12th August 2018

When I worked for undergraduate admissions, August was always a nervy time. This week, as we approach A-level D-Day, how different things look. In 1970 only 8.4% applied for a place; now it’s nearer 50%. But even this is down by 3.4% this year. A combination of more stringent exams plus £9,000 p.a. tuition fees plus too many graduates chasing too-few graduate level jobs tells its own tale. Now there’s the Brexit effect. EU students pay the same fees as UK students but, after graduating, many return home without paying back their loans!  But after March presumably EU students will have to pay far higher overseas fees. The Education Secretary needs to get a grip to redress the balance. Introduce just two types of school at 11: academic grammar schools and high-powered technical schools allied to industry offering apprenticeships. Only then will August Thursday admission day have real meaning again. Want to find out what goes on behind the corridors of power in academia?  3RD DEGREE MURDER. authl.it/4ia