HomeNews
News archive 2006-7| HomeNewsNews archive 2006-7 |
Applying for funding Funded Projects About us News News archive 2006-7 News archive pre 2006  |
News archive (2006-7)
Low social mobility in the UK has not improved in 30 yearsSocial mobility in the UK remains at the low level it was for those born in 1970, with recent generations of children’s educational outcomes still overwhelmingly tied to their parents’ income, according to the latest Sutton Trust research released today. The study, from the London School of Economics and the University of Surrey and funded by the Sutton Trust, reviews evidence related to children born between 1970 and the Millennium, to determine whether the decline in social mobility between previous generations has continued. The main findings of the work by Dr Jo Blanden and Professor Stephen Machin show that:
Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, commented: “Shamefully, Britain remains stuck at the bottom of the international league tables when it comes to social mobility. It is appalling that young people’s life chances are still so tied to the fortunes of their parents, and that this situation has not improved over the last three decades. We need a radical review of our approach to improving social mobility, starting with an independent commission to review the underlying causes for our low level of mobility and what can be done to address it. This is an issue which requires action on a broad front over a long period – it is too important to be used as a political football.” For its part, the Sutton Trust has been funding since 1997 a wide range of education access initiatives from the early years, through primary and secondary schools, to university and beyond. In partnership with the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Trust is also hosting a high level international summit to identify the drivers of social mobility and consider where governments and others should be focussing their efforts. Dr Jo Blanden commented: “By looking at the relationship between children's educational outcomes at different ages and parental income we can predict likely patterns of mobility for cohorts who have not yet reached adulthood. On this basis we cannot find any evidence that the sharp drop in mobility observed for children growing up in the 1970s and 1980s has continued. But nor can we find evidence that mobility has improved.” Please follow this link to read the summary report The Sutton Trust's 10th Anniversary CelebrationsThe Sutton Trust held its 10th anniversary celebrations at the Banqueting House on the evening of Monday 15th October. Five-hundred guests - including Cabinet Ministers, Parliamentarians, philanthropists and representatives from schools, universities and Trust-supported projects - heard the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, describe the work of the Trust as an "inspiration to all of us [which] has won over these ten years the huge respect and admiration of the whole of the British community." The Prime Minister continued that the Trust has "already started to transform life in our universities, colleges and schools" and added that "I believe that the research that the Sutton Trust has done in these last ten years has made an enormous difference to the way we look at problems in our society." He concluded that Sir Peter Lampl, the Trust's Chairman and founder "is genuinely transforming lives" and thanked the Sutton Trust, its advisory board, and all those who have contributed to its "great ten years". Sir Peter responded to Gordon Brown's kind words by emphasising the Trust's commitment to continuing its fruitful collaboration with government and to influencing the education policy debate through research and innovative pilot projects. But he also set out the challenges that remain in the next ten years: to address Britain's shamefully low levels of social mobility and to break the link between educational achievement and social background. To do this, Sir Peter outlined that the Trust will be focusing particularly on: more interventions in the early years; embedding university access and enrichment work in the core school curriculum; projects targeted at key transitions in young people's lives; and on increasing its research capacity. Excerpts of Prime Minister's Speech View the video here: The Sutton Trust 10th Anniversary Film Educational interventions offer excellent financial returnsEducational initiatives which are well targeted - particularly at key junctures in young people's educational careers - produce benefits worth an average £15 for every £1 spent, according to a new report based on an analysis by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a global management consulting firm. BCG used a corporate portfolio analysis to compare nine Sutton Trust programmes with three comparator programmes. The analysis was undertaken by BCG for the 10th anniversary of the Sutton Trust, which provides educational opportunities for non-privileged young people and aims to improve social mobility in the UK. The returns were measured in terms of the present value financial benefit to the individuals who take part. The analysis did not include the wider benefits to society - for example, in terms of better health, well-being and community participation - which result from these initiatives and which are significant. Taking the Sutton Trust Cambridge summer school as an example, the cost of providing the week long school to 144 students is £72,000. BCG calculated that the summer school increases the percentage of participants applying to top universities by 24 percentage points, and of those applying who take up places by 35 percentage points. More of the participants will therefore gain a degree from a top university, which in the case of Cambridge is worth a premium of £79,000 over a degree from a university outside a small group of elite institutions. The study finds that the value generated by the initiative is therefore £975,000 - a return of 14 to 1 on the investment made. The report concludes: "Investment works best when it is targeted at key milestones in a child's life: pre-school before starting primary education; transition from primary to secondary school; moving from school to college or higher education. Educational investment is better deployed when it is focussed on targeted individuals, such as those at highest risk of falling behind in primary school or bright pupils who may not fulfil their potential." For further information contact: Tim Devlin, Sutton Trust press office on 01205 290817 or 07939 544 487 Notes to editors: The Sutton Trust is a charity founded in 1997 by Sir Peter Lampl with the aim of providing educational opportunities for young people from non-privileged backgrounds and improving social mobility. The activities of the Trust are aimed at helping children who are educationally disadvantaged, by raising both their aspirations and academic achievement. It funds a wide range of research and projects covering parenting and early years, schools, universities and access to the professions. For further information see www.suttontrust.com. The Boston Consulting Group is an international strategy and general management consulting firm whose mission is to help leading corporations create and sustain competitive advantage. As an international firm, its strong global presence offers clients and employees a wealth of cross-cultural experience. BCG currently has 66 offices in 38 countries. Read the report here: Investing for Impact Halifax launches £1 million university access scheme for Yorkshire youngstersAnnounced today, Halifax is launching a £1 million initiative to nurture the talents of bright Yorkshire youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds. This is the only programme of its kind in the UK. The Halifax led 'Reach for Excellence' programme is being delivered and administered by the Sutton Trust and University of Leeds. It will benefit 360 sixteen to eighteen year-olds over a three year period across Halifax's Yorkshire heartland. The scheme is aimed at youngsters from non-privileged backgrounds and is designed to help them realise their potential and gain a place at a top university. The programme has now opened and is accepting applications through schools and colleges across Yorkshire. The only programme of its kind Funding Access to higher education Data from the Office of National Statistics show that the expansion of higher education over the last decade has disproportionately benefited those from the higher social classes. In 1991/92 35% of those in the top three social classes went to university, compared to 11% from the bottom three - a gap of 24 percentage points. Ten years later, although the proportions of both higher and lower social class students had increased because of the expansion of university places, the 'gap' between the social classes had increased to 31 percentage points. Eligibility In addition to targeting areas of need other criteria will be used:
The selection will not be purely on proof of academic achievement, but also on potential. Students will be recruited for the initiative from September this year with the scheme due to begin in January 2008. HBOS in the community HBOS is the biggest financial service employer in Yorkshire with 14,200 people in the region. This represents 21% of the company's UK workforce - up 3,100 (+28.5%) since 2001. Colleagues are encouraged to get involved in volunteering. In 2006 over 7,300 colleagues across the UK registered their volunteering activities. These community based activities range from ongoing regular work by individuals, through to single day 'team challenges' by groups and departments. A number of volunteering initiatives have been launched during 2007, particularly focusing on improving education standards and providing young people and disadvantaged adults with the skills to support them into employment. Shane O'Riordain, General Manager, Halifax Group Communications, said: "The Halifax is delighted to be supporting young people in its Yorkshire heartland. We hope to make a real difference in areas of need by helping youngsters obtain a place at a top university." Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: "It is becoming more and more important that we make full use of the talents of bright young people, particularly those from non-privileged backgrounds. Too often these students feel that they are not good enough to get into a top university or that they won't fit in once they are there. Thanks to the generous support of the Halifax and the work of Leeds University, we can dispel these myths through this innovative programme. 'Reach for Excellence' really will offer life-changing opportunities to hundreds of young people." Professor Michael Arthur, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leeds supported these comments adding: "We are really excited about this programme. There are many areas in our region with high levels of deprivation and low progression rates to higher education. This project should improve the life-chances of many able young people living in these areas and ensure they achieve their full potential." For further information contact: Alex Barnett, Halifax press office on 01422 334 695 Tim Devlin, Sutton Trust press office on 07939 544 487 Simon Jenkins, University of Leeds press office on 0113 343 5764 Notes to editors: The HBOS Foundation works with charitable and 'not-for-profit' organisations across the UK, particularly those organisations that support people and their local communities. The Foundation's community giving is focused on two guiding themes; money advice and financial literacy and developing and improving communities. The HBOS Foundation is a registered charity No.SCO32942. The Sutton Trust is a charity founded in 1997 by Sir Peter Lampl with the aim of providing educational opportunities for young people from non-privileged backgrounds and improving social mobility. The activities of the Trust are aimed at helping children who are educationally disadvantaged, by raising both their aspirations and academic achievement. It funds a wide range of research and projects covering parenting and early years, schools, universities and access to the professions. For further information see www.suttontrust.com. The University of Leeds is acclaimed for the quality of its teaching and research. One of the largest universities in the UK, Leeds is also the most popular among students applying for undergraduate courses. An emphasis on innovative research and investment in high-quality facilities and first-rate infrastructure means that no fewer than 35 departments are rated internationally or nationally 'excellent'. Last year the University worked with over 30,000 young people to raise their aspirations and achievement towards higher education Read more about Reach for Excellence at the University of Leeds. *Source: Young participation in higher education, HEFCE 2005; DfES; Scottish Funding Council Elite schools dominate admissions to top universitiesNew research by the Sutton Trust into the university destinations of more than one million students over the past five years highlights the dominance of admissions to the country's leading universities by a small number of schools, mainly fee paying. The Trust is committing a minimum of £10 million over the next five years to widen access to these universities and is calling on others to join the cause and to support innovative new projects which will increase the number of entrants from non-privileged backgrounds. The study - University admissions by individual schools - is the first to analyse in detail admission rates between 2002 and 2006 for 3,700 individual schools and colleges on the UCAS admissions database. It shows that:
Over 80% of these elite schools are in the independent sector, which accounts for 7% of the school-age population. The analysis reveals that these trends cannot be attributed to A-level results alone:
Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Trust, said: "It is deeply worrying - not to mention a sad waste of talent - that the chances of reaching one of these highly-selective universities are much greater for those who attend a small number of the country's elite schools, mainly fee paying. Where does this leave the vast majority of the population who do not have access to these opportunities? While these findings will be disappointing to everyone who has worked so hard to widen access to research-led universities, I am in no doubt that the situation would be worse had we and others - including the government and the university sector - not invested in initiatives like summer schools and outreach programmes over the last decade. The universities covered by this report have done a great deal to encourage applicants from non-privileged backgrounds and their efforts should be recognised. However, this study shows that there is much more to do. As a start, we should be opening up independent day schools and leading state schools to those from non-privileged backgrounds, as has been done at the Belvedere School in Liverpool and Pate's in Cheltenham. More widely, we should learn more from high-performing schools and look to extend the opportunities they offer to all young people, whether it is through tailored advice or guidance, extra curricular activities or the chance to deepen and broaden their subject knowledge. The Sutton Trust with support from its donors is committing a minimum of £10m over the next five years to address these issues. We would like to invite universities, schools and other organisations to come forward with new and innovative ways to raise the aspirations and attainment of non-privileged youngsters, and we want to encourage businesses, philanthropists and government to join with us in providing funding for these new projects." Barry Sheerman, Chairman of the Education and Skills Select Committee said: "I commend the Sutton Trust for its commitment to increasing the numbers of young people from less privileged backgrounds entering the leading universities. There remains resistance to making the sort of institutional change necessary to make admissions to our top universities fairer. We need to see the full acceptance of the Education and Skills Select Committee's recommendations on university access if we are to transform the present, unacceptable, situation." Summary results Oxbridge
Sutton 13 Universities
The Sutton 13 Universities are based on average newspaper league table rankings and comprise: Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, Edinburgh, Imperial, LSE, Nottingham, Oxford, St Andrews, UCL, Warwick and York. Read the report here: University Admissions by Individual Schools The educational backgrounds of 500 leading figuresAttached below is a summary of the findings of the latest Sutton Trust research into the educational backgrounds of 500 leading figures in law, politics, medicine, journalism and business. Comparing the school and university destinations of those in leading positions today with their equivalents of 20 years ago, the study finds that over half of the top 500 were educated at independent schools - which today educate just 7% of school-age children - and that this has declined only marginally in the last twenty years. Commenting on the findings, Dr Lee Elliot Major, Director of Research at the Sutton Trust, said: "This analysis shows that the school you attend at age 11 has a huge impact on your life chances, and particularly how likely you are to reach the top of your chosen profession. We are still to a large extent a society divided by wealth, with future elites groomed at particular schools and universities, while the educational opportunities available to those from non-privileged backgrounds make it much more difficult for them to reach the top." Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman and founder of the Trust commented: "The first priority should be to improve our underperforming state schools but we also need to recognise that we have a socially selective school system. The top 20 percent of our secondary schools - independents, grammars and leading comprehensives - are effectively closed to those from non-privileged backgrounds. We should open up independent day schools to children from all backgrounds on the basis of merit alone, along the lines of the Open Access scheme at the Belvedere School in Liverpool. We should also ensure our grammar schools and top comprehensives are more socially diverse." Educational backgrounds of 500 leading people in the UK Overall findings:
The analysis also found:
Tables Table 1: Percentages of leading people at different types of schools
All figures are percentages in relation to UK educated people Table 2: Percentages of leading people who have been to university educated at Oxbridge
All figures are percentages in relation to UK educated people Methodology The analysis is based on information on the educational backgrounds of 100 ministers and shadow ministers, 100 high court judges, 100 leading news journalists, 100 medics serving on councils of the royal medical colleges, and the chief executives of the FTSE 100 companies. Figures were collated for current people in these positions and those in equivalent positions two decades ago (with the exception of politicians). All the figures are based on the school and university backgrounds of individuals, gathered from official sources such as 'Who's Who' or from responses from the individuals themselves. Medics CEOs Judges Politicians Journalists Call for cross party commission to increase social mobility in the UKSir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, called on the Government to set up an independent cross-party commission to examine the reasons for UK's very low social mobility, and how it can be addressed. His call came in an interview with John Humphrys on BBC Radio 4's Today programme which is devoting a week to social mobility issues. Sir Peter referred to the latest findings from Stephen Machin and Jo Blanden at the London School of Economics which shows that although social mobility has bottomed-out in recent years it is at a very low level. International studies reveal that the UK is bottom of the table of advanced countries for which there is data. Commenting on the findings, Sir Peter Lampl, said: "This matters because it is fundamentally unfair and inefficient: we need to make best use of the talents of young people from all backgrounds, both for reasons of economic efficiency and fairness. We combine inequality of opportunity with high inequality of outcome - the worst of all worlds. "If we are to address this sorry state of affairs, we need a step change and bold action on