Westminster Weekly 2 - 9 June

1. NUS says HE participation rates are a 'damning indictment of Government policy'

The Higher Education Funding Council for England has published the tenth set of UK higher education performance indicators, which show progress on widening participation.

NUS issued a response to the publication of the HEFCE 'UK Performance Indicators in Higher Education'. NUS President Gemma Tumelty said: 'These figures show that, after the Government introduced top-up fees, participation rates in higher education went down across the board. The Government will want to pull the wool over our eyes by pointing to the miniscule percentage increase in entrants from lower socio-economic backgrounds. But if you look more closely at the actual figures, the number of poorer students entering higher education in England went down by 4,190. These figures are a damning indictment of Government policy. By introducing market forces into the higher education sector, they are pricing thousands of people out of entering university and fulfilling their potential.'

2. NUS respond to Government drive on academic freedom

Minister of State for Higher Education, Bill Rammell along with the Secretary of State, John Denham, are hosting a number of events across the country following the Prime Minister's speech last year when he called on them to lead the sector in a debate on how we promote academic freedom while ensuring that extremists can never stifle debate or impose their views.

The debates have been organised to create lively discussion between ministers, academics, stakeholders and students to share thoughts, ideas and concerns on academic freedom and the necessary legal limits for free speech.

NUS President-elect, Wes Streeting stated during a debate in Nottingham that the Government's focus on safeguarding academic freedom while tackling violent extremism on campus is a 'red herring'.

Mr Streeting said: 'The Government's recent guidance is a red herring. The real threat to academic freedom lies in the pressure that is put on institutions to cut costs and only carry out the type of research that will boost their league table positions. The Government doesn't care about these limits to academic freedom. By seeking to introduce a system of further and higher education based on market forces, the Government is asking institutions and academics to compete for resources and prestige. Scholarship for its own sake is becoming a low priority.'

3. Select Committee hears from the Office For Fair Access

The Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee took evidence from the Office For Fair Access (OFFA) on 2 June 2008. For an uncorrected transcript, see here:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmdius/c598-i/c59802.htm

4. 34 MPs support NUS motion on LGBT estrangement

An NUS early day motion on the way in which student support is administered to those who have become estranged from their parents has attracted the support of 34 MPs. For more details of the motion see here:

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMByMember.aspx?MID=1372&SESSION=891

To read the Pink News article on this issue, see here:

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=7735

5. Denham - stop knocking A-levels

The Skills Secretary has defended the A-level qualification after the rector of Imperial College London said his university was ditching it and setting an entrance exam.

John Denham told BBC Radio 4's 'Any Questions?': "It's time that the knocking of A-levels stopped."

He explained: "This debate goes on all the time - it's one of the reasons why [Schools Secretary] Ed Balls has actually decided to make the regulator, which is now going to be called Ofqual, entirely and utterly and totally independent of any government involvement whatsoever."

"So actually there is a completely independent body verifying the quality of these examinations, and so many young people…are working to do at the moment."

He said that the Government recognised that there were "some issues", such as the need for students who wished to do mathematical degrees to gain the further maths A-level.

"That's why for the last three or four years we've had a huge push across colleges, to promote further maths - and we've had really sharp increases in the number of students who are doing not just maths A-level but further maths A-level.

"We do need to make sure that all our pupils are prepared properly, and that's what we're doing - but just the knocking of A-levels I think is really wrong and I think very unfair on young people working so hard to get them," he concluded.

6. Parliamentary questions

Hayes - Higher education (2009 funding review)

The following question was answered on 06 June 2008.

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which university vice-chancellors have made representations to him on the 2009 funding review for higher education in the last 12 months. [209478]

Bill Rammell: We have received no representations from vice-chancellors on the subject of the independent review of the first three years of the new fee arrangements for full-time undergraduates, although the subject is occasionally touched on in discussions that Ministers have with a range of stakeholders.

Our policy remains that there should be an independent review that makes recommendations for Parliament to consider. Ahead of that there are a number of pressing questions about what Government and universities should do over the next 10 to 15 years to ensure we have a world class system of higher education. It is on these questions that Government, universities and others should now focus.

Hayes - Higher education admissions

The following question was answered on 06 June 2008.

