Universities, it has emerged are puzzled as to how to tackle the social divide, and draw students from less advantaged backgrounds and give them more opportunities. It is a problem that most of the more selective universities are still trying hard to fix.
However a report by England’s director of Fair Access Sir Martin Harris last spring revealed there had been “no overall change” in the past 20 years of the rates of disadvantaged teens studying at the most competitive and selective universities.
On the other hand its no wonder youngsters from less advantaged backgrounds can’t afford to go to universities with the government setting out the requirements of universities in England as having higher tuition fees, which will have special conditions, if the institution wishes to charge more than £6000 a year, and with some annual fees reaching £9000, it is no wonder that people are fearing that this could discourage disadvantaged students.
The Russell group, which is the group that represents the most selective universities, is the group that is most expected to select the higher-level fees.
Nevertheless it would be unreasonable to put all the blame on universities when it is quite clear that the dilemma lies elsewhere within the educational system, as Sir Martins report also says that the “single most important factor” of successfully guaranteeing your place within a university is your A-level results.
Then again research shows that the link between socio-economic background and educational achievement is developed before the child is two years old, and then progresses through primary school and secondary school.
More research shows that children from a poorer and less advantaged background are generally not the brightest, and are streamed through school in sets, which children that they believe will succeed being in top sets and children they see as less likely to accomplish something in lower sets, it is just like in Premier football clubs, where they nurture a youngster from a young age as soon as they identify their talents.
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