Page 14 - Gi flipbook September 2018

NEWS | EDUCATION

Education Secretary: elite

universities must improve access

ELITE UNIVERSITIES ARE
not instinctively biased
against disadvantaged
children but must do more
to improve access, the UK’s
Education Secretary has said.
In his first major speech
on social mobility, Damian
Hinds said there was a
“very legitimate public
interest” to ensure attempts
to encourage children
to attend the top higher
education institutions reach
“deep into the country” and
to every group.
He said university
was key to determining
children’s future success
and suggested there was
“encouraging progress”
on social mobility due Private school pupils make up
to increased numbers 40 per cent of Oxbridge students
of children from
disadvantaged backgrounds shows private schools “The latest statistics on they want people to be able
attending them, according made up seven per cent destinations of sixth-form to benefit from what they
to The Guardian. of the school population, and college students show have to offer.
But Hinds said it was “not but 40 per cent of those that disadvantaged white “But I think we need to
acceptable” that 18-year-old who went to Oxbridge pupils are less likely to be go further, they need to
applicants from the most universities in 2016-17. studying in higher education go further. There’s a lot
advantaged areas of the He added that private the next year than of money being spent on
country were still nearly five- schools represented 14 disadvantaged pupils from these access programmes
and-a-half times more likely per cent of all A-level any other ethnic group,” and so on, and there’s
to enter the most selective students and 25 per cent Hinds said. a very legitimate public
universities than their more of students getting three “And even though interest in making sure that
disadvantaged peers. or more A grades. disadvantaged black pupils absolutely reaches out as
The Office for Students The cabinet minister later are almost twice as likely to deep into the country and
has been asked to identify highlighted an “expectation go to a top-third university to every group as it can.”
the best approaches for and knowledge gap”, as white disadvantaged A new big data project will
getting children from pointing to middle-class pupils, they are both also be commissioned, based
different backgrounds into parents encouraging their similarly underrepresented on work in the US, to look
university, including the children to choose “harder” at the most selective at young people from across
most selective. subjects such as maths, universities, including the the UK and where they end
Hinds said more needed history and Mandarin as Russell Group.” up in the next five or six
to be done at schools a “signalling device” to He also highlighted years, the minister said.
in the light of data that universities and employers. regional variations in He also addressed
Hinds’ remarks came England, noting that one in research showing
Damien Hinds during a Resolution five disadvantaged pupils communication skills
Foundation event in from London goes to a top- such as being able to talk
London, where he said third university compared about events in the past
universities were expected with one in 17 from the or future were missing in
to spend £860 million North East. 28 per cent of four- and
to “improve access and Pressed later by reporters, five-year-olds, and pledged
success for disadvantaged Hinds said: “Do I think that to halve the number of
students”, adding that it elite universities are biased children starting school
needed to be spent well against disadvantaged without the early speaking
and the challenges faced children? No, I don’t think and reading skills they
need to be recognised. instinctively they are; I think need by 2028. ■

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News.indd 9 14/08/2018 20:00