Private schools condemn social engineering

By Graeme Paton Published: 7:30AM GMT twenty-six February 2010

Ministers are utilizing dangerous investigate in an try to "blackmail" institutions in to receiving a incomparable series of pupils from the state sector, it was claimed.

Andrew Grant, authority of the Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference, that represents 250 tip in isolation schools, insisted majority "independent-minded" academics and admissions tutors were facing Government vigour by stability to prioritise the brightest pupils irrespective of background.

Private propagandize students "monopolising" postgraduate courses University targets have "devalued" degrees "Artificial targets are pushing down university standards" Graduates cursed to "coffee emporium jobs" University targets for bad students "failing" Private propagandize relatives "made to feel guilty"

But, essay in The Dailytoday, he warned that their capability to name could come underneath threat.

His comments came as an additional tip head Richard Cairns, from fee-paying Brighton College called for all university applications to be "anonymised" to equivocate any influence during the admissions process.

Vice-chancellors are already notice of a fist on university places this year following a jot down climb in applications.

Despite the rush, Prof Steve Smith, the head of Universities UK, that represents vice-chancellors, pronounced this month that institutions should still be authorised to have reduce class offers to pupils from poor-performing schools as piece of the expostulate to "widen participation" to university.

He quoted investigate from the Governments Higher Education Funding Council that referred to students from state schools were some-more expected to get great degrees when compared with eccentric propagandize peers on a like-for-like basis.

But Mr Grant pronounced the justification was "wholly unreliable" since it unsuccessful to take comment of the actuality that privately-educated pupils mostly took tougher courses.

According to inhabitant figures, they are far some-more expected to investigate subjects such as the sciences and languages at university. Teenagers from the eccentric zone additionally take up some-more places at chosen institutions such as Oxford and Cambridge.

The comments came as an additional headmaster pronounced higher preparation applications should no longer underline the names of pupils schools to finish the row over admissions and place all possibilities on an next to footing.

In a debate to the Army and Navy Club in London, Mr Cairns said: "No splendid sixth-former - from a in isolation propagandize or a extensive propagandize - should feel that there is a little dark influence opposite them.

"In consequence, all applications to university should be anonymous. After all, when they lay their own finals exams their writings are sat anonymously. So it should be at the point of application.

"That way, universities cannot be indicted of discrimination, sixth-formers will be sure that they will be judged on their own sold merits and, if state schools go on to be under-represented in the heading universities, ministers will have to face up to the actuality that it is their error - and action to residence it."

He pronounced relatives who paid for in isolation preparation mostly "going but new cars and holidays" in the routine increasingly feared their young kids would miss out on university.

"So far, such fears are definitely unfounded," he said. "Brighton College has 60 former pupils at Oxford or Cambridge, 4 years ago there were usually 25. Nevertheless, the fears endure and that increases doubt in all quarters."