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what recent assessment his Department has made of progress towards meeting the target of 50 per cent. participation in higher education by 2010. [209473]

Bill Rammell: In "Higher Education at Work-High Skills: High Value"we set out our long term vision that the UK should be a world leader on high level skills and in the upper quartile of OECD rankings by 2020. Consistent with that vision, we have set a long term primary target to increase the proportion of the workforce with high level skills from 31 per cent. now to over 40 per cent. by 2020. The target to increase participation in Higher Education towards 50 per cent. of those aged 18-30 with growth of at least a percentage point every two years to the academic year 2010-11 will support this and is measured by the higher education initial participation rate (HEIPR).

We have known for a long time that student applications fell for 2006/07-the first year of variable fees. We also know that they recovered strongly for 2007/08, to resume an upward trend. The fall in applications in 2006/07 has, unsurprisingly, caused the HEIPR for that year to fall to 40 per cent. We would expect to see an increase in the HEIPR for 2007/08 reflecting the 6 per cent. rise in student applicants from England for 2007/08 university entry compared to 2006/07.

Hayes- Higher education admissions (Aimhigher Initiative)

The following question was answered on 06 June 2008.

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what (a) higher education institutions, (b) further education institutions, (c) schools and (d) other organisations have received money under the Aimhigher Initiative. [209462]

Bill Rammell: In the academic year 2007-08, £75 million was allocated to the 43 area and nine regional Aimhigher partnerships.

Partnerships draw up plans showing how they intend to use their allocations to benefit learners and to meet the aims of the Aimhigher programme. Funds are then distributed to schools, colleges, higher education institutions and other organisations via 'lead' higher education institutions (HEIs) and local authorities.

Schools, colleges and 'lead' HEIs account for these funds through the accountability arrangements that apply to their individual sectors in respect of the public funds they receive. Information on which individual organisations receive Aimhigher funds from 'lead' HEIs and local authorities is not, however, held centrally, and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Willetts - Apprenticeship statistics

The following question was answered on 06 June 2008.

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many apprenticeship (a) starts and (b) completions there were in (i) the public sector and (ii) the private sector in each area covered by a sector skills council in the most recent year for which figures are available. [208846]

Mr. Lammy: Information about the number of public and private sector apprenticeship starts and completions within each sector skill area is not centrally available. We emphasised in World-class Apprenticeships our commitment to improve the quality and availability of information about apprenticeships and increase the number of apprenticeships available in the public sector. This will be a priority for the National Apprenticeships Service which will be operational from April 2009.

Willetts - Students (New Funding Rules)

The following question was answered on 05 June 2008.

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills on the likely impact of the new funding rules for students studying for a qualification that is lower or equivalent to one they already hold, with particular reference to the impact on qualified teachers wishing to take the new Masters in Teaching and Learning. [208353]

Jim Knight: The Masters and Teaching and Learning (MTL) will be rolled out to around 2,400 newly qualified teachers starting from September 2009, with a further cohort starting in September 2010: these teachers will be fully funded through the Training and Development Agency for Schools. My Department has discussed with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills their decision that from 2008-09 the majority of new students will not be publicly funded to study for a qualification that is equal to or lower than a qualification they already hold, and are satisfied that it will have no impact on the first two cohorts of TDA funded students taking up the MTL.

Willetts - Students: Loans

The following question was answered on 05 June 2008.

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people are making repayments on student loans. [199421]

Bill Rammell: The Statistical First Release published by the Student Loans Company in June 2007 showed that in March 2007 there were 253,000 English domiciled income-contingent loan borrowers making repayments, according to the latest tax year returns from HM Revenue and Customs. There were more than 154,000 mortgage-style borrowers ahead or up to date with repayments. In addition a number of mortgage-style borrowers classed as in arrears may have made repayments that did not bring their accounts up to date.

Williams - Higher Education: Finance

The following question was answered on 05 June 2008.

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of the Higher Education Funding Council for England's budget for tuition funding was allocated to (a) full-time and (b) part-time higher education students in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08; and what proportion will be allocated to each category in (A) 2008-09, (B) 2009-10 and (C) 2010-11. [208151]

Bill Rammell: In both 2006-07 and 2007-08 about 82 per cent. of the Higher Education Funding Council for England's budget to support tuition was allocated for full-time students and about 18 per cent. was allocated for part-time students. The underlying full-time proportion will rise to about 83 per cent. in 2008-09. The exact proportions for future years will depend on student demand and the responses of institutions to that demand although it is our policy that public funding for higher education should generally be fairly stable and predictable. In all cases, grant is unhypothecated with institutions free to decide for themselves how to organise and fund tuition for their students.

