Sir Peter Lampl responds to opinion piece

A letter in response to Jayne Dowle’s comment piece on contextual admissions from Sutton Trust founder and chairman, Sir Peter Lampl, is featured in the Yorkshire Post. 

Dear Sir

Jayne Dowle (6 November) criticises our proposals for contextual university admissions, where we suggest less advantaged students are offered a two grade A level offer, by arguing that they would lower standards. In fact, as the new research for our report showed, one in five students who are not disadvantaged are already admitted at this level without any significant impact on standards, but the fact that this happens is not advertised. 

We are simply arguing that universities should openly make the same offer to those who have to work hardest to gain good A levels. At the same time, of course we want schools to improve standards. But with those from better off backgrounds still ten times more likely to get to the best universities than those from the least, we need to take practical but radical steps if we are to improve our deplorable levels of social mobility.

Yours faithfully

Sir Peter Lampl

You can find the the letter here and Jayne Dowle’s original comment piece here.

Read our report ‘Admissions in Context’ here.