This year’s GCSE results are notable for the confusion that has surrounded the introduction of the new 9-1 grading system. Pupils and teachers are unsure about the equivalence of numerical and letter grades, as are employers, who, according to some of the big business lobby groups, will now be faced with candidates holding a mixture of both. There have also been mixed messages from universities, with reports that different institutions are planning on taking different approaches as to whether a ...

The proportion of pupils achieving good GCSE passes in England has fallen this year, amid a blizzard of changes in exams and gradings, including a new nine-point scale in the key subjects of English and maths. There were weaker results in history, maths and geography than last year, but the picture was complicated by changing patterns of entries and some substantial increases in numbers taking the tests as schools adjusted to the new process. Read More

Newspaper headlines this week have been dominated by A-level results and the fall in university acceptances. But few talked about the alternative higher education routes available to these student – specifically degree apprenticeships. These valuable programmes could play a major role in widening participation in higher education, plugging the UK’s widening skills gap and closing the gap in attainment levels between the richest and poorest students. Yet awareness of them is still unacceptably lo...

Over the last six years the number of students who are the first generation in their (immediate) family to attend university has grown. In 2015-16, 50 per cent of full-time first degree entrants were first generation. Read More

In his damning critique of universities aping business practices, Jonathan Wolff notes that “most universities are held together by a core of academics and support staff who preserve the authentic values of teaching and research” (Everything must be measured: how business practices have tainted universities, 8 August). BUT he also recognises that goodwill has a limit and that target-setting and insecure contracts risk eroding our successful higher education sector. Read More

Teenagers in some parts of England are up to 18 times more likely to go to university than their peers in other areas, a study suggests. On average, around one in five youngsters born in England's poorest postcodes go on to higher education, compared to around half of those from homes in the wealthiest postcodes. The new study, by education charity Teach First and the Credit Suisse EMEA Foundation, argues that poorer youngsters are still facing hurdles that their richer peers do not have to over...

Finishing your A-levels and marching straight into university isn’t for everyone. For those looking to further their education or join the workforce, there’s a vast number of paths to explore. “University is good but it’s not the be-all and end-all,” says Jez Booker, marketing manager at online guide Not Going to Uni. “A fair chunk of young people have a very clear idea of what they want to achieve and what professional role they want to follow in their lives. Others have the self-knowledge that...

Students from poorer backgrounds may be held back by their A-level subject choices when applying for respected degree courses, such as law, at leading universities. New research suggests that those taking vocational A-levels in law, accounting or business are less likely to attend elite universities than students who opt for traditional academic subjects such as sciences, mathematics, languages, history and geography. Read More

Clearing day used to be about spending hours on the phone – often on hold or in a queue. And although clearing hotlines are still a big part of the process, universities are realising that if they are going to reach the text-happy generation, it makes sense to open up social media, live chat and text to start the application process and even make offers. Read More

Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed who said they were unlikely to go to university cited financial concerns, such as student debt, as their reason. Fewer young people now aspire to attend university, according to a new poll, with many citing financial concerns or saying they simply do not like the idea. Around three-quarters (74 per cent) of secondary school pupils are planning to study for a degree – but this figure is at its lowest level since 2009, according to the Sutton Trust survey. Read ...