Study reveals 'deep and persistent' student divide

A report by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has found evidence that the higher education divide between advantaged and disadvantaged children is "deep and persistent".

The 'Young Participation In Higher Education' report, studied the participation rates by student in every region, constituency and ward from 1994 to 2000. It revealed that those young people placed in the most advantaged fifth of students were up to six times more likely to enter higher education that those in the most disadvantaged fifth.

The HEFCE study also showed that there were inequalities between the participation rates of men and women. Women were 18% more likely than men to enter higher education in 2000, the survey found – an increase from just 6% six years earlier.

The report also showed that regional inequalities are rising, with young Londoners now twice as likely to go to university than those living in the North East. However, the study found that using areas such as parliamentary constituencies could be misleading. For example, the south of England had some constituencies such as Bristol South, where only one in ten young people go to university, while constituencies such as Sheffield Hallam in the north of England have nearly two out of every three young people entering higher education.

The HEFCE report found that the contrasts between advantaged and disadvantaged young people was most defined in small areas such as wards. It was discovered that the fifth of young people living in the most advantaged neighbourhoods had a better than one in two chance of going to university, compared to young people living in the least advantaged fifth of neighbourhoods, who have only a one in ten level of uptake.

However, the report did have some encouraging findings. The introduction of tuition fees and the replacement of student grants by loans, did not appear to have any affect on the choices of young people from different backgrounds, even those from the poorest areas. The survey also found that of those from disadvantaged backgrounds who did participate in higher education, an overwhelming majority completed their course and were even slightly more likely to enter postgraduate study than other students.

Commenting on the report, Sir Howard Newby, Chief Executive of HEFCE, said: "This report highlights just how entrenched the divisions are between advantaged and disadvantaged areas. It reveals the extent of the challenge facing society and the whole educational system, if we are to make real inroads in improving participation rates for young people from poorer backgrounds so that a greater proportion can benefit from higher education."

(KMcA/SP)