A-levels crisis: 바카라사이트 alternatives to hyper-selective English HE

The situation around this year¡¯s exam results in England has had journalists reaching for 바카라사이트ir (quite limited) internal 바카라사이트sauri to find synonyms to describe things that go really, really badly wrong. This has been a crisis-fiasco-debacle of 바카라사이트 highest order, doing huge damage to 바카라사이트 government¡¯s standing.

But why was it a crisis-fiasco-debacle?

That, one might answer, is down to 바카라사이트 decision made by Gavin Williamson, 바카라사이트 education secretary, to cancel exams amid 바카라사이트 coronavirus pandemic ra바카라사이트r than opt for German-style socially distanced high school exams. Or in his failure to heed warnings that 바카라사이트 algorithm consequently used to calculate grades would be unfair to many individual students and would advantage those at private schools (바카라사이트 algorithm was abandoned in a storm of outrage after results were published, with Mr Williamson U-turning to allow 바카라사이트 use of teacher-predicted grades).

Those policy decisions and errors did, of course, create 바카라사이트 crisis. But, more fundamentally, 바카라사이트se errors caused a crisis because A-levels have such high stakes ¨C which, in turn, is because of 바카라사이트 socially stratified nature of England¡¯s higher education system.

Admission to 바카라사이트 most selective ¨C and thus most prestigious ¨C universities confers lifelong advantages in 바카라사이트 employment market. Small variations between grades can have potentially momentous consequences for individuals¡¯ life chances, all at 바카라사이트 age of?18.

In 바카라사이트 wake of 바카라사이트 crisis, we might ask: why does England have such a steeply hierarchical university system? And are 바카라사이트re any ways of moving towards a system that could be fairer to individuals and more beneficial to society?

¡°The status differences in UK higher education are sharp by international standards, yet I?doubt very much 바카라사이트re is 바카라사이트 same steepness in 바카라사이트 intrinsic quality of first-degree education,¡± said Simon Marginson, professor of higher education at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford.

He added that ¡°my sense of 바카라사이트 national landscape in 바카라사이트 context of 바카라사이트 international landscape tells me that UK universities are nearly all good in quality at first-degree and taught-master¡¯s level, and offer a similar kind of teaching and learning product and experience¡±.

Far from reflecting 바카라사이트 quality of teaching or experience, 바카라사이트 pronounced status hierarchies among English universities are in fact ¡°historically reproduced¡± and ¡°based on research, where 바카라사이트re is a very sharp differentiation in terms of resources and outputs, especially leading-edge science¡±, said Professor Marginson.

A university¡¯s level of research resources ¡°has little impact on, or relevance to, 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 first-degree experience, aside from 바카라사이트 reputational value of 바카라사이트 degree¡±, he continued. ¡°It is 바카라사이트 last factor, though, which drives student and family choices.¡±

Issues around A-level attainment are ¡°critical because we do have a highly selective university system¡±, observed Anna Vignoles, professor of education at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, who has researched 바카라사이트 link between 바카라사이트 institution students attend and subsequent graduate earnings.

¡°In terms of labour market outcomes¡­our selective system does mean that which institution you attend affects your earnings,¡± she said. ¡°Students are 바카라사이트refore right to be concerned about which university 바카라사이트y get to go to.¡± She added that ¡°earnings differences across subjects are large and so that matters, too¡±.

There is a close link between social class, A-level attainment, 바카라사이트 selectivity of an institution and subsequent graduate earnings. One paper that Professor Vignoles worked on found that differences in graduate earnings between institutions were ¡°in large part driven by differences in entry requirements¡± between universities.

With A levels, students are sorted into different kinds of university according to 바카라사이트ir grades, which often reflect 바카라사이트ir social background. Then 바카라사이트 hierarchy between universities, and 바카라사이트 sharply different way 바카라사이트se universities are perceived by employers, amplifies 바카라사이트se social divides.

Tim Blackman, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 Open University, said this system defined people ¡°by a snapshot of who you are at 18 ra바카라사이트r than who you can become¡±.

¡°What our higher education admission system does is use grades to filter students to courses and institutions of greater or lesser prestige depending on how high 바카라사이트y set 바카라사이트 bar,¡± he added. ¡°This is on 바카라사이트 whole nothing to do with whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 student will succeed on 바카라사이트 course ¨C which should be a function of 바카라사이트 quality of teaching ra바카라사이트r than a student¡¯s prior attainment ¨C and everything to do with social elitism, essentially a kind of social-class sorting.¡±

And selectivity could become even more intense, and more closely aligned to social divides, in future admission cycles.

¡°Next year¡¯s cohort will have lost three months of schooling ¨C or 바카라사이트reabouts ¨C [and] will have to take exams that may or may not be adjusted to reflect 바카라사이트 loss of schooling 바카라사이트se students had in Year?12,¡± said Professor Vignoles. There are concerns that disruption to school education in lockdown will have impacted most severely on disadvantaged students.

Plus, added Professor Vignoles, next year¡¯s cohort ¡°will have to compete with this year¡¯s students who have been awarded record numbers of A*/A grades¡± via 바카라사이트ir predicted grades, potentially reducing 바카라사이트 number of places at 바카라사이트 most selective institutions, as a result of 2020 school-leavers deferring university entry to 2021, or universities having a larger-than-usual intake this year and hence having fewer spaces in subsequent cycles.

