A new report by The Sutton Trust charity has uncovered that poor educational guidance is preventing many academically talented pupils from non-privileged homes from going to university.
The report highlights that state school pupils are receiving “inadequate and inappropriate” careers and education advice, which means many young people with the potential to go to university are not applying for places.
The findings of the report have been presented to the prime minister’s advisory group, the National Council for Educational Excellence (NCEE), and include some suggestions for support and guidance which should be targeted at primary school pupils, as well as a proposal that all secondary schools should appoint a senior member of staff who will provide up-to-date advice and information about applying to university.
The trust has also warned that poor educational and careers guidance could be a particular disadvantage to talented pupils from poorer homes, because they may not receive the support they need to apply to more competitive universities.
A recent review carried out to investigate schools’ careers and education guidance packages found that only half of the 16 and 17-year-olds interviewed said the support they had received had been helpful; 58% said they would have liked more.
James Turner, the charity’s director of policy, said: “Today’s school pupils need to negotiate an increasingly complex educational landscape, and the fear is that too many are making ill-informed choices early on which effectively put them out of the running for certain university choices and careers later in life.”
Wes Streeting, president of the National Union of Students, said: “NUS has long called for better guidance about higher education for state school pupils. This report provides a compelling case to improve information in schools so that people from non-traditional backgrounds are judged on their ability and potential to succeed.”
The higher education minister, David Lammy, has said that the government have accepted the NCEE recommendations as part of the ongoing work to improve educational guidance in schools.
