Universities will either have to offer coaching for disadvantaged applicants or relax entry requirements for these students, a review will recommend.
Alan Milburn, the former Labour minister appointed as the Coalition’s social mobility tsar, will say that universities must do more to increase the number of students from poor backgrounds.
In a report to be published today, Mr Milburn will call for the use of “contextual data”, such as information about family income, social background and schooling, to be taken into account by universities when setting the grade offers to be made to applicants.
The Government last night supported the increased use of such data. The recommendation risks disadvantaging middle-class teenagers and those attending private schools who may have to achieve higher A-level grades to get into university.
Mr Milburn will say that universities investing in rigorous outreach programmes by sending staff into schools in disadvantaged areas to coach children on exams and interviews can avoid relaxing entry requirements. Mr Milburn will highlight the effectiveness of university-run summer camps for 16- and 17-year olds.
The former Cabinet minister, appointed by Nick Clegg in August 2010, will also suggest that the Government considers paying a “premium” to universities for each student recruited from a disadvantaged background. Senior Liberal Democrat sources said the plan was being “seriously studied”. A source close to the inquiry said: “Universities now have a choice. They can either make more use of contextual data or they need to get out into the community to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve the necessary qualifications.”
Alan Milburn, the former Labour minister appointed as the Coalition’s social mobility tsar, will say that universities must do more to increase the number of students from poor backgrounds.
In a report to be published today, Mr Milburn will call for the use of “contextual data”, such as information about family income, social background and schooling, to be taken into account by universities when setting the grade offers to be made to applicants.
The Government last night supported the increased use of such data. The recommendation risks disadvantaging middle-class teenagers and those attending private schools who may have to achieve higher A-level grades to get into university.
Mr Milburn will say that universities investing in rigorous outreach programmes by sending staff into schools in disadvantaged areas to coach children on exams and interviews can avoid relaxing entry requirements. Mr Milburn will highlight the effectiveness of university-run summer camps for 16- and 17-year olds.
The former Cabinet minister, appointed by Nick Clegg in August 2010, will also suggest that the Government considers paying a “premium” to universities for each student recruited from a disadvantaged background. Senior Liberal Democrat sources said the plan was being “seriously studied”. A source close to the inquiry said: “Universities now have a choice. They can either make more use of contextual data or they need to get out into the community to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve the necessary qualifications.”
Source: 18th October 2012, The Telegraph by Robert Winnett – Political Editor
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