University application shake-up expected
The Secretary of State for Education, Charles Clarke, is expected to announce that students will be able to apply for university after they receive their A-Level results.
As the system stands most students make applications for places at university months before they sit their A-Levels.
However, a report released today from the Government appointed task-force led by Professor Steven Schwartz, said that the current system should be reformed, noting that it works against students from non-traditional backgrounds.
Improving access to higher education for non-traditional applicants is a key aim of the Government’s education policy.
Professor Schwartz said that around half of predicted grades proved to be incorrect and those students with lower self-confidence who did better than expected lost the chance to apply for the more prestigious universities.
Currently it is “difficult for students to know why their applications had been accepted or, more importantly, why they had not been accepted”, Professor Schwartz said.
He added that too many of the key decisions are currently based on unreliable information – including predicted grades and “impressionistic” interviews.
The report also called for a more transparent system for handling applications, in order to remove suspicions over how decisions were reached.
Mr Clarke has said he wants to act immediately on this recommendation from the taskforce.
“It must be fairer and more transparent for students to know their final results before making important choices about where and what to study and this must also aid decision-making by universities,” the Education Secretary commented.
But, with no timetable set for the implementation of the recommendations, the Liberal Democrats have called on the Government to act quickly. Education spokesman Phil Willis, said: “A speedy implementation is now crucial. No university should be allowed to use traditional practices and thereby delay the urgent introduction of the new rules.
“It should not be for schools to bring forward their exams to meet the new Government requirements but for the universities to alter their admission system for the benefit of their future students.”
The head of Universities UK, Professor Ivor Crewe, welcomed the report as providing a “solid foundation” of principles for admissions policies. He said he welcomed the suggestion of a high-level implementation group and looked forward to “working with this group to ensure that a PQA (Post Qualification Admission) system is developed which is practical both for potential students and universities – as well as for other education stakeholders.”
He said he would “look closely” at the report’s other recommendations, including the potential use of a standard American style SAT system instead of individual university tests, but warned that any change needed to be considered “very carefully, particularly in light of the Tomlinson review of 14-19 curriculum”.