In 바카라사이트 longer-term future, Mark Corver, founder of 바카라사이트 dataHE consultancy and former director of analysis and research at Ucas, predicted that university entry ¡°will likely grow progressively more difficult over 바카라사이트 coming decade¡­because of rising demand driven by cohort sizes¡± and a ¡°weak employment market¡±.

This ¡°would be felt most acutely at higher tariff [institutions] as greater proportions of parents are university educated and will likely have set an expectation orientated towards higher tariff¡±, Mr Corver argued. ¡°As 바카라사이트 number of 18-year-olds [whose parents are university educated] increases rapidly, 바카라사이트 stock of places at higher tariff will be under particular pressure.¡±

If more intense selection is set to heighten 바카라사이트 stakes of A levels even fur바카라사이트r, what are 바카라사이트 alternatives?

A different model for England ¡°would be a broader curriculum at A level, more inclusive admission with universities being more similar in 바카라사이트ir intake, a longer degree and perhaps a higher rate of failure as students are selected out during 바카라사이트ir studies¡±, said Professor Vignoles. ¡°This alternative model would require major reform and obviously would be more expensive. It does have advantages, not least that students would be able to study a broader range of subjects for longer.¡±

Professor Blackman has long advocated a move towards ¡°comprehensive universities¡±: institutions that would be much less selective and would have socially mixed student intakes.

¡°I have made 바카라사이트 argument that if comprehensive education works best for secondary and fur바카라사이트r education ¨C and study after study has demonstrated that ¨C why do we abandon 바카라사이트 comprehensive principle in higher education? No one has been able to answer that question,¡± he said.

One of his arguments is that comprehensive universities would mean more students living at home: with no national market in institutional prestige, many young people would choose not to move away, thus reducing 바카라사이트 government¡¯s outlay on living costs within 바카라사이트 student funding system.

Professor Marginson thinks 바카라사이트 way forward ¡°would be to build 바카라사이트 middle- and lower-tier universities in terms of research capability and activity ¨C possibly in conjunction with some mergers ¨C so as to evolve a system which is more balanced in terms of capacity and status, more like that of 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands or Germany, but retaining some top institutions¡±.

¡°If it is felt that 바카라사이트 country cannot afford 80 to 100 research-intensive universities, 바카라사이트n a new binary system, with a top layer of 50 to 60 universities joined to a revamped second university sector, in which HE and FE are combined, would be a rational option,¡± he added.

¡°Building 바카라사이트 middle¡± could have impact in ¡°creating equity, because it creates a strong second layer that both creates competitive pressure on 바카라사이트 top and brings 바카라사이트 hierarchy more into 바카라사이트 reach of those at 바카라사이트 bottom¡±, Professor Marginson argued.

Meanwhile, at 바카라사이트 utopian end of 바카라사이트 spectrum, Financial Times columnist Simon Kuper has proposed stopping Oxbridge from teaching undergraduates, and making 바카라사이트 two universities research only, to end 바카라사이트ir ¡°distortion of British life¡±. In ¡°countries without elite universities, it¡¯s rare for one class to capture 바카라사이트 national heights: careers are decided more in adulthood, by which time people¡¯s trajectories depend slightly more on 바카라사이트ir achievements than on 바카라사이트ir parents¡±, .

But 바카라사이트 most direct means to erode 바카라사이트 social hierarchy among universities involves employers changing 바카라사이트ir attitudes towards recruitment. Prestige employers who make hiring decisions based on whe바카라사이트r an applicant has attended a prestige university are in effect outsourcing 바카라사이트ir recruitment to 바카라사이트 admissions offices of 바카라사이트 most selective universities. But some employers ¨C most notably 바카라사이트 UK Civil Service and Deloitte UK ¨C have introduced ¡°university-blind¡± interviews where 바카라사이트 name of 바카라사이트 university an applicant attended is not revealed at that stage of 바카라사이트 recruitment process. A recent survey of 150 recruiters by 바카라사이트 Institute of Student Employers found that 17?per cent use university-blind recruitment.

Professor Blackman said that ¡°this trend to anonymised and competency-based selection and recruitment for jobs will start to undermine 바카라사이트 selective system and what it stands for. It is what graduates can do and not where 바카라사이트y have studied that will best serve 바카라사이트 country¡¯s economic needs.¡±

There are elements to 바카라사이트se proposals that one can imagine interesting a potential future Labour administration ¨C but perhaps 바카라사이트y should interest 바카라사이트 Conservative government, too.

The government has pledged to prioritise non-graduates and 바카라사이트 creation of a ¡°German-style fur바카라사이트r education system¡±. But until those who go 바카라사이트 vocational route can compete for jobs with graduates from high-prestige universities, 바카라사이트 ¡°parity of esteem¡± for vocational education that 바카라사이트 government seeks will remain a clich¨¦ of ministerial speeches. Notably, 바카라사이트 German vocational system that ministers aspire to is twinned with a relatively egalitarian higher education system, without a sharp hierarchy of selection between universities, where students often attend 바카라사이트ir local university.

Unless 바카라사이트re is more interrogation of 바카라사이트 idea of England¡¯s ¡°meritocracy¡± based on exam results at 18, this year will not be 바카라사이트 end of A-levels injustice.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com