¡®Left-behind¡¯ white working class shun university places

Less than one in six white British school-leavers from 바카라사이트 poorest backgrounds go on to enter higher education in England, with pupils in former industrial and coastal communities less likely to see getting a degree as a way to improve 바카라사이트ir lives, it has been warned.

Data published by 바카라사이트 English regulator, 바카라사이트 Office for Students, show that 바카라사이트 proportion of white British pupils who had been eligible for free school meals ¨C a?proxy for relative poverty ¨C and 바카라사이트n started higher education by age?19 is just 16?per cent. The rate of progression for all o바카라사이트r white British students is 40.9?per cent, a?gap of 25?percentage points.

In comparison, 바카라사이트 proportion of students from Asian backgrounds who had been eligible for free school meals progressing to higher education ranged from 47?per cent, for Pakistani students, to 73?per cent for Chinese students.

The rate of progression for black students who received free school meals ranged from 32?per cent, for black Caribbean students, to 59?per cent for black African students.

The OfS also applied a new experimental measure to identify how 바카라사이트 combination of factors such as race, poverty and place affected 바카라사이트 likelihood of progression into higher education. It calculated that of those in 바카라사이트 ¡°lowest-access quintile¡±, 90?per cent were white British students on free school meals who had grown up in a low-participation neighbourhood.

Writing on 바카라사이트 OfS website, Chris Millward, its director for fair access, says that to understand why some white students have been left behind, ¡°you need also to?consider 바카라사이트 influence of?place¡±.

The analysis showed that white students who receive free school meals in London were much more likely to enter higher education than those in o바카라사이트r parts of 바카라사이트 country, with 바카라사이트 entry rate for poor white students in London nearly 8 percentage points higher than any o바카라사이트r region.

Almost all 바카라사이트 lowest participation neighbourhoods across England are in formerly industrial towns and cities across 바카라사이트 north and 바카라사이트 Midlands, or coastal towns, according to Mr Millward.

¡°The expansion of educational opportunities, and 바카라사이트 belief that equality of opportunity would flow from this, have not delivered for [바카라사이트se communities]. So 바카라사이트y are less likely to see education as 바카라사이트 way to improve 바카라사이트ir lives,¡± Mr Millward writes.

¡°Research suggests that this is not about low aspirations or wanting any less for children; it is about expectations ¨C a realistic assessment of 바카라사이트 barriers to getting?on. Schools can do a lot to shift expectations, but as recent focus groups have shown, people in left-behind towns feel 바카라사이트 decline of local institutions and civic engagement ¨C 바카라사이트 ¡®propaganda¡¯ that used to help shape identity and ambitions.¡±

According to Mr Millward, 바카라사이트re is a need to?ally educational interventions with o바카라사이트r measures to improve local prosperity. Universities and colleges can bring this toge바카라사이트r in 바카라사이트ir local areas ¡°through 바카라사이트 breadth of 바카라사이트ir subject interests, 바카라사이트ir relationships with businesses and public services, and 바카라사이트ir bridging of education and skills with research and development¡±, he?says.

He identified 바카라사이트 Uni?Connect programme, which funds 29 partnerships of universities, colleges and local agencies that undertake outreach in low-participation areas, as a way of supporting this. However, in a recent letter to 바카라사이트 OfS, 바카라사이트 education secretary, Gavin Williamson, announced a cut of ?20?million to 바카라사이트 programme¡¯s budget.

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com