The Tory social engineer

Willetts tells universities: Give priority to less privileged pupils

MIDDLE-CLASS teenagers with top A-level results should be turned down for university places in favour of less privileged pupils with poorer grades who show more ‘potential’, said a Tory minister yesterday.

Universities Minister David Willetts told dons to do more to boost social mobility by looking beyond ‘just A-levels’ when choosing undergraduates.

He said bright pupils from low-performing schools should be admitted with lower grades because poor teaching may have dragged them down.

And he revealed that more pupils could be accepted on to elite degree courses despite having ‘not very good A-levels’ if they agree to complete a foundation year aimed at bringing them up to scratch.

The minister’s remarks ignited a further storm over ‘social engineering’ in university admissions. Mr Willetts insisted that he was interested only in uncovering ‘missed talent’.

Official figures showthat most of the elite Russell Group universities increased the number of places handed to pupils from private schools in 2010/11 on the previous year.

In his speech to the Higher Education Funding Council in London, Mr Willetts demanded a ‘renewed push’ from universities to widen the social mix of students.

He revealed the Coalition is considering a range of sanctions, including fines against colleges which don’t make progress.

It also emerged the Government is spending a record £ 900million in 2012/ 13 on schemes to widen access. Mr Willetts said the schemes would be reviewed with a view to rolling out the most successful more widely. These include an initiative at King’s College, London, where entry requirements are lowered for students from deprived local areas who show potential.

They may be in line for grades of just three Cs at A-level but are accepted to study medicine if they complete a foundation year aimed at improving their knowledge of biology and chemistry. Mr Willetts said: ‘The chances of

‘Deprived conditions’

getting a good medical degree are almost as good as those who turn up with three As.’ He denied claims of social engineering.

Studies suggest that 63 per cent of universities are already planning to use ‘contextual data’ in admissions and some 23 per cent make lower offers for disadvantaged groups. Mr Willetts’ remarks risk reigniting rifts in the Coalition exposed when he and Business Secretary Vince Cable backed Professor Les Ebdon for the post of university access tsar.

Professor Ebdon has supports the use of background data in admissions, raising concerns among many Tories that poor-performing schools were being let off the hook.

Dr William Richardson of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference, representing top independent schools, said making school background an ‘access criterion’ was unfair to pupils ‘who satisfy admissions requirements’ by getting the right grades.

Chris Mcgovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said: ‘Mr Willetts needs to focus on raising standards in maintained schools instead of bringing in vague sociological factors and dumbing down standards for university entry.’

He urged the minister to back an expansion of grammar schools to help more working-class children into top universities.