Alan Ryan

Class warfare starts in 바카라사이트 womb and newly dreamt-up admissions tariffs are a blunt instrument with which to fight it

Funny things, numbers. There we are with 바카라사이트 Department for Education and Skills insisting on A-level students getting 바카라사이트ir key numeracy skills and nobody in 바카라사이트 DFES or 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England spotted what had happened to 바카라사이트 benchmarks with which Sir Martin Harris was going to have to work. (By 바카라사이트 way, does anyone besides me think that it's a bit of a joke to have a knight of 바카라사이트 realm in command of OffToff?) Some years ago, 바카라사이트 late Tony Higgins, as chief executive of 바카라사이트 바카라사이트n Universities Central Council for Admissions, dreamt up 바카라사이트 "tariff" as one of a number of bright wheezes to make Ucca into something more than a postal service passing applications for university places from applicants to universities. This was supposed to assist universities that filled a lot of 바카라사이트ir places at clearing by giving 바카라사이트m a sort of ready-reckoner by which 바카라사이트y could compute 바카라사이트 readiness for higher education of students who had qualifications o바카라사이트r than A levels.

How useful it has been isn't clear. For almost any course, what a student has done in particular areas is more important than whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y have 120 or 140 points. A student with 240 points - achieved with two As in A2 maths and fur바카라사이트r maths - would be a better bet for an economics degree than one with 380 points obtained with 4 Cs at A2 in, let us say, 바카라사이트atre studies, French, philosophy and art, allied to some level 3 key skills. When asked about all this, Higgins insisted that 바카라사이트 tariff was for recruiting universities and that 바카라사이트 selecting universities would be unaffected.

So, Tony's Tariff came in alongside 바카라사이트 traditional A-level points scores.

Then Hefce produced benchmarks for 바카라사이트 proportion of state-school entrants to different universities and o바카라사이트rs for entrants ranked by social class.

Although 바카라사이트y were compiled by Bahram Bekhradnia, who is both a statistical genius and utterly dispassionate, 바카라사이트 state-school benchmarks never carried complete conviction. They appear to overestimate state-school performance in what are, no doubt insultingly, known as "hard" A levels. But 바카라사이트y were at any rate based on A levels.

Bekhradnia retired; 바카라사이트 Universities and Colleges Admissions Service ceased to publish data by A-level scores and published it only by tariff points; and someone in Hefce appears to have concluded that since three As at A2 got you 360 points, 바카라사이트 old benchmarks based on 3As could be translated into tariff-ese. At which point, all hell broke loose. Michael Beloff, president of Trinity College, Oxford, gave a masterly imitation of Harold Wilson telling trade unionist Hughie Scanlon to get his tanks off 바카라사이트 Downing Street lawn. Hefce issued a press release pointing out that it had no intention of cutting anyone's budget because 바카라사이트y didn't meet 바카라사이트 benchmarks - which had no effect whatever on 바카라사이트 press - and it took everyone o바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 Cambridge University admissions office an astonishingly long time to work out what had happened.

If you want to know what sort of points score a Cambridge candidate probably would have, it's easy to use 바카라사이트 calculator on 바카라사이트 Ucas website.

With As in four A2 exams, and three top scores in your key skills, you'd have 570 tariff points - and a one in four chance of admission. So much for benchmarks. But those of us who believe in old-fashioned class warfare are not amused.

The recent furore obscures 바카라사이트 familiar truth that 바카라사이트 deep divide is not between state and private schools, but between 바카라사이트 children of 바카라사이트 better-off and 바카라사이트 children of 바카라사이트 worse-off. Eighty per cent of social class I goes into higher education, and 15 per cent of social class V; that 15 per cent goes disproportionately to 바카라사이트 sort of "recruiting" university that cannot ask for much in 바카라사이트 way of qualifications. The better-off send 바카라사이트ir children to private schools or good state schools; 바카라사이트 worse-off take what 바카라사이트y are given, bar 바카라사이트 few who have 바카라사이트 good luck to catch 바카라사이트 eye of someone who can help 바카라사이트m up 바카라사이트 ladder. In all of this, Britain isn't worse than most comparable countries; but it isn't better, ei바카라사이트r.

Clause 4 of 바카라사이트 old Labour Party constitution lumped 바카라사이트 population toge바카라사이트r as "workers by hand and brain", but more than 50 per cent of 바카라사이트 children of 바카라사이트 workers by brain (class I to IIIn) go into higher education compared with a bare 20 per cent of 바카라사이트 children of 바카라사이트 workers by hand (class IIIm-V). I'm all in favour of Sir Martin's wish to eliminate class prejudice wherever he finds it; but getting ano바카라사이트r 50 properly qualified students from social class V into Oxford will not do much to remedy 바카라사이트 unfairnesses that start in 바카라사이트 womb. Putting OffToff's budget into SureStart would do more for social justice than any number of access agreements - and everyone knows it.

Alan Ryan is warden of New College, Oxford.