Willetts - Higher Education: Admissions

The following question was answered on 05 June 2008.

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the higher education initial 5 Jun 2008 : Column 1133W participation rate for English-domiciled first-time participants in higher education courses in each parliamentary constituency was by (a) sex, (b) age and (c) socioeconomic group in each of the last 10 years. [208354]

Bill Rammell: The Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR) is the sum of the HE initial participation rates for individual ages between 17 and 30 inclusive. It covers English-domiciled first time entrants to HE courses, which are expected to last for at least six months, at UK Higher Education Institutions and English, Scottish and Welsh Further Education Colleges, and who remain on their course for at least six months. The latest available figures, including a gender breakdown, are shown in Table 1:

Table 1: Higher Education Initial Participation Rate for 17-30 year olds

Male Female All

1999/2000 37 (37.1) 41 (41.4) 39 (39.2)

2000/01 37 (36.8) 43 (42.8) 40 (39.6)

2001/02 36 (36.5) 44 (44.1) 40 (40.2)

2002/03 37 (36.9) 46 (45.6) 41 (41.1)

2003/04 35 (35.3) 45 (45.3) 40 (40.2)

2004/05 35 (35.4) 45 (45.0) 40 (40.1)

2005/06 37 (37.4) 48 (47.8) 42 (42.5)

2006/07 35 (34.8) 45 (44.9) 40 (39.8)

Note: The HEIPR is usually published to the nearest integer, but the figures are included to one decimal place to inform comparisons over time. Numbers are quoted to the nearest thousand. Source: "Participation Rates in Higher Education: Academic Years 1999/20.00-2006/07 (Provisional)", published by DfES.

The HEIPR for individual ages from 17 to 30 is shown in Table 2:

Table 2 : Higher Education Initial Participation Rate by gender and age

Percentage

Age 1999/2000 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07

17 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3

18 19.3 19.5 19.6 19.7 19.2 19.4 21.3 20.2

19 9.3 9.7 10.0 9.9 9.7 9.4 9.7 8.6

20 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.6 2.5

21 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4

22 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.0

23 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9

24 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.8

25 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8

26 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.8

27 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7

28 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7

29 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6

30 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6

Total 39.2 39.6 40.2 41.1 40.2 40.1 42.5 39.8

Note: The HEIPR is usually published to the nearest integer, but the figures are included to one decimal place to inform comparisons over time. Numbers are quoted to the nearest thousand. Source: "Participation Rates in Higher Education: Academic Years 1999/2000 - 2006/07 (Provisional)", published by DfES.

The HEIPR is not available for earlier years than 1999/2000. The HEIPR is not available below country level, therefore figures are not available by parliamentary constituency.

The HEIPR is not available broken down by socio-economic class, due to differences in the information on which socio-economic class is based across the age range. As such, only the full-time young (18-20) component of the HEIPR is available by socio-economic class. Table 3 shows the following:

- 1. The proportion of 18-20 year olds from the top three socio-economic classes who participate for the first time in full-time higher education;

- 2. The proportion of 18-20 year olds from the bottom four socio-economic classes who participate for the first time in full-time higher education;

- 3. The difference, or "gap" between these two rates.

Full-time Young Participation by Socio-Economic Class (FYPSEC)

Percentage

Academic year 2002 2003 2004 2005

Percentage from NS-SECs 1, 2 and 3 44.6 41.5 41.5 43.3

Percentage from NS-SECs 4, 5, 6 and 7 17.6 17.9 17.7 19.9

Difference 27.0 23.6 23.8 23.4

The figures cover English-domiciled 18-20 year olds who are studying for the first time at higher education level at UK higher education institutions or English further education colleges, who remain on their courses for at least six months.

Due to a change from social class to socio-economic class in 2001, earlier comparable figures are not available. The 2006/07 figures will become available later this year.

The Government remains committed to widening participation in higher education, it is an economic as well as a social imperative that everyone who can benefit from higher education has the opportunity to do so. Widening participation is about spotting and nurturing talent, with schools, colleges and universities working together to ensure that all those with the potential and merit to benefit from higher education are able to do so.

Williams, S - Higher Education (Admissions)

The following question was answered on 04 June 2008.

