The government has imposed new rules on universities requiring them to work more closely with schools in poorer areas, targeting white working-class boys in particular in a bid to get them into higher education, the Guardian can reveal.
Following the prime minister’s ferocious criticism of levels of inclusion and diversity in universities, the government has issued fresh guidance to the Office for Fair Access (Offa) demanding that universities do more to boost social mobility and raise aspirations among disadvantaged groups.
As well as targeting disadvantaged white boys, who are five times less likely to go to university than those from the most advantaged backgrounds, universities are being asked to reduce high drop-out rates among black students, who are 50% more likely to quit their studies than their peers.
The government has also written into the guidance for the first time that students with learning difficulties – such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, Asperger’s syndrome and attention-deficit disorders – should be prioritised and treated as a target group.
Making the announcement, the universities minister, Jo Johnson, called for “smarter spending” by universities, and urged them to develop “deeper partnerships” with schools in disadvantaged areas.
In an article for the Guardian’, the minister writes: “Almost 40% of young people now progress to higher education by the age of 19, but the figure is just 10% for white boys from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, who are five times less likely to go to university than those from the most advantaged ones.
“The participation gap is particularly stark at the most selective institutions. If you walk into a Russell Group university, only 6% of new young students will be from the most disadvantaged 20% of neighbourhoods. And if you’re in Oxford, it’s only 3%.
“For black and minority ethnic students, who are applying to university in increasing numbers, there needs to be much greater support through their courses. On average, black students are 50% more likely to drop out of university than their peers. This is unacceptable in a country that believes in aspiration and opportunity.”
The new guidance, published on Thursday, follows David Cameron’s requirement for universities to routinely publish data on the backgrounds of their applicants to shine a light on their admissions processes. It is the first new guidance on fair access for five years and follows a meeting of university leaders at Downing Street last week aimed at breaking down the barriers preventing young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds from going to university.
The prime minister has already said that he wants to double the proportion of university students from disadvantaged backgrounds by the end of this parliament from 2009 levels. He also wants to increase the number of black and minority-ethnic (BME) students by 20% by 2020. Underachievement among white working-class boys, however, has become an issue of growing concern for educationalists and the government.
Johnson writes: “Raising university participation rates is a complex challenge and it is, of course, not one that universities alone can solve. Our reforms to raise attainment levels in schools will play an especially important part, but they are not the only solution.
“Our message to universities is simple: get out there, into some of the country’s poorest neighbourhoods. Work with other universities and build relationships with schools. Be innovative – extend your summer programmes and taster courses to bust the myths, but also come up with new ideas, and once you’ve recruited those students, help them to stay the course.”
Professor Les Ebdon, Offa’s director, said: “I am very pleased to receive this latest guidance, and look forward to working with ministers and the whole higher education sector as we strive we achieve the prime minister’s fair access goals.
“I will be expecting to see an increase in outreach work, with universities working to raise aspirations and attainment among people from disadvantaged backgrounds, so that nobody with the potential to benefit from higher education feels that their background holds back their ambition.”
All universities charging tuition fees over the basic amount – currently £6,000 – sign up to an agreement containing benchmarks to improve access and progression for disadvantaged students, which is then approved by Offa.
Universities’ funding through access agreements has risen from £444m in 2011-12 to £745m this year, and the government wants the money to be targeted where it will have genuine impact.
It calls for outreach programmes in disadvantaged areas to inspire students into higher education, rather than “tokenistic efforts” such as offering small numbers of bursaries, which amounts to cherry-picking the best students at the expense of others.