1 / 2
Bad A-Level choices are blocking poorer kids from uni – so the Russell Group is going to step in and help
Some people just know what they want to be when they grow up. I watched Open University science programmes on Sunday mornings and wanted to uncover the mysteries of the earth. I duly took A Levels in Chemistry, Maths and Geology before studying the latter at degree level and for my PhD. The educational path for me was clear, at least for the early part of my career.Many young people, however, are less sure. Should they focus on the subjects they enjoy, or those they are told will lead to the best jobs? Should they specialise in sciences, arts or humanities, or spread their bets? Their parents will know the anxiety of trying to provide sound advice.So how much do the subjects you study at school really have a bearing on your later life? If you want to enter a selective university, the answer is often a lot.Admissions teams have a responsibility to accept only the students they believe are prepared for the rigours that will follow. Whether it’s to study Physics, Music or French, for many degrees some prior knowledge is vital, as are specific skills.Yet in a recent survey of hundreds of Year 10s conducted by the Russell Group, pupils consistently ranked choosing the right subjects as less important for getting into university than other factors. Almost all placed it beneath securing the necessary grades, writing a strong personal statement and giving a good interview. The survey also showed that pupils at independent schools are much more likely than their peers in comprehensives to aspire to university. This means that better off pupils are already choosing their A Level subjects with an eye to their eventual degree.That these young people appear to be on a clearer trajectory to higher education is no surprise. No matter how much teachers strive to provide the best possible careers advice to all pupils, it is extremely difficult to replicate the support and exposure afforded to those in better off homes.These young people tend to grow up in households where selective universities are not something that is a remote possibility, but a rite of passage. Where the skills needed to navigate our education system successfully are passed between generations and absorbed by osmosis, and where the phrase “PPE at Oxford” requires no further explanation.By contrast, research by the Sutton Trust found bright but disadvantaged A Level students to be only half as likely as their wealthier classmates to be taking subjects considered to provide access to good universities. A teacher in a deprived part of the country recently told one of my team about a gifted pupil whose dreams of getting on to a marine biology degree were scuppered because no one had advised her that a BTEC in health and social care was the wrong stepping-stone for this particular aim. Too often, he says, he has seen talented pupils set back by a wrong or absent steer.If we want to boost social mobility, we need to correct such information imbalances. Tackling the inequalities that affect the life chances of young people has many facets, from raising aspiration to ensuring all pupils receive a quality education. Achieving greater parity in the advice they can access matters greatly too.The Russell Group, representing 24 leading universities, is therefore launching renewed guidance on subject choice. Our new Informed Choices website will be accessible to all pupils and their parents. Individuals will be able to select different degrees to see which subjects they may need to study first. And they can input countless A Level combinations to understand which university courses are then opened up. In a few clicks, anyone considering university can build up a rich and personalised picture of the routes they might take.In moving to the new website, we will no longer publish a list of so-called “facilitating subjects”. These have been the subjects deemed to open most doors at our universities, because of the large number of degrees for which they are considered essential preparation. The list was put together particularly to help pupils who wanted to go to university but weren’t yet sure of which degree to take. And to provide clear advice to those who might not otherwise receive it.Our new, more sophisticated digital tool will do the same thing, but in a different way. Dispensing with facilitating subjects will also help avoid the problem of misinterpretation. I sometimes hear it suggested that every student entering a Russell Group university must have studied at least one of these subjects, or indeed only them. We have always been clear that this is not the case. Our new approach makes this clearer still.Universities, like many employers, value a rounded education. If, for example, a budding young scientist has met their course’s requirements by taking Biology and Maths A Levels, why shouldn’t they vary their experience with a language or an arts subject? Academic versatility can only be a good thing in a world where we will all be living and working longer, and where more of us are likely to change our careers and directions along the way, as I have.What matters is that pupils – all pupils, of all backgrounds – are able to explore their options carefully and make subject choices that are well-informed.Tim Bradshaw is the chief executive of the Russell Group
An anti-abortion society has been given the green light by the University of Aberdeen after legal action was launched against the institution for alleged "unlawful discrimination".
The Aberdeen Life Ethics Society (ALES) has now been approved by the Aberdeen University Student Association (AUSA).
It had originally refused to affiliate the group - which it gives funding to.
It came ALES posted an image on its Facebook page which claimed that abortion had “replaced” slave trade as it “relied on dehumanisation”.
The application was previously rejected as AUSA had a pro-choice policy which backed legal access to abortion and called for “no platform” to be given to conflicting groups.
In April, the anti-abortion group announced plans to sue the institution and the student association for alleged “discriminatory treatment” against the society after funding was refused.
The AUSA’s pro-choice policy has now been suspended and the group has been approved.
A number of bans against anti-abortion groups have been recently lifted by university student unions amid concerns about free speech – despite strong opposition towards pro-life unions.
On the approval of the society at Aberdeen, a spokesperson for ALES said: “This is a long-awaited result to a seemingly endless battle, but we could not be more pleased to have won affiliation.”
They added: “The most important thing is that we’ve finally gotten what we’ve wanted for more than a year: the opportunity to speak out for life on campus.”
An AUSA spokesperson said: “We can confirm that an application to affiliate was received from Aberdeen Life and Ethics Society and was subsequently approved on the 13th of May. AUSA’s Pro-Choice policy remains under suspension and steps are being taken to ensure that AUSA can continue to be pro-choice.”
A University of Aberdeen spokesperson added: “The university is an inclusive community and recognises different beliefs, values and cultures. Student societies and clubs sit with the Aberdeen University Students’ Association.”
Yahoo News 
