White working-class boys in England ‘need more help’ to go to university

‘Thinktank calls for changes to help widen participation of ‘most under-represented group in higher education’. Helping white, working-class boys in England to go on to higher education should be a top priority for policymakers, according to a manifesto to widen access to universities that identifies more than 30 gaps and weaknesses in policy. The document, published by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi), includes proposals to appoint a national commissioner for student mental health, to change the timing of university applications so they take place after A-level results have been published, and even to open new Oxbridge colleges to boost the numbers of students from under-represented groups.Among the proposals aimed at the new Office for Students are several designed to encourage students coming from communities that have not benefited from the surge in participation seen in other parts of the country. Read more.