a range of fronts. This means investing more in universal, high quality early years provision and improving our under-performing state schools. We also need to recognise that we have a socially selective education system in this country. The top 20 percent of our secondary schools - independents, grammars and leading comprehensives - are effectively closed to those from non-privileged backgrounds. We should open up independent day schools to children from all backgrounds on the basis of merit; ensure our grammar schools take in pupils from less wealthy homes; and make sure our top comprehensives play fair when it comes to admissions. "Both Gordon Brown and David Cameron have acknowledged the seriousness of this issue, but our low level of social mobility is a problem that goes beyond party politics. It is a national issue which requires a national solution. We urgently need an independent cross-party commission to examine why our record is so poor and how we can address this." Notes for News Editors: Also attached is a table taken from the OECD's latest report on mobility for a number of countries, which shows the UK has the lowest intergenerational mobility. The Sutton Trust Further information from Tim Devlin, Press Officer, The Sutton Trust, on 07939 544 487 Interim Findings from Sutton Trust Research 'Recent Evidence on Changes in Intergenerational Mobility' by Jo Blanden and Stephen Machin, Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics 1. In 2005 Blanden, Gregg and Machin produced a report for the Sutton Trust highlighting the fall in intergenerational income mobility for those born in 1970 compared to those born in 1958. More specifically, adult earnings of the second cohort were more closely connected to their parental income as teenagers than was the case for the first cohort. These findings have been widely quoted as saying that social mobility has declined in Britain. This work also highlighted the strong persistency in economic position across generations in the UK compared to Canada and the Scandinavian countries. 2. In common with the Blanden, Gregg, Machin work evidence (by Nicoletti and Ermisch from the University of Essex) from the British Household Panel Survey also shows a fall in mobility for birth cohorts between 1961 and 1972. But they find no change in mobility across cohorts born in the previous decade. This is suggestive that the 1958-1970 mobility decline may have been unusual compared to what went before. 3. To first get a handle on what has happened for cohorts born after 1970 we have looked at the relationship between parental income and the probability of obtaining a degree. The strength of this association rose very strongly between the 1958 and 1970 cohorts, but has changed little across cohorts born in the 1970s. This suggests that the rise in educational inequality that went hand-in-hand with falling social mobility has plateaued and levelled out in the recent past. 4. We have also looked at intergenerational associations by considering the relationship between cognitive test scores generations. Comparing children in 1991 and children in 2004 there is certainly no evidence that the strength of these associations has grown at the same, or a similar rate to, the fall in social mobility experienced by the 1970 cohort as compared to those from before. It appears that the downward trend in social mobility has halted; there is certainly no rise in intergenerational associations of the magnitude found in our earlier work for the Sutton Trust. 5. The UK position in the international rankings of social mobility remains very poor. Esping-Anderson finds that UK adults have the strongest association between their test scores and their father's education in a study of 7 OECD countries. Woessman looks at 54 countries and reports evidence of associations between children's test scores and 'books at home' (a proxy for parental income) that make, similarly, the UK bottom of the international rankings. According to this evidence, the social gradient is much more marked for the UK than for almost all other developed countries. 6. We can compare the association between parental education and test scores for children aged 5 in 1975 with the same relationship for 3 year olds in 2003. The associations are very similar, implying that this measure of mobility is similar now to its high level for those born in 1970. Conclusion: Social mobility remains weak in the UK compared to other developed nations. Early indications are that the decline in social mobility for those growing up between the 1970s and 1980s reflects a strong episode of worsening social mobility that was not seen before or since. The trend of worsening has stopped, but the UK remains very low in the developed world rankings at the time of writing and faces a serious challenge if social mobility is to be promoted. Call for independent watchdog to monitor school performanceThe Government should establish an independent body to monitor school performance, recommends a report commissioned by the Sutton Trust. The proposal comes in a review of the UK's record in education under Tony Blair compared with other countries during the last 10 years. While the findings suggest a gradual improvement in school results, the report concludes that it is hard to say whether there has been any real progress because "monitoring is under government control and government has a vested interest in the outcomes." The report documents how the Government has become increasingly embroiled in detailed debate about the interpretation of exam and test statistics as it seeks to defend and promote its policies for schools. The review also argues that schools in England would perform better if they had more freedom of control over their activities. But it adds that greater autonomy for schools must be accompanied by stronger safeguards to ensure fair admissions within the school system. Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: "English schools perform a little above average compared with other countries, while English independent schools are at the top of the international league table. However, there is no other advanced country where the gap in performance between independent and state schools is as large as in the UK which is why it is important that they are opened up the 90 per cent of families who can not afford them. "These school statistics have become so politicized that it is time to consider an independent watchdog which among other things would assess the educational performance of schools. Such a body would serve the interests of the public at large, not the vested interests of a particular government, with particular educational policies at stake." Professor Alan Smithers, Director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, who carried out the research, said: "The Blair government, more than any previous government, took explicit responsibility for the 'delivery' of better performance in education and other public services. "But it became very difficult for ministers and policy makers to look at the results of national and international tests dispassionately. Favourable results tended to become part of the government's presentation of itself to the electorate and unfavourable ones tended to be sidelined." "The international studies show that schools with greater autonomy tend to do better. But school freedom over ethos, teaching and recruitment needs to be exercised within a framework that ensures fair admissions." The report Blair's Education - An International Perspective was commissioned by the Sutton Trust, set up by Sir Peter Lampl in 1997 to improve social mobility through education. The report reviews the international and national data on exam and test scores across 33 countries and finds that international comparisons do not fully bear out the government's claims. It also refers to the disturbing findings from the Unicef study on children's well-being which placed the UK bottom out of 21 countries. It concludes: "If there is a genuine desire to improve the education system on the basis of evidence then the monitoring of progress must be tackled in another way... it must be carried out by a body that is genuinely independent. The Bank of England's Monetary Committee comes to mind as an example. The prime functions of the body would be to ensure authentic assessment and to apply rigorous analysis of the results." PEEP shopping centre project evaluationOne of the most recent initiatives from PEEP is the Sutton Trust Shopping Centre Project, an innovative drop-in style provision underpinned by the PEEP ethos and curriculum. Based in a shop in a busy community Shopping Centre at the heart of one of the most deprived areas of an otherwise prosperous city in the Midlands, it aims, not only to welcome and value all parents and carers, but also to extend their existing parenting practices. It is open to everyone but it is hoped that it will be of particular value to families with children whose life chances may be compromised by the circumstances in which they live but who do not access existing statutory services. The project will run for three years and is funded by the Sutton Trust and the Garfield Weston Foundation. Ballots in school admissionsBallots to help decide who gets places at oversubscribed schools would be more popular with the public than has so far been suggested, according to the latest research published today (Friday) by the Sutton Trust. The Trust, which aims to improve social mobility through education, says school authorities are right to consider them alongside other criteria when developing rules for school admissions. An Ipsos MORI public opinion poll of nearly 2000 adults reveals that, when put into context, ballots are thought by a third of people to be a fairer ‘tiebreaker’ than other methods for deciding places at over-subscribed schools. An international review meanwhile shows that ballots have been used extensively overseas. Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust which commissioned the research, said: “No child's educational future should be left purely to chance. But what this research suggests is that ballots -- alongside other criteria and guarantees - have a role to play in deciding which pupils secure places at oversubscribed schools.” “This review confirms the extensive use of ballots in school and university selection abroad. In other countries the assumption is that ballots are a fair and transparent way of deciding which children win school places when schools are over-subscribed. “The public survey suggests that when explained clearly and put into context, a high proportion of the UK public think that using random allocation is the fairer ‘tiebreaker’ when deciding school places. This is despite the fact that ballots have hardly been used at all in the UK.” The Ipsos MORI survey, carried out last March, found: When given the specific scenario of an over-subscribed faith school, more people (36%) think that a ballot is the fairer way of deciding which pupils get a place than those who think the decision should rest on judgements showing which families are most committed to the Christian faith (20%). When given the specific scenario of an over-subscribed comprehensive school, nearly as many people (32%) think that a ballot is the fairer way of deciding which pupils get a place as those who think it is fairer to decide on how near families live to the school (35%). Among parents from the higher social classes, 45 per cent of respondents think that a ballot is the fairer way of deciding which pupils get a place at an oversubscribed comprehensive school. However, when asked whether any one of eight listed methods of allocating school places were either fair or unfair, the majority of respondents felt unable to make this judgement for all but one of the cases. This uncertainty was particularly prevalent among those from less prosperous backgrounds. Respondents who did make a judgement believed that the fairest way of allocating school places was by giving priority to children who live closest to the school (52% viewing this as fair, compared with 9% unfair). Selecting children on the basis of a certain religion or faith emerged as the way of allocating school places most frequently identified as unfair, with 40% of respondents saying it was unfair compared with 8% who said it was fair. The next method most frequently identified as unfair was selecting places by ballot, with 28% of respondents believing it to be unfair and 9% believing it to be fair -- although a significant 63% were unable to make up their minds. The international review by RAND Europe found: Ballots have been deployed extensively across the world, in both school and university admissions. These include schools across the US, Sweden and New Zealand, and universities in Sweden and Holland. Ballots are not used in isolation. They are only deployed in conjunction with other criteria or constraints when determining which pupils or students secure places. Ballots are part of wider school reforms to introduce more choice for prospective pupils when applying for places at school, dealing with the problem of oversubscribed schools. Outside the UK at least, public concern has focused on which types of pupils enter the ballots - not whether they are fair or unfair. Sir Peter added: “One concern is that many respondents to our survey, particularly those from poor backgrounds, did not feel able to make judgements as to what are and are not fair ways of allocating pupils to over-subscribed schools. “These parents are less likely to be able to successfully negotiate the admissions process and to make the best school choices for their children. It is no coincidence, perhaps, that those schools with the most complicated methods of allocating places - which tend to be foundation and voluntary aided schools - are generally more socially exclusive.” The Trust commissioned Rand Europe to review the use of ballots overseas in school and university admissions. In parallel it commissioned Ipsos MORI to gauge public views in the UK on what are the fairest ways of allocating places at over-subscribed schools. In late March interviews were undertaken with a representative cross-section of 1,928 adults. Notes for News Editors: For further information www.suttontrust.com or ring Tim Devlin, Press Officer on 01205 290817. Boys too shy to apply for free university summer schoolsThe Goldman Sachs Foundation and the Sutton Trust are working together to fund an Academic Enrichment Programme to attract 900 gifted students in areas of deprivation in the immediate vicinities of Birmingham, Manchester and Nottingham universities. The Sutton Trust is concerned that more than twice as many girls than boys aged 16 from state schools are applying to its free one week summer schools held every July at top-ranked universities. These are especially run for students from non professional homes who will be the first in their family to go to university or come from schools which send few or no students to leading universities. Applications for next year's summer schools at Bristol, Cambridge, Nottingham, Oxford and St Andrew's universities opened on-line this month using a new application system developed and run by UCAS. Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, is making a special appeal to sixth form boys not to be shy and to put themselves forward. He said: "We have always had a majority of girls on our summer school courses but last year applications from boys dipped under 30% for the first time since we kept records. This is serious as we are concerned that boys from non-privileged homes are not getting the opportunities they need to go to a top university. Maybe they are too shy to apply." Last year applications from 3,329 students were received by the Trust according to the NFER (National Foundation for Educational Research) which monitored them. Of these 974 or 29% were from boys. This compares with nearly 30% in 2005 and 32% in 2004. Each year only about a third of students who attend the summer schools are boys. The Trust pays for about 650 students from across the country to spend a week in July at a choice of Bristol, Cambridge, Nottingham or Oxford universities. They will attend lectures, meet tutors and take part in the usual social activities with help from current students acting as mentors. Priority for places will be given to those students aged 16 and 17 (in Year 12) from non-privileged backgrounds whose parents are in non-professional occupations and did not go to university. Those who come from schools which do not normally send many students onto Higher Education will also be given preference. Anyone interested should call 0208 788 3223 for further details or apply on-line at www.suttontrust.com. The deadline for applications is Friday 2nd March 2007. Notes for News Editors: For further information www.suttontrust.com or ring Tim Devlin, Press Officer on 01205 290817. £1m programme to help non-privileged students attend top local universitiesThe Goldman Sachs Foundation and the Sutton Trust are working together to fund an Academic Enrichment Programme to attract 900 gifted students in areas of deprivation in the immediate vicinities of Birmingham, Manchester and Nottingham universities. Over a period of three years, The Academic Enrichment Programme will aim to attract high potential students from non-professional backgrounds or from families with little tradition of higher education and who attend state schools with a low rate of progression to higher education. The programme, which will cost about £1m, will begin in September 2007 to attract 100 students a year to each of the three universities. It follows research which shows that young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds are more debt averse and, in the light of this year's introduction of top-up fees, more likely to want to stay with their families to reduce costs and maintain local friendships. The three cities have been chosen because of their low progression rate to higher education (25% in Manchester and Birmingham and 15% in Nottingham compared to young participation rate of over 30% and national participation rate of 43%). "In the most deprived areas of all three cities, within a short distance of University libraries, lecture halls and student residences, only one young person in ten actually ends up as an undergraduate," said Stephanie Bell-Rose, President of The Goldman Sachs Foundation. "The Goldman Sachs Foundation is delighted to be working in collaboration with the Sutton Trust and the Universities of Birmingham, Manchester and Nottingham to help talented students realize their potential and acquire critical skills that they will need to succeed in a global society." Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, the educational charity which he set up in 1997 to help non-privileged children, said: "Research by the Sutton Trust shows that each year there are some 3,000 students from state schools who have the necessary A-level grades to attend the UK's leading universities but who - for a variety of reasons - end up elsewhere. I am delighted that we will be working in partnership with the Goldman Sachs Foundation to break down these educational barriers" "Over the life of the project we will be active in persuading the Government and other institutions to adopt the Academic Enrichment Programme model more widely across the education system." The Academic Enrichment programme was piloted at the University of Durham in 2003. It was sponsored by the Sutton Trust, the Ogden Trust and local development agencies. Students are selected at age 16/17 to go to a one-week's Summer School. They have two follow-up or revision sessions during the next year. They receive mentoring and e-mentoring from current undergraduates and are given leadership training and personal development programmes. Notes for Editors: The Goldman Sachs Foundation The Goldman Sachs Foundation is a global philanthropic organization funded by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. The Foundation's mission is to promote excellence and innovation in education and to improve the academic performance and lifelong productivity of young people worldwide. It achieves this mission through a combination of strategic partnerships, grants, loans, private sector investments, and the deployment of professional talent from Goldman Sachs. Founded in 1999, the Foundation has awarded grants of $94 million since its inception, providing opportunities for young people in more than 20 countries. The Sutton Trust The Sutton Trust is a charity founded in 1997 by Sir Peter Lampl with the aim of providing educational opportunities for able young people from non-privileged backgrounds, and of improving social mobility. The activities of the Trust are aimed at helping able children who are educationally disadvantaged, by raising aspirations as well as academic achievement and it focuses on the following areas:
For further information www.suttontrust.com or ring Tim Devlin, Press Officer on 01205 290817 or 07939 544 487. Sutton Trust call for matched funding scheme needed to boost UK university fundraisingAn urgent step change is needed to boost fundraising in UK universities, a new report by the Sutton Trust has concluded. This must begin with a Government matched funding scheme of between £125 and £600m to encourage universities to develop their fundraising operations and increase their levels of endowment. The report - University Fundraising: An Update - finds that although development activities in UK universities have grown during the last three years, the sector continues to lag seriously behind the US, in terms of funds raised, rates of alumni giving and endowment levels. For example, the combined endowment of all UK universities is £7.8 billion, compared to Harvard's endowment of £13.4 billion and Yale's £8 billion. And the difference between the 10 largest university endowments in the UK and US has widened by some £12.5 billion in the last three years. The report also finds that significant fundraising activity remains the preserve of the academic 'philanthropic elite'. Only Oxford and Cambridge compare with leading American universities, raising £185 million in 2004-05, holding endowments totalling £6 billion and achieving alumni giving rates of 10 per cent. The remaining UK higher education institutions have a combined endowment of £1.9 billion, on average raised £1.6 million each and have annual giving rates of approximately one per cent. The report calls on the Government and universities to:
Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: "Oxford and Cambridge and a handful of others are the only institutions where income from fundraising and endowments is a significant source of income. Changing this situation is certainly possible and the model should be American State universities, where annual fundraising and endowments have only been built up in the last 25 or so years. What is needed is a step change and to make this happen the Government needs to introduce a matched funding scheme of between £1 million and £5 million per institution. It should also simplify tax laws to encourage annual giving and introduce planned giving vehicles to encourage donations for endowments. Sutton Trust appoints its first Research DirectorDr Lee Elliot Major, news editor of The Times Higher Education Supplement, has been appointed the first Research Director of the Sutton Trust, the educational charity which helps non-privileged children, as from November 1st. Dr Elliot Major was the author of the Sutton Trust's study last June into the educational backgrounds of journalists, which revealed that over half of today's leading news journalists were educated at independent schools. Lee holds a BSc in Physics and a PhD in Theoretical Physics from the University of Sheffield as well as an MSc in Science Communication from Imperial College, London. Before joining the THES, Lee was head of policy at the Wellcome Trust and an education journalist on The Guardian. He is the author of EurekaUK, a booklet published this year by Universities UK on 100 discoveries in UK universities over the last 50 years which have changed the world. Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust which he set up in 1997, said: "Lee joining our team as our first Research Director should enable us to raise our game to the next level. Research is absolutely essential to our work not only in highlighting the issues we are dealing with and identifying which projects to support but also in evaluating the effectiveness of our support for them. We monitor carefully every project we fund." Lee said: " The Sutton Trust is renowned and respected for uncovering new evidence that challenges long held assumptions about the education system and exposes social equalities. I look forward to bolstering the Trust's research into how to tackle one of society's enduring problems: the ever widening gap in educational opportunities between rich and poor." £1.5M charitable donation to widen access to legal professionThe College of Law and the Sutton Trust today announced major donations worth £1.5m to promote access to the legal profession. The College which is donating £1.25m will work in partnership with the Sutton Trust, which is contributing a further £250,000 and will manage the project, to develop a national network to attract more people from less privileged backgrounds into the legal profession. The move, called "Pathways to Law", underlines the College's increasing influence and leadership in the sector, and both organisations' links with top universities in the College's five regional centres. The College, the leading educational charity for the legal profession, and the Sutton Trust, which provides educational opportunities for non-privileged children, are currently finalising discussions with top law firms' recruiters who support College programmes. It is anticipated that close to 750 students a year could be assisted by the year 2010. If they all were to gain training contracts they would form about 12.5% of the 6000 solicitors who start the next stage of their training. The programme is designed to attract fresh talent to the legal profession by targeting students from state schools who will be the first in their family to attend university, and whose parents are in non-professional occupations. It is aimed at schools which have a higher than average proportion of children on free school meals and very little history of sending young people to higher education. The programme starts with the selection of eligible students when they are 15-16. It will offer them careers advice and guidance on university applications in the sixth form, provide mentoring while they are at school and university, and introduce them to contacts in the legal world, which will lead to work experience and placements with law firms and chambers. The joint initiative has been prompted by a disturbing report by the Sutton Trust published last year on the educational backgrounds of the UK's top solicitors, barristers and judges. This found that three out of four top judges, more than two-thirds of top barristers and more than half the partners at leading law firms had been educated at private schools, which now account for 7% of the school population.1 Five universities will shortly be selected to work with the College's regional centres in London, Guildford, Birmingham, York and Chester, on the basis of their commitment to widening participation and their existing relationship with the college centres. The College project is modelled on an existing Sutton Trust Pathways to the Professions Project at the University of Edinburgh. This was selected last year as an example of best practice in widening participation by Universities UK and the Standing Conference of Principals. The University has tracked all students registered with the Pathways project (in law, medicine and veterinary science) since 2003, and a total of 176 Pathways to the Professions students have entered the University of Edinburgh, of whom 103 were studying for Law degrees. 74 of these were the first in their family to go to Higher Education. At least another 21 students went on to study law at other institutions. Professor Nigel Savage, Chief Executive of The College of Law, said: "This project is at the heart of what the College is all about these days and has the full backing of its executive and trustees. It is what distinguishes the College from our competitors. We are not about shareholder values. We are about investing in the future of the profession. By subscribing to College programmes law firms and law students are investing in our values and commitment to the next generation of lawyers. "In recent years we have invested heavily in all our programmes and in the fabric of the College. In particular, our recent new City centre in Moorgate attracted huge admiration and support. It is vital that our surpluses are used to enrich all our students and, in particular, by ensuring that they are not drawn disproportionately from a narrow section of society. By investing our own funds and working with those law firms that share our values, we can make a real difference." Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: "The Sutton Trust is committed to combating educational inequality by innovative and entrepreneurial means. In a competitive area such as access to the legal profession, the extent to which applicants are considered plausible candidates can depend to a large part on their soft skills and cultural capital. This is something which middle class students take for granted and which gives them a decided advantage. I am delighted that the College is investing so much in our programme to give students from less well off backgrounds the same opportunities. I would also like to invite leading law firms to join with us in delivering this programme; their support will be crucial in ensuring its success." Cherie Booth QC supported the launch of the Pathways scheme: "I am delighted that the highly successful Pathways to Law project is being expanded across the country. I know from personal experience how difficult it is to enter the profession from a non-privileged background. The problem is not just lack of money, although this is a big obstacle, but also the lack of contacts - family or friends who can help to find you work experience and mini-pupillages. I have for some years been associated with the College's and Sutton Trust's initiatives to attract students from a wider range of backgrounds into Law through summer and winter schools, and so I hope that leading chambers will become fully involved in this important new venture. " Fiona Woolf, Law Society President, said: "Over recent years, the solicitors' profession has become more diverse but there is much more to do to make it truly reflective of society. I am delighted that The College of Law and the Sutton Trust have joined forces to pioneer this invaluable initiative which should enrich our profession by making the law more accessible to a wider number