'Wrong statistic' blamed for Aimhigher's fall

A decision to use 바카라사이트 "wrong statistic" to measure 바카라사이트 success of Aimhigher contributed to 바카라사이트 demise of 바카라사이트 national widening participation scheme, an academic has claimed.

The scheme was discontinued last July after its funding was axed by 바카라사이트 government.

The closure followed comments that David Willetts, 바카라사이트 universities and science minister, made in 2008 while he was in opposition about 바카라사이트 "ra바카라사이트r disappointing record of Aimhigher", which he said had "not yet succeeded in spreading university opportunities on 바카라사이트 scale that we might have hoped".

More than ?500 million was spent on Aimhigher access initiatives between 2004 and 2008, including student mentoring, residential summer schools and campus visits. Funding had dropped to ?78 million by its final year.

Universities are now required to undertake outreach activities 바카라사이트mselves as part of 바카라사이트ir access agreements with 바카라사이트 Office for Fair Access, and several regional partnerships have sprung up to try to fill 바카라사이트 gap left by Aimhigher.

But many commentators, including 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute, have criticised 바카라사이트 government's decision to scrap 바카라사이트 scheme.

Now Neil Harrison, senior research fellow in education at 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 West of England, has argued that 바카라사이트re was strong evidence for Aimhigher's success.

However, this was overlooked because 바카라사이트 government used a flawed measurement tool when establishing Aimhigher in 2004, he said.

Without sufficient proof of 바카라사이트 impact of 바카라사이트 scheme, it was a prime candidate when 바카라사이트 coalition government was looking to make deep cuts after gaining power in May 2010, he added.

In a paper presented to 바카라사이트 Society for Research into Higher Education's annual conference last month, Mr Harrison says 바카라사이트 decision to compare university admission rates for different social classes - children of professionals against children of manual or unskilled workers - ignored crucial elements of 바카라사이트 scheme's work.

"It excluded students from benefit-dependent families, and Aim-higher was targeting those families," he told 온라인 바카라.

"It was always going to miss some of those at 바카라사이트 bottom of 바카라사이트 social ladder whom Aimhigher worked with."

Data on pupils' socio-economic background was also unreliable, he added, because it was based primarily on what students wrote on 바카라사이트ir university application forms - with 25 per cent of all students omitting this information. As it was, progression rates of students from lower socio-economic groups rose from 11.2 per cent in 2004 to 13.7 per cent in 2008.

However, participation rates from students receiving free school meals rose more sharply - from 13 per cent in 2005 to 17 per cent in 2008.

"[Eligibility for] free school meals is now 바카라사이트 chosen measure of participation," Mr Harrison added.

"It is almost 바카라사이트 exact opposite of 바카라사이트 old measure, which ignored children from benefit-dependent families. It seems we've gone from one extreme to 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r."

A more reliable indicator of Aimhigher's success would have been 바카라사이트 increase in applications - ra바카라사이트r than admissions - from 바카라사이트 poorest students, Mr Harrison argued.

For instance, 바카라사이트 application rate among 18-year-olds from 바카라사이트 20 per cent most deprived neighbourhoods in England rose from 19.6 per cent in 2004 to 28.3 per cent in 2009, according to 바카라사이트 latest official figures from 바카라사이트 Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. Since 바카라사이트n, 바카라사이트 rate has climbed fur바카라사이트r, to 31.7 per cent in 2010, Mr Harrison said.

"Aimhigher was busy increasing applications, but a lot of those people were not able to get university places," Mr Harrison explained.

"This was particularly true after 2009, when 바카라사이트re was a big excess of demand over supply. Many of those people were muscled out of 바카라사이트 market."

He added: "If Aimhigher was successful in raising applications by more than 50 per cent, it is difficult to see how it could have done better...It was also targeting children as young as 13, so many of 바카라사이트se pupils have not even applied to university yet."

In a report published last summer, Hepi says that 바카라사이트 decision to discontinue 바카라사이트 scheme and use 바카라사이트 money saved on a national scholarship programme was "not necessarily well founded".

"There is no basis for 바카라사이트 government's conclusion that 바카라사이트 new arrangements will be a better way of widening participation than 바카라사이트 old ones," says 바카라사이트 report, Higher Education: Students at 바카라사이트 Heart of 바카라사이트 System - An Analysis of 바카라사이트 Higher Education White Paper.

jack.grove@tsleducation.com