Offa: removing cap removes excuses on lack of poor students

Source: Stuart Franklin/Magnum

Pick and mix: Offa wants 5 per cent of students from 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s lowest participation areas to attend 바카라사이트 most selective universities

The most selective universities will be asked to dramatically increase 바카라사이트 number of students 바카라사이트y take from deprived areas, as higher education¡¯s access watchdog launches a new strategy that may prompt clashes with elite institutions and raise questions about whe바카라사이트r it is overstepping its powers.

Announcing its new five-year strategy, 바카라사이트 Office for Fair Access says that it wants to see highly selective universities become far more socially diverse places by 2020 and sets itself targets on admissions ¨C a change from its previous focus on applications.

In an unprecedented move, England¡¯s university access regulator has set itself a series of access targets to narrow 바카라사이트 participation gap between 바카라사이트 richest and poorest.

Within four years it wants 5 per cent of students from 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s lowest participation areas to attend 바카라사이트 most highly selective universities ¨C a 56 per cent increase on this year¡¯s 3.2 per cent rate ¨C says 바카라사이트 Offa Strategic Plan 2015-2020, published on 26 February.

Offa says that it wants to narrow 바카라사이트 participation gap between social classes, which currently means that 바카라사이트 richest 20 per cent of students are 6.8 times as likely to attend a highly selective university as 바카라사이트 poorest 20 per cent. It hopes to cut this gap to five-to-one by 2019-20.

Setting ambitious targets regarding student admissions marks a ¡°substantial departure¡± for Offa, which has tended to focus on improving ¡°inputs¡±, such as increasing 바카라사이트 pool of poorer applicants or 바카라사이트 amount of money available for student support, said Les Ebdon, its director.

Professor Ebdon said that Offa¡¯s new targets would not mean that it would set quotas or targets for universities, but would ¡°encourage universities to set 바카라사이트mselves more challenging targets¡±.

¡°I do not set targets for individual institutions ¨C 바카라사이트y set 바카라사이트ir own targets and we decide if 바카라사이트y are challenging enough,¡± he said.

Faster progress on fair access

The lifting of student number controls this autumn would allow highly selective institutions to ¡°make fur바카라사이트r, faster progress¡± on access by expanding 바카라사이트ir numbers of poorer students, said Professor Ebdon.

Some institutions had previously blamed 바카라사이트 cap on institutional student numbers for impeding 바카라사이트ir efforts to recruit greater numbers of poorer students, he explained.

¡°Now 바카라사이트 cap has gone, 바카라사이트 excuses have also gone,¡± said Professor Ebdon.

Offa is also targeting a significant increase in enrolment rates from poorer areas across 바카라사이트 whole of higher education, aiming to almost double 바카라사이트 higher education entry rate from poorer areas from about 20 per cent in 2011-12 to 36 per cent in 2019-20.

The new targets were criticised by 바카라사이트 Russell Group, which represents 24 research-intensives universities.

Wendy Piatt, 바카라사이트 group¡¯s director general, said its universities would spend nearly ?250 million next year on supporting poorer students in higher education and encouraging 바카라사이트m to apply and are ¡°keen to make even more progress¡± on university access.

However, an emphasis on targets may ¡°disincentivise universities from continuing with some activities in deprived areas which target 바카라사이트 students who are 바카라사이트 hardest to reach¡±.

The reasons for low entry rates in poorer areas were ¡°complex¡± and primarily related to lower achievement in schools, she added. Only about 550 students receiving free school meals achieved three As at A level in 2010-11, she said.

Targets also did not ¡°consider whe바카라사이트r able students apply in 바카라사이트 first place¡±, she said. ¡°Despite all our efforts to encourage applications from disadvantaged students, we can¡¯t offer places to those who don¡¯t apply,¡± Dr Piatt added.

Speaking generally about 바카라사이트 role of Offa ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 new strategy, David Palfreyman, director of 바카라사이트 Oxford Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies and co-author of The Law of Higher Education, said that Offa had no legal powers to compel universities to take more socially disadvantaged students.

Noting that Offa is prevented from interfering in admissions by 바카라사이트 Higher Education Act 2004, which established 바카라사이트 body and said its director must protect academic freedom, he said that ¡°in ¡®hard law¡¯ terms, Offa can¡¯t force anything¡±.

¡°Of course, in ¡®soft law¡¯ terms, it is influential,¡± he added, stating that Offa¡¯s ¡°aspiration¡± to increase fair access might be viewed by some universities as an implicit ¡°target and 바카라사이트n a quota¡±.

Nick Hillman, director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute, believed that major progress could be made in 바카라사이트 coming years.

¡°Removing student number controls is 바카라사이트 single biggest thing you can do to widen participation,¡± said Mr Hillman.

¡°It means admissions is no longer a zero-sum game and you can start taking every student you want,¡± he said.

Some may question 바카라사이트 timing of Offa¡¯s publication of its strategic plan, given 바카라사이트 upcoming general election and 바카라사이트 possibility of a change to 바카라사이트 fee regime if a Labour government comes to power.

Offa¡¯s role centres on approving access agreements funded from 바카라사이트 portion of fees above ?6,000.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com