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) how many people enrolled on (a) access courses and (b) foundation degrees in each year since 2006; and if he will make a statement; [195307]

(2) how many (a) access courses and (b) foundation degree courses were running in each year since 2006; and if he will make a statement. [195308]

Bill Rammell: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills is determined to develop and increase the range of non-traditional pathways into and through higher education. Improving the progress of school leavers into higher education will not be sufficient to meet the skills needs of the future. The Access to Higher Education scheme is one way of enabling adults, some of whom may have few other qualifications, or have been out of education for a number of years, to study successfully at the higher education level. The following table gives the available figures for Access to HE courses since 2006 in England and Wales.

2005/06 2006/07

Total learner registrations(1) on QAA-recognised Access to HE courses in England and Wales 41,984 37,818

Access to HE courses running in England and Wales (of total number available) 1,079 1,057

(1,341) (1,258)

(1) Figures include learners registered on Access to HE courses which are in Higher Education Institutions and learners which are not publicly funded. Source: QAA. This data is collected by QAA from the 15 Access Validating Agencies in England and Wales. Data is collected retrospectively, following the completion of an academic year. As a result, no data for learner registrations or courses running is available for 2007/08.

Over recent years we have seen an expansion of more flexible routes into HE and increased options for those wishing to benefit from an HE experience, such as Foundation Degrees and progression through professional and vocational courses, and figures show that the number of people applying to enter higher education continue to increase.

The latest available information for the number of students on Foundation Degrees is shown in the following table.

Foundation degree student( 1) at Higher Education Institutions and Further Education Colleges in England-academic years 2006/07 and 2007/08

Academic year Foundation degree students

2006/07 60,580

2007/08 71,915

(1) Figures show counts of years of instance eligible to be counted in that years HESES or HEIFES return. See Annex E of HEFCE's HESES or HEIFES guidance for further information-http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2007/07_26/ Source: Columns 1 + 2 of the Higher Education Students Early Statistics Survey (HESES) and the Higher Education in Further Education Students Survey (HEIFES) produced by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). Notes: 1. 2007/08 values are provisional. 2. Figures cover Home, ED and Overseas domiciled students.

The UCAS website states that there are 3,986 Foundation Degree courses due to start in England in 2008. Figures for the number of courses running in 2006/07 and 2007/08 are not held centrally.

The success of Foundation Degrees means we are likely to meet our target participation rate of 100,000 Foundation Degree students by 2010.

Hayes - Further Education (Higher Education)

The following question was answered on 04 June 2008.

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) how many students studied a higher education course in a further education college in each of the last 20 years for which figures are available; [203925]

(2) what percentage of higher education students were studying at a further education college in the most recent period for which figures are available. [203926]

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is given in the table. Information prior to the 2002/03 academic year is not available on a comparable basis.

Higher education enrolments( 1) at English further education colleges( 2) academic years 2002/03 to 2006/07( 3)

Academic y ear Enrolments

2002/03 139,215

2003/04 143,065

2004/05 140,490

2005/06 138,305

2006/07(3) 131,040

(1) Excludes students registered at a higher education institution but franchised out to a further education college.(2) Birmingham college of food, tourism and creative studies transferred to the higher education sector in 2002 and Leeds college of music transferred in July 2005. The figures have not been adjusted for colleges that transferred during this period from the FE to the HE sector, or for those which merged with HE institutions, and which therefore account for some of the year-on-year reductions.(3) 2006/07 data is provisional. The final sweep of 2006/07 data will be available in January 2009. Notes: Figures are on a DIUS whole year count basis, which counts students enrolled at any point in the academic year, and have been rounded to the nearest five. Source: Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Individualised Learner Record

The changes in the number of higher education enrolments at further education colleges are partly due to the transfer of institutions from the further education sector to the higher education sector. In addition, improvements to the reporting of franchising arrangements between higher education institutions and further education colleges may have contributed to the changes in numbers. Franchising is a process whereby one institution delivers a course on behalf of another and this often occurs between higher education institutions and further education colleges.

The methodology for calculating the number of students studying at higher education level in a further education college has recently been revised and updated, providing a more consistent time series back to 2002/03 when the individualised learner record was introduced.

On the above basis, the percentage of higher education students that were enrolled at an English further education college in the 2006/07 academic year was 6.6 per cent.