Act now for more open universities

Article Abstract:

The English universities of Oxford and Cambridge, despite paying lip-service to the idea of open access, continue to recruit most of their students from the upper professional classes and private schools. Attempts to widen access tend to be perfunctory, with established links to private schools taking precedence over those with state schools. The universities should employ teams of full-time recruiters to increase access for suitably qualified school-leavers from the state system, while courses should be restructured and admission procedures should be more flexible.

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Class apartheid

Article Abstract:

Britain's private schools, which educate just 9% of children, dominate the entry to its top universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, and their students consequently predominate in most professions and institutions. The medical profession has 75% of its practitioners coming from professional families, while most army officers are from private schools. The new Labour government has pledged to make education a priority, but the dual education system is set to remain for the foreseeable future.

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Not as clear cut as the hatchet wielders think

Article Abstract:

An analysis of the criticism aimed at the elite nature of schools in the independent sector is presented. A study, carried out in 2000, found around 50% of children leaving independent schools did not have parents who had been educated privately.

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