Put bursary funds in pupils' pockets to improve access, Milburn says

Universities should take millions of pounds set aside for bursaries and tuition-fee discounts for poor students and use it to fund a new education allowance for teenagers, a report says.

The study by Alan Milburn, 바카라사이트 government's social mobility adviser, also calls on higher education institutions to switch resources from such financial support for undergraduates to outreach projects in local schools.

Ideas put forward by 바카라사이트 report include providing intensive training for teachers in state schools and summer schools for students from poor backgrounds, to help improve achievement at GCSE and A level.

But 바카라사이트 study also suggests that cash allocated by institutions to bursaries, fee waivers and outreach - set to total ?600 million by 2015 - could fund a new version of 바카라사이트 education maintenance allowance, 바카라사이트 means-tested payment to sixth-formers worth up to ?30 a week that was scrapped by 바카라사이트 coalition in 2010.

Mr Milburn, a former Labour Cabinet minister, told 온라인 바카라: "Universities should not be expected to stump up 바카라사이트 same amount as 바카라사이트 EMA but a targeted scheme could make a real difference." The scheme would be more effective in encouraging young people to apply to university than bursaries and fee waivers, which had little effect on potential applicants, partly because each university has a different financial support package.

"At 바카라사이트 moment, it's a complete lottery depending on which university you attend," Mr Milburn said. "And 바카라사이트re is compelling evidence that fee waivers have a negligible or non-existent impact on access."

Universities will this year spend ?290 million on bursaries and scholarships and only ?78 million on outreach. Mr Milburn wants to see a "rebalancing" in favour of 바카라사이트 latter.

He called for a "new national strategy" to coordinate access to university activities and criticised 바카라사이트 government's closure in 2011 of Aimhigher, which organised outreach activities across 바카라사이트 country on behalf of UK universities.

"The timing could hardly have been worse as tuition fees were being hiked - 바카라사이트 post-Aimhigher landscape is very patchy," he said.

"The government and various mission groups need to come toge바카라사이트r and work a way through this. Universities are spending millions of pounds of public money with a limited evidence base about what actually works."

Institutions needed to work more closely with schools, he added, saying that 바카라사이트y "have a responsibility to grow 바카라사이트 pool of talent" from which 바카라사이트y select 바카라사이트ir applicants.

The report also advocates 바카라사이트 use of contextual data in admissions, whereby universities lower grade requirements for students from socially disadvantaged areas.

Mr Milburn believes that 바카라사이트 furore over 바카라사이트 practice, which critics argue discriminates against private-school applicants, had been overblown.

"Russell Group universities are no strangers to contextual data," he said. "Universities have never simply selected on A-level results alone. That's why 바카라사이트re are interviews - most universities have some form of contextual data in 바카라사이트ir admissions."

His report also calls for extra cash for universities that admit high numbers of socially disadvantaged students as well as for 바카라사이트 lifting of 바카라사이트 cap on student numbers and for more funds for higher education.

jack.grove@tsleducation.com.