of people." Mr Stephen Hockman QC, Chairman of the Bar Council, said: "The Bar Council wants to ensure that entry to the Bar is diverse and from all sections of society. We welcome this initiative of The College of Law and the Sutton Trust which will support our own efforts to ensure that membership of the Bar is inclusive and open to all." 1) The Educational Backgrounds of the UK's top Solicitors, Barristers and Judges published by the Sutton Trust October 2005. View the report. The College of Law The College of Law is the largest provider of vocational legal education and training in Europe, training students to become solicitors and barristers in England and Wales and providing training after qualification. Incorporated in 1962, the College is an educational charity controlled by a Board of Governors and was granted a Royal Charter in 1975. With centres in Birmingham, Chester, Guildford, London and York, the College employs over 700 staff, including 350 teaching staff made up of solicitors and barristers. The College also offers a wide range of distance learning and continuing professional development to all those in the legal profession. For further information about the College please visit www.college-of-law.co.uk. The Sutton Trust The Sutton Trust is a charity founded in 1997 by Sir Peter Lampl with the aim of improving social mobility through providing educational opportunities for able young people from non-privileged backgrounds. The activities of the Trust are aimed at helping able children who are educationally disadvantaged by raising both their aspirations and their academic achievement. It funds a wide range of research and projects covering parenting and early years, schools, universities and access to the professions. For further information see www.suttontrust.com. Further information from: Tim Devlin Press Officer for The College of Law and the Sutton Trust on 01205 290817 or 07939 544 487. Independent school education found to boost grades and earnings in adulthoodOver half of the country's leading news journalists were educated in private schools - which account for just 7% of the school population - according to the latest survey carried out by the Sutton Trust, the educational charity, and published today. Academically able children from independent schools are likely to gain higher qualifications and earn considerably more than students of similar ability and background at state schools, according to a study which has traced nearly 300 students from their schools into the workplace over 23 years. The research from the Institute of Education, University of London, sponsored by the Sutton Trust, found that only 7.6% of those who went to state schools were earning over £70,000 a year in their thirties, compared to 18.2% of those who attended independent schools under the Assisted Places Scheme, and 28.6% who attended independent schools as full fee-payers. And looking back to their school days, Assisted Place holders attained more highly than their state educated counterparts at both GCSE and A level - and better than might have been predicted on the basis of their socio-economic and educational backgrounds. Worryingly, though, working class students in both sectors did worse than was expected. The report (Educational and Career Trajectories of Assisted Place Holders) by Sally Power, Geoff Whitty and Emma Wisby, followed 62 academically able pupils who went to independent schools on Assisted Places in 1982, and compared their paths with 152 students of similar intelligence and backgrounds who went to state schools, as well as 82 full-fee payers at private schools. The study also finds that over one third of AP holders went on to an ’elite’ university compared to less than one in ten from state schools. More also went to Oxbridge, gaining places with lower A level grades than their state-schooled colleagues. Even those AP holders who did not go on to university were found to be doing better than their peers, with the majority in professional and managerial occupations. However while the degree results of AP holders compared favourably with those from maintained schools, they were the least likely of the three categories to complete their university studies, with nearly one in ten dropping out or failing. The researchers conclude that for many the Assisted Places Scheme provided a pathway to high level qualifications, elite university places and occupational success. But the story is not wholly positive. Many of those who benefited from the scheme were not culturally and economically disadvantaged. And those from working class backgrounds holding Assisted Places were more likely leave school at 16, to achieve lower-than-expected A Level results, and to express concerns over fitting in to the more socially-exclusive environment of their private school. Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, said that it should be possible to overcome the problems of the Assisted Places Scheme, whilst retaining its benefits, by making private schools less socially exclusive. He commented, ”This research shows clearly that there is a very strong case for opening up top independent day schools to talented pupils from non-privileged backgrounds, so that they too can benefit from the academic and social advantages a private education brings. What is more, thanks to the Open Access initiative jointly funded by the Sutton Trust and the Girls’ Day School Trust, where all places are awarded on merit alone, we know how this can be done effectively.” Professor Geoff Whitty, Director of the Institute of Education and co-author of the report, said, ”The assisted places scheme clearly benefited many of the individuals who took part in it, but by no means all of them. It also took some of the brightest pupils away from the maintained sector. State and private schools need to learn from each other and to work more closely together.” Over half country's top journalists went to private schoolsOver half of the country's leading news journalists were educated in private schools - which account for just 7% of the school population - according to the latest survey carried out by the Sutton Trust, the educational charity, and published today. The proportion of independently educated top newspaper editors, columnists and news presenters and editors has actually increased over the last 20 years, the research reveals. A survey also finds widespread fears in the trade that the high costs of training and low pay and security at junior levels will mean that an even a higher proportion of those from privileged backgrounds will dominate the news media in the future. The Trust's research detailed for the first time the educational backgrounds of a list of the UK's 100 leading national newspaper editors, columnists, leading broadcast editors and news presenters both today and 20 years ago. It found that over half (54%) of today's top journalists were educated in private schools which account for 7% of the school population. A further 33% went to grammar schools, and just 14% attended comprehensives schools, which now educate almost 90% of children. In 1986, 49% of the top journalists were educated privately, 44% were educated at grammar schools and 6% at comprehensives. The survey also reveals that of the 81% of the leading journalists in 2006 who had been to university, over half were educated at Oxbridge, including a third who went to one institution, Oxford. Among the 1986 sample, 78% were university graduates, 67% of whom had been to Oxbridge, including two-fifths to Oxford. Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, which he set up in 1997 to promote social mobility by providing educational opportunities to young people from non privileged backgrounds, said: "This is another example of the predominance of those who are privately educated in influential positions in society, which follows similar findings from surveys of top lawyers and politicians. It cannot be healthy for our media leaders to come mostly from backgrounds that are so different from the vast majority of the population. The newspaper and broadcasting industries are not attracting a rich diversity of recruits and should look urgently at their recruitment processes. Part of the wider solution is to open up independent day schools to all talented youngsters, not just those whose families can afford the fees. We also need to address the under representation of state school students, particularly those from less privileged backgrounds, at our leading universities." Lee Elliot Major, News Editor of the Times Higher Education Supplement, who led the research, said: "What the research does not suggest is that editors routinely favour those from privileged educational backgrounds. There were a number of reasons for this. They range from: low pay and insecurity at junior levels; the high costs of living in London; the increasing costs of postgraduate courses; a bias towards those with family or personal connections within the industry amid a largely informal but highly competitive recruitment process; and finally the stronger skills and attributes attributed at an earlier age by those from private schools." Pioneer project to open up independent schools to all children on merit is a 'great success'A five year evaluation of Britain's only project to open up a private day secondary school to all children on the basis of merit rather than wealth through the Open Access scheme at The Belvedere Girls' School in the Toxteth area of Liverpool confirms its success in raising opportunities and attainment for a wide and socially diverse group of youngsters. Its success raises questions as to whether this should be extended to other schools. The scheme has been pioneered since 2000 through a joint partnership between the Sutton Trust, established in 1997 to improve social mobility, and the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST), which owns the school as part of a network of 26 successful schools. Five years on, a report by Alan Smithers and Pamela Robinson of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham has concluded: "Judged against its internal aims, Open Access at The Belvedere can be counted a great success. It has achieved its main objective of opening up the School to high ability children from low-income homes. Pupils, parents and teachers have commented very favourably. Social mixing has been good in contrast to what has been reported for a forerunner, the Assisted Places Scheme. Open Access has shown how the important resource of independent schools could be incorporated into a national system." The researchers found that the proportion of girls eligible for free school meals admitted during the first five years of Open Access was 33% - more than twice the national average - and that the social mix of children at the school now reflects the social mix in Merseyside. Last summer when the first cohort of girls sat their GCSEs, the school achieved its best ever results and became the top performer in Liverpool, with 99% of students achieving at least five good GCSE (with grades A*-C). Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, hopes that the successful scheme will ultimately be taken up by Government and expanded initially to 12 - but eventually to 100 or more - independent day schools. He writes in a foreword: "The positive results of this evaluation reinforce my conviction that Open Access is the most effective means of decisively ending the divide between the state and private sectors of education." Barbara Harrison, Chief Executive of the GDST, adds "We're delighted by the achievements of the Open Access scheme at The Belvedere School, which have enabled all our girls to achieve their full potential. We're committed to maintaining those principles of access and educational excellence as we take the school forward into its next phase of development." The School is continuing its pioneering history by becoming part of the Government's Academy programme. The researchers end their evaluation by saying: "For the moment The Belvedere Scheme remains a demonstration of what could be achieved were there the will." Top 200 comprehensive schools socially exclusiveA new study by the Sutton Trust based on data provided by the National Foundation for Educational Research shows that high-achieving comprehensive schools are socially exclusive. The research also shows that those schools which are responsible for their own admissions take a low proportion of pupils on free school meals (FSM) which is an indicator of a school's overall social mix, compared to the postcode sectors in which the schools are sited. This suggests that without adequate safeguards the Trust schools proposed in the White Paper could become socially selective. The report finds that the overall proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at the 200 highest performing comprehensive schools is 5.6%, compared to 11.5% of children in the postcode sectors of the schools, and 14.3% in secondary schools nationally. Comprehensive schools which are responsible for their own admissions are found to be much more likely to feature in the top 200 than those which do not, accounting for 31% of state secondary schools, but 70% of the top 200. These schools are unrepresentative of their local areas, with 5.8% of pupils eligible for free school meals, compared to 13.7% in their postcode sectors - which is close to the national average of 14.3%. By contrast, the 61 local authority controlled schools in the top 200 are generally found in affluent areas, with FSM rates of 5.9%, which is well below the national average. These schools are representative of their neighbourhoods, with a proportion of pupils on FSM of 5.0% - only one percentage point lower than the areas in which they are located. The report also highlights that faith schools account for 18% of all secondary schools, but 42% of the top 200 comprehensives, including 59% of the top schools which are responsible for their own admissions. The research follows a similar study by the Sutton Trust last October which showed that the proportion of children entitled to free school meals at the top 200 state schools (161 of which were grammar schools) was only 3%. Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: "These findings starkly underline the extent of the social divide in our education system. The top fifth of schools - independents, grammars and leading comprehensives - are effectively closed to those from less privileged backgrounds. To access them, parents must pay for fees, pay for coaching or prep school for their children to pass the 11 plus, live in an affluent area or prove a religious commitment combined with strong parental support. For less privileged families these are not realistic options. The White Paper does not deal with independent schools and grammar schools, which are the top performing schools in the country, and the preserve of the most affluent, and need to be opened up to everyone. The open access scheme at the independent Belvedere School in Liverpool and the widening participation scheme at Pate's Grammar School in Cheltenham are pilots which have shown how this can be done whilst maintaining high standards. The proposals in the White Paper for choice advisers and extended school transport are steps in the right direction, but many of the current inequities in admissions result from the two tier system, under which some schools are responsible for their own admissions and others are not. We believe that LEA schools should be responsible for their own admissions, so as to put all schools on an equal footing, but that admissions should be underpinned by a fair and robust Code of Practice which is rigorously enforced. Teacher opposition to academies growsMore than half of secondary school teachers in England and Wales (53%) do not think that setting up city academies is an appropriate way of raising standards in deprived areas, according to a MORI poll of secondary school teachers commissioned by the Sutton Trust and published today. This is a significant increase from the 37% who said this in response to the identical question in last year's MORI poll commissioned by the Trust (which was set up in 1997 by Sir Peter Lampl, to help non-privileged children). Only 26% of teachers agreed with the Government's approach, down from 36% in 2004. Furthermore, teachers express considerable doubt about the real impact of extending greater school choice to parents - another key element of the Government's White Paper. 60% percent of teachers do not think that school choice is a reality for most parents, compared to 29% who do and 58% do not believe 'school choice' has improved standards, compared to 31% who do. Nearly half (48%) do not think the current system of admissions to secondary schools operates fairly, as opposed to 41% who think it does. Barry Sheerman, MP, Chairman of the Education and Skills Select Committee, said: "As a practical matter, school teachers have to implement the proposals contained in the White Paper and the Government should be concerned that the number of teachers who are against school choice and city academies, two key proposals, outnumber those in favour by a factor of 2:1." Sir Peter said: "I think teachers have become more negative about academies because of their very high costs and concerns about sponsors who have little experience of managing educational establishments." More than eight out of ten secondary school teachers (82%) support changes which would enable students to apply to universities after they have received their A level results. Asked whether they supported the Government's proposal to introduce Post-Qualification Admission (PQA), rather than university offers being based, as now, on predicted grades, only 14% of the teachers surveyed thought it was a bad idea. Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: "This overwhelming support from teachers should encourage the Government to press ahead with the introduction of PQA which would be fairer for everyone - particularly able students in schools which traditionally send few students to the top universities. For these young people, often from less affluent backgrounds, having achieved exam success before they make their HE choices will give them the confidence to aim high and to apply to the country's leading universities." The MORI Teachers' Omnibus survey covered a representative sample of 477 secondary school teachers in maintained schools in England and Wales. It was carried out between November 4th and 24th, shortly after the White Paper, Higher Standards, Better Schools for All (which aims to bring about more choice for parents and pupils), was published on October 26th. Educational backgrounds of politicians do not reflect society at largeNearly a third of MPs and almost two thirds of members of the House of Lords were educated privately, compared to 7% in the wider population, according to a report published today by the Sutton Trust. It also found that 27% of the Commons and 42% of the Lords were educated at Oxford or Cambridge universities. Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: "The educational profile of our representatives in Parliament does not reflect society at large. Amongst current MPs one in three have been to a private school compared to one in 14 in the wider population, and this rises to over one in two of those on the Conservative benches and almost two third in the Lords. This is symptomatic of a wider issue - the educational apartheid which blights our system and which offers the best life chances to those who can afford to pay for their schooling." The report also shows that Labour MPs who serve as members of the Government are more likely to have been to an independent school (25%) than Labour backbenchers (16%) and are more likely to have been to Oxbridge (23% compared to 15%). And while the proportion of Conservative MPs from independent schools has fallen from 70% in 1983 to 59% today, over the same period the representation of private schools on the Labour benches has actually increased from 14% to 18%. Sixty-two per cent of office-holders within the Conservative Opposition under Michael Howard were privately educated and 46% were Oxbridge graduates. Of the 15 Etonians in the Commons, all but two serve on the Conservative benches. Nearly half (43%) of the 391 privately-educated members of the House of Lords were educated at 12 top private schools (see note 1) including 82 (or 13% of the total) who went to Eton. Forty-three per cent of MPs have attended one of the top 13 universities - the Sutton Trust 13 (see note 2) - with the highest average ranking in newspaper league tables. The report concludes: "It is important to ensure the opportunity to attend these universities is open equally to all young people on the basis of merit. Previous work undertaken by the Trust has suggested that this is not the case at present and that - relative to their A Level achievements - those from state schools, poorer neighbourhoods and lower social classes are underrepresented." 1: The 12 schools are: Eton (82), Winchester (11), Harrow (10), Stowe (10), Westminster (10), Shrewsbury (9), Rugby (8), Charterhouse (7), St Paul's (7), Ampleforth (6), Marlborough (6), Radley (6). 2: The 13 universities are: Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, Edinburgh, Imperial, LSE, Nottingham, Oxford, St Andrew's, UCL, Warwick, York. SUMMARY OF POLITICIANS' BACKGROUNDS
