Education secretary says grades are not expected to fall from last year as students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland receive resultsA record number of students from the lowest socio-economic backgrounds have secured a place at university and college this year, according to the University and College Admissions Service.27,600 of UK 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds (POLAR4 Quintile 1) have accepted a place, up 7% on 25,800 last year and on the previous high record of 26,650 (+4%) in 2021.Overall, 425,680 applicants (all ages, all domiciles) have been accepted into university or college – an increase on 414,940 (+3%) in 2023.In total, 376,470 students (all ages, all domiciles) have been accepted at their first (UCAS ‘firm’) choice, a 4% increase on last year. This represents 82% of those holding an offer who received their decision this morning up from 79% in 2023.The overall number of accepted international students stands at 51,170, in line with 51,210 in 2023. However, accepted applicants from China are slightly down compared to last year – 10,950 (-6%).The top three subjects with the largest increase in total placed applicants are engineering and technology (+11% on last year), architecture, building and planning (+9%) and law (+9%).Acceptances for UK students (all ages) to nursing have risen slightly compared to 2023, with 18,450 applicants securing a place (up 1%). This still represents a decline from the peak seen during the pandemic.I’m particularly thrilled to see free school meals students securing a place at university or college in record numbers. I know how important it is to everyone working in education that every student, no matter their background, has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Widening access and participation is not just about numbers; it’s about opening up doors and transforming the lives of students through higher education so they can pursue their passions and career aspirations.Ucas is here to help all applicants take their next step, including students who received different results than expected, or those who are looking to change their mind.We just cannot build the sort of country we want if a third of young people who come from low income backgrounds are just disappearing from the system in terms of employment or training.The biggest thing for us in terms of the results that we see are the big gaps between young people based on their family wealth and background, and also the part of the country that they come from,” he said, adding “in some parts of the country, large percentages will go on to good employment, university places, apprenticeships. And in others, there’s a lot fewer.We’ve got to make sure that those schools who do serve disadvantaged communities get the most money. I think most importantly, we’ve got to make sure they get the best teachers as well, because it’s the quality of teaching that drives almost everything that goes on in education.I don’t think there’s many young people who sit there thinking, you know, I just want to mess around and not do very much. People want to get ahead. We find that ambitions and aspirations are the same, whatever the wealth of the family and background that people come from. Continue reading…
Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/education/live/2024/aug/15/a-level-results-day-ucas-clearing-live-updates
Author : Rachel Hall
Publish date : 2024-08-15 07:12:33
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A-level results day as hundreds of thousands await their grades – live updates
