Labour announces radical shake up of higher education admissions system

Under Labour’s plans, students will apply for their university or higher education place after receiving their results in A-Levels or other qualifications, instead of relying on an unreliable system of predicted grades that unfairly penalises disadvantaged students and those from minority backgrounds. 

According to analysis carried out by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills in 2011, black students were the most likely to have their grades under-predicted. The Sutton Trust has warned that poorer students are more likely to have their grades under-predicted than their wealthier peers, making them less likely to apply to the most selective institutions. Research by UCL’s Institute of Education found that nearly one in four disadvantaged students who go on to achieve AAB or better in A-Level have predicted grades lower than their final results. 

The party’s plans will also curb the sharp rise in unconditional offers and bring an end to the clearing process - which can be an incredibly stressful and worrying time for students. With students no longer applying to universities on the basis of their predicted grades, they will be able to make better, more accurate decisions and avoid the pressure to accept an unconditional offer.

PQA is the norm across the world, and England’s reliance on predicted grades is an international outlier; England is the only country with over a million students where a pre-qualifications admissions system is used.

Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Education, said:

“The higher education admissions system isn’t working for students, and radical action is needed to change that.

“Predicted grades are wrong in the vast majority of cases, and disadvantaged students in particular are losing out on opportunities on the basis of those inaccurate predictions. No one should be left out of our education system just because of their background, yet with grants scrapped and fees tripled, the system is now deeply unfair.   

“A Labour government will deliver the reform that is needed, implementing a new system of post-qualification admissions by the end of our first term in office. We will put students at the heart of the system, making it fairer, more accurate, and a genuine vehicle for social justice.

“We will work with schools, colleges, and universities to design and implement the new system, and continue to develop our plans to make higher education genuinely accessible to all.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

·         Analysis from Dr Gill Wyness of UCL’s Institute of Education found that predicted grades were only accurate in 16% of cases, and that under-prediction of grades is a particular issue for disadvantaged students. The research found that nearly one in four (23.7%) disadvantaged students who go on to achieve AAB or better in A-Level have predicted grades lower than their final results. https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/9432/Post-qualification-admissions---how-it-works-across-the-world/pdf/PQA_Report_June_18.pdf

·         Poor students 'lose on grade predictions' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-42401660

·         Students with under-predicted grades are less likely to apply to the most selective institutions, with their predicted grades acting as a barrier to social mobility. https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/8409/Predicted-grades-accuracy-and-impact-Dec-16/pdf/Predicted_grades_report_Dec2016.pdf

·         Among the 12 systems in the study who have over 1 million students England, Wales & Northern Ireland is the only one which has a pre-qualifications admission system” https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/9432/Post-qualification-admissions---how-it-works-across-the-world/pdf/PQA_Report_June_18.pdf

·         Within this clear commitment to deliver PQA, Labour will consult with universities, schools, and colleges on the detail of the implementation, to ensure that the needs of students at every phase of their education is reflected in a radically reformed system.

·         “Nine of the 10 countries in the world with the best performing graduates have PQA. High performing systems are willing to try and overcome system inertia in order to remain high performing with four out of five of the countries with most able graduates presently undertaking/considering HE admissions reform.”  https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/9432/Post-qualification-admissions---how-it-works-across-the-world/pdf/PQA_Report_June_18.pdf

·         There is a growing consensus that our system of higher education admissions is in need of reform. Both UCU and the Sutton Trust, a charity campaigning for improved social mobility, have already called for PQA to be implemented. This call was recently echoed by several university vice-chancellors. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/aug/06/call-universities-stop-lobbying-against-admissions-overhaul-apply-after-alevel-results

·         The independent regulator, the Office for Students, and university representative body UniversitiesUK are currently reviewing the admissions system. In particular, the UniversitiesUK review will be considering PQA as a possible reform to the system.  
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/universities-may-wait-for-exam-results-before-offering-places-s0g7vsvqp
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/06/10/university-entrance-system-could-overhauled-students-onlyapply/