Poorer pupils significantly underrepresented at top state schoolsPupils from less well-off backgrounds are significantly underrepresented at the country's top 200 state secondary schools (6% of schools) according to a study by the Sutton Trust based on data provided by the National Foundation for Educational Research, published today (Monday October 10th). The study found that only 3% of the students at those schools qualify for free school meals compared to a national average of 14.3%, and a rate of 12.3% in the postcode sectors of those schools. Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, which he set up in 1997 to help non-privileged children, said: "We have replaced an education system which selected on ability with one that is socially selective: the best comprehensives serve the relatively affluent, while the remaining grammar schools attract far too few able students from poor backgrounds." He called on top flight schools to broaden their intake by reaching out to their local communities, as happens at Pate's School in Cheltenham. He said: "At Pate's we fund a curriculum enrichment project aimed at local primary schools in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Extending this sort of initiative to all grammar and top comprehensive schools would make a real difference to the attainment and aspirations of the poorest in society." He also called on the Government to introduce a national network of dedicated school buses so that leading state schools are in reach of all pupils, not just those whose parents have the time and resources to drive to them by car. The data in the report relate to 2003, the latest year available, and were supplied by the National Foundation for Educational Research from the National Pupil Database. The top 200 schools (161 of which were grammar schools) were ranked on the basis of the percentage of students gaining five or more GCSEs with A*-C Grades. Although grammar schools were found to be more socially exclusive than top comprehensive schools - with 2.1% of students eligible for free school meals compared to 6% at the comprehensives - the report says much of this difference can be explained by the fact that grammar schools are sited in more affluent areas. The average gap - at just under 10 percentage points - between school and area FSM rates is found to be the same for both the top comprehensives and grammar schools. The report concludes: "It is clear that the admissions system is not operating equitably and is in need of review, and that more needs to be done to raise standards earlier down the educational chain. The unevenness of the state school system serves to exacerbate existing inequalities and we see its consequences in the under-representation of those from lower social classes and poorer areas in Higher Education, particularly at the leading universities." New study to gauge the impact of Aptitude Tests for university entranceA five year study into the validity of the use of a Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) in university entrance is launched today by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER). The study will examine how far the SAT might help admissions officers deal with the thousands of applications they receive each year. The £1.6million research project is backed by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), the Sutton Trust and the College Board which owns the SAT. Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell said: "In his report on fair admissions to higher education, Professor Steven Schwartz recommended a research study to assess the idea of a national test of students' potential for HE. This research will help to fulfil that recommendation. It will be an important part of the wider work to be led by UCAS into all aspects of admissions testing. "As we made clear in the 14-19 White Paper, we also need to help universities differentiate between the most able students. This research, which is due to report in 2010, will be considered alongside the measures we are already taking forward on tougher A Level questions, an extended project and supporting moves to provide universities with A Level unit grades to aid greater differentiation between the best candidates". John Dunford, General Secretary of the Secondary Heads Association, said: "Heads of schools will be pleased that the SAT is to be thoroughly tested with Government backing and resources. The current admissions system is a minefield for many schools and their students and we welcome this move to investigate the potential of the SAT to add clarity to the system and reinforce equity." All schools and colleges in England with A level students are being invited to participate in the longitudinal study, which aims to include 50,000 students - about one fifth of all next year's A-Level candidates. They will sit the SAT in November as the first part of the exercise. The study aims to provide information on:
The SAT results will be compared with A level results and later with students' degree outcomes. All the students participating in the trial will be asked to complete an on-line survey of their academic results, attitudes, aspirations and well-being every September until they get their university degrees. This will provide invaluable information while they are at school, and about how pastoral support and teaching methods affect their experience of university. Chris Whetton, Assistant Director of NFER, said: "The NFER is extremely happy to be undertaking this large and important research project. It is important that there is up-to-date and hard information on the various possible methods of selecting students for universities, in order that we have a system which is demonstrably fair and valid." Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: "We are delighted that the Government is supporting this large scale trial. It builds on an earlier trial of the SAT in British schools conducted by NFER and funded by the Sutton Trust which showed promising results. It demonstrated that the SAT was measuring something different from A levels, and was able to identify potential amongst those students whose grades do not reflect their ability particularly in below average performing state schools." The SAT is the most widely used university admissions test in the world, and is taken by over 1,475,000 students internationally each year. This trial will build on a smaller study in 2001 which suggested it could be helpful for UK admissions. The research has been endorsed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) who, on behalf of the HE sector, are preparing a new programme of work to research, further develop and disseminate expertise in all areas of HE admissions. Jill Johnson, Director of Outreach at UCAS, said: "UCAS is very pleased to support the work of the National Foundation for Educational Research in conjunction with the Sutton Trust to provide evidence on the ability of the SAT to predict university outcomes as this will inform and enhance the necessary research into all aspects of additional testing." Download a pdf giving more information here. (1,089KB) Notes to Editors In response to a recommendation of the Schwartz report to establish a centre of expertise in admissions, UCAS, on behalf of the HE sector, is preparing a new programme of work to research, develop and disseminate expertise in all areas of HE admissions. The SAT research will make an important contribution to that work. First Open Access Cohort tops high ranking independent school's previous best resultsThe first group of Open Access Students at the GDST's Belvedere School in Liverpool to take their GCSEs has delivered the best results the School has ever had with 63.2% of all examinations passed with A*/A grades and 88.1% at A*-B. This compares with the 2004 results with 56.1% A*A and 81% A*-B. This demonstrates the huge added value that the School has provided for the pioneering group of pupils who, in September 2000, entered The Belvedere School - the first independent school in the UK to introduce an Open Access Scheme. Using the standard CAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) used in school year 7, which predicts GCSE results for pupils at the start of an average educational experience, only 1% of the GCSEs taken in the key subjects - English literature and language and mathematics - in 2005 at The Belvedere School would have been passed at Grade A*. Instead, 18% were passed at A* grade. This 17% difference demonstrates considerable added value. CAT is used throughout the educational system in England to measure Value Added performance. The Open Access scheme was pioneered by the Sutton Trust and the Girls' Day School Trust with the first group of 11-year-old girls coming to the school in September 2000. Under this scheme, pupils are offered places, following entrance examinations at age 11, based on performance and potential alone, but not on ability to pay. At The Belvedere School up to two-thirds of pupils come from families whose financial situation means that it would be impossible for them to pay the fees of this high achieving independent school without help from the Scheme. The Open Access Scheme has given the Belvedere a wider social mix but it has not lost its warm supportive atmosphere, where highly qualified teachers set high expectations and motivate students to achieve them. This is not an exclusive institution with a sprinkling of places reserved for bursary pupils, but a school which is truly part of its local community in which the girls are deeply committed to the school and its success. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||