WIREDGOV

Amid concern that those from disadvantaged backgrounds are still under-represented in higher education, author Geoff Stanton argues that attempting to address this by concentrating on university admissions processes is too narrow. He says we should look at the social class composition of the institutions they progress from.

The crucial divide comes at 16, when half the population do not gain passes at grades A* to C at GCSE, denying them the ‘royal route’ to university via immediate access to A-levels. Most in this half of the population are capable of greater achievement given more time, but they tend to be excluded from the most prestigious and best-resourced forms of 16-19 education.

Stanton points out that school sixth forms are even less socially inclusive than universities, while the further education sector is asked to cater for a broader cross-section of the population, despite being less well-funded and less well-known.

He calls for a debate about the balance between an education system that discriminates in favour of high achievers, and one that discriminates in favour of those at risk of under-achievement or exclusion.  “What cannot continue is a rhetoric that emphasises the latter alongside a funding system that emphasises the former,” he says.

Geoff Stanton is one of seven contributors to a new collection of essays - Unfinished business in widening participation: the end of the beginning - published by the Learning and Skills Network (LSN).

The publication celebrates the tenth anniversary of the Helena Kennedy Foundation, set up in the wake of Baroness Kennedy’s influential report on widening participation in education and training, Learning Works

John Stone, chief executive of LSN, said: “After a decade or more of Widening Participation this is precisely the right moment to review the impact of this policy, its successes and failures and most importantly where we go from here.

“Encouraging a belief in education as the route to expand life chances, particularly for under-represented groups, continues to attract support across the political spectrum.

“The debate about how these goals can be achieved, however, is set to continue. The contributors to this publication have provided a series of insights which will help us all as we regroup and refine our aims for the next 10 years.”

In another paper, authors Geoff Hall and Hugh David highlight the importance of further education colleges in widening participation into higher education. Research shows that higher education provided in colleges attracts students from a much broader range of social backgrounds than HE provided in universities.

They argue that raising the status of higher education courses in FE colleges, such as foundation degrees, could have a major impact on widening participation. 

Click here to download a free PDF copy of Unfinished business in widening participation: the end of the beginning

Media contacts:

Frank Villeneuve-Smith, LSN, 0207 492 5141, fvsmith@lsneducation.org.uk

Martin Whittaker, Viva Communications Ltd, 01453 756714, mobile 07716 773620 martin@viva-communications.co.uk

Notes for editors

The Learning and Skills Network (LSN) is an independent not for profit organisation committed to making a difference to education and training. It is one of the two successor organisations of the LSDA. www.lsneducation.org.uk