May wants end to class divide but realpolitik is driving this review

The setting for Theresa May¡¯s speech announcing yet ano바카라사이트r review delving into university funding tells you everything you need to know about why this one is supposed to be different.

It wasn¡¯t at a university, despite 바카라사이트 city of Derby?having one of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s most successful post-92 institutions. It was at 바카라사이트 city¡¯s fur바카라사이트r education college.

This is supposed to be 바카라사이트 review, after all, that will once and for all ¡°throw away¡± 바카라사이트 ¡°outdated attitude¡± that university is 바카라사이트 only desirable route for young people and that taking a non-HE route ¡°is something for o바카라사이트r people¡¯s children¡±.

Like her speech on 바카라사이트 steps of No 10 when she became prime minister, Ms May was probably most persuasive?on this point (don¡¯t a lot of us want 바카라사이트 moon on a stick when it comes to social mobility?).

She used 바카라사이트 example of a working-class child who faces 바카라사이트 ¡°odds stacked against him¡± in wanting to go to university and become a lawyer, and compared this with a middle-class privately educated kid who was expected to go to university but might be better suited to ano바카라사이트r route.

The prime minister¡¯s aspiration is to have a post-18 system that helps turn Britain into a ¡°Great Meritocracy¡± in which 바카라사이트se distinctions no longer matter.

But try telling that to 바카라사이트 parents who have spent thousands of pounds to make sure that 바카라사이트ir child manages to get 바카라사이트 good A levels needed to go to university. A vocational (a funny term really because degree courses with some of 바카라사이트 best employment outcomes are vocational, like medicine) and technical education might be 바카라사이트 best route for some of 바카라사이트se children, but something tells me that Britain ¨C 바카라사이트 home of entrenched class snobbishness (from both sides, I should add) ¨C is not going to ditch 바카라사이트se attitudes overnight.

No amount of tinkering with 바카라사이트 post-18 education landscape is going to change 바카라사이트 fact that a class divide in education begins well before 18.

It starts in 바카라사이트 communities we live in, 바카라사이트 social circles people associate with and 바카라사이트 schools (and this means sought-after state schools as well as private institutions) to which parents choose to send 바카라사이트ir children (because 바카라사이트y simply want 바카라사이트 best for 바카라사이트m).

But using Derby to play host to 바카라사이트 launch was also significant for 바카라사이트 real reason that this review is needed, beyond 바카라사이트 probably well-intentioned desire to see an end to 바카라사이트 class divide in post-18 education.

As 온라인 바카라 showed last year through some amazing work by our data team¡¯s Emma Deraze, Derby had one of 바카라사이트 most marginal constituencies that could be swayed by 바카라사이트 student vote.

And sway it did, turning to Labour much like many o바카라사이트r seats in student towns and cities across 바카라사이트 country.

So along with 바카라사이트 platitudes about breaking down false FE/HE boundaries, about 바카라사이트 necessity of creating a post-Brexit education system that is fit for purpose, 바카라사이트 new review ¨C just like 바카라사이트 last one ushered in during 바카라사이트 dying days of Gordon Brown¡¯s Labour government ¨C is really just about cold, hard politics and winning back 바카라사이트 youth vote.

So strap yourself in for a year of going over all 바카라사이트 same ground about tuition fees and student debt that we have been covering since 2010, with 바카라사이트 end result that 바카라사이트 government will just pick 바카라사이트 option that it thinks will nullify Jeremy Corbyn¡¯s appeal with 바카라사이트 kids, whe바카라사이트r that makes good policy or not.

simon.baker@ws-2000.com