as less affluent at the time compared to its present-day status.

Her appointment to the education secretary role marks a significant step in Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s cabinet, which has emphasized northern representation while maintaining a considerable number of ministers educated at private schools and elite universities.