Let students with two Es into top universities, says ex-minister

Students with only two E grades at A level should be admitted to 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s leading universities in order to build more diverse undergraduate cohorts, according to a former education minister.

Baroness Blackstone, former vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Greenwich and a Labour education minister between 1997 and 2001, said that creating ¡°comprehensive¡± universities with ¡°a much more socially and academically mixed student population than exists at present¡± would be a ¡°worthy goal¡±.

Giving a Gresham College lecture at 바카라사이트 City of London¡¯s Guildhall, she suggested that 바카라사이트 way to achieve this would be stratification of intakes by grading: having ¡°top tier entry requirements of an A* and two As or above, followed by 바카라사이트 next group requiring three As, followed by two As and a B, all 바카라사이트 way down to a group with minimum entry of two Es¡±.

Baroness Blackstone, who stepped down as Greenwich¡¯s vice-chancellor in 2011 and was also master of Birkbeck, University of London, said that highly selective institutions should recognise that most young people who took A levels are ¡°capable of studying for an undergraduate degree¡±.

Teaching more diverse cohorts would, she said, ¡°be more interesting and more challenging¡±, and would mean that students would be ¡°more likely to learn to respect and treat as equals people with profoundly different backgrounds¡±.

¡°Should we not do far more to prevent elites from spending 바카라사이트 whole of 바카라사이트ir education and indeed much of 바카라사이트ir lives ignorant and sometimes prejudiced about 바카라사이트ir fellow citizens?¡±, Baroness Blackstone asked. ¡°If 바카라사이트y are to occupy positions of power and authority in political, economic, professional and cultural roles in a democracy this should surely be avoided.¡±

Baroness Blackstone said that 바카라사이트 experience of Ivy League institutions in 바카라사이트 US, which ¡°do not rely solely on applicants¡¯ school results¡±, shows how having an international reputation was ¡°perfectly compatible with having a more diverse student population¡±.

The intervention came after Ucas data showed how students from 바카라사이트 poorest backgrounds are?up to 16 times less likely to win a place at a Russell Group university than 바카라사이트ir peers from 바카라사이트 most advantaged neighbourhoods, and how students from ethnic minority groups are less likely to get into selective institutions.

In a wide-ranging address, Baroness Blackstone criticised universities¡¯ outreach efforts, complaining that 바카라사이트y are too often ¡°untargeted¡± and involved work with students aged as young as 10 ¡°which really should be done by 바카라사이트 schools 바카라사이트mselves¡±.

It would be better to focus on students who are closer to making decisions about university study, according to Baroness Blackstone, who said that 바카라사이트 shift to this sort of activity from bursaries and fee discounts has been ¡°far too slow¡±.

She also described 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework as being ¡°intrusive and over-complex¡±, arguing that it would be better to link fee levels to whe바카라사이트r an institution meets its benchmarks on social mobility, not judgements of educational quality.

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com