·         Analysis carried out by the former Department for Business Innovation and Skills in 2011 looked at the accuracy of predicted grades based on the ethnicity of students. This found that black students were the most likely to have their grades under-predicted.https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32412/11-1043-investigating-accuracy-predicted-a-level-grades.pdf 

·         UniversitesUK recently announced a review of higher education admissions, that would include considering the introduction of PQA https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/universities-may-wait-for-exam-results-before-offering-places-s0g7vsvqp

·         The Office for Students, the higher education regulator, is also in the process of reviewing higher education admissions, and will be considering PQA as part of this. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/06/10/university-entrance-system-could-overhauled-students-onlyapply/

·         Last week (Tuesday 6th August) multiple vice-chancellors called for the introduction of PQAhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/06/10/university-entrance-system-could-overhauled-students-onlyapply/

·         The Sutton Trust, a social mobility charity, has also called for the introduction of PQA. Sir Peter Lampl, founder and chairman of the Trust, said that “the Sutton Trust is recommending we move to a post-qualifications admission system […] having actual grades on application empowers the student. They can pick the right course at the right university with a high degree of certainty that they are making the right choice.” https://www.suttontrust.com/newsarchive/admissions-process-barrier-poor-students/

·         For many students, the clearing process is an incredibly stressful and worrying time:

o    “This was one of the most stressful experiences of my life. The Ucas website crashed, all phone lines were jammed and universities did not always give you an instant answer” - First Year Psychology Student | University Of Chichester https://university.which.co.uk/advice/clearing-results-day/clearing-2013-ucas-applying-whats-it-like?wgu=5665_73669_15651014964132_8dac7f459e&wgexpiry=1572877496&utm_source=webgains&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_content=30828&source_code=314AGJ

·         A record number of students, nearly two-fifths (38%) received an unconditional offer this year according to UCAS. The chief executive of UCAS criticised some institutions for using these offers in an effort to put “bottoms on seats.”https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/universities-make-unconditional-offers-to-two-fifths-of-pupils-gz3pgd0zr

·         A quarter of applicants received a “conditional unconditional offer”, compared to a fifth at this point last yearhttps://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jul/30/unconditional-university-offers-on-the-rise

·         Previous research by academics at the university of Warwick found that in the current admissions system “there are significantly lower probabilities of receiving an offer to an applicant who (i) is from a non-white ethnic background, or (ii) is from a lower social class background, or (iii) attended either a comprehensive or further education college rather than a grammar or independent school.”
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/ranaylor/publications/guesswho/dr_who_feb_2011.pdf, p23

·         Welcoming Labour’s announcement, Jo Grady, General Secretary of the University and College Union, said:

“We welcome Labour’s support for overhauling our admissions system.

“Allowing people to apply after they receive their results would help level the playing field for students, remove the problems associated with unconditional offers and end the chaotic clearing scramble. 

“The current system, based on inaccurately predicted results, is failing students and it is time we adopted the type of system used around the rest of the world where university offers are based on actual achievements instead of guesswork.”

·         David Hughes, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, said:

“The Labour Party has recognised weaknesses in the current admissions system which must be addressed and which have concerned colleges, including the increased use of unconditional offers. With only 16% of applicants achieving their predicted A-Level grades, it is clear that pre-results applications are problematic. We are keen to explore other approaches and with more than half of university students coming from colleges it is vital that colleges are part of the ongoing discussions about how to make the system work better.

“We are pleased to see the Labour Party recognising that post-qualification applications would require a complete overhaul of the system rather than more modest reform. For PQA to be a success, as it is in all other high-performing countries, radical changes would be required. In any proposed changes, we must ensure that students’ needs are at the forefront of any consultation. We hope schools and colleges, the awarding bodies and universities will engage in open debate about how the new system could work to create space for a successful PQA system.”

·         Dr Graeme Atherton, Director of National Education Opportunities Network (NEON), said:

“The admissions system was designed at a time when a small minority of students, mostly from privileged backgrounds, entered higher education.

“As far more students progress and we wish to widen access further it is essential that we move to a 21st century system based on post-qualifications admissions that puts students first. 

“A system based on post-qualification admissions that supports equal choice for all students is essential if we are to reduce the major inequalities in access, success, and progression in higher education in England.”