The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is being urged to launch an investigation into the current student loan system to find out whether it provides value for money for both students and taxpayers. Set up to investigate the impact of changes to university tuition fees and loans in England three years ago, the Independent Commission on Fees (ICF) published its latest report which warned the Government to be wary about increasing tuition fees – or removing the cap on them completely. Inclu...

Middle-class children benefit from a "glass floor" protecting them from slipping down the social scale in Britain, a report has said. The Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission said better-off families managed to provide educational and social advantages to stop their slide. It found less able, richer children were 35% more likely to become high earners than brighter, poorer peers. The government said its reforms were helping disadvantaged pupils catch up. Read More.

Record levels of people from lower-income families are now entering higher education. Similarly, the numbers of students with disabilities, and from black or ethnic minority groups, are continuing to increase. However, these groups still underachieve in terms of degree results, progression into further study and graduate-level employment. Read More

England's schools face "disruption" after ministers changed their minds about which GCSEs will count in school league tables, says the heads' union ASCL. Ministers are phasing in new, toughened GCSEs and originally said the old ones would count in league tables during the transition to the new exams. Now old GCSEs will count for students but not for school accountability. Read More

Top English universities are being urged to apply their "research expertise" to the issue of access by youngsters from poorer homes. The Office of Fair Access says there are "stubborn gaps" in participation at highly-selective universities. But director Prof Les Ebdon said these universities were full of capable people who excelled at problem solving. His comments come after universities called for the limit on tuition fees in England to be lifted. Read More

University maintenance grants for lower income students in England and Wales are to be scrapped from September 2016, Chancellor George Osborne has said. In his budget, Mr Osborne said the grants had become "unaffordable". Mr Osborne also said tuition fees could rise with inflation, above £9,000, for those institutions which offer high-quality teaching from 2017-18. Read More

A new linking tool enables schools and colleges to identify their National Network for Collaborative Outreach (NNCO). The HEFCE-funded networks co-ordinate the outreach of partner institutions and ensure that all state-funded secondary schools and colleges in their locality have a clear access route to information about outreach events and activities. By entering their postcode in the linking tool, schools and colleges will receive the name and contact details for their nearest network. Read Mor...

Grants given to the poorest university students could be cut as part of savings the Department for Business has to find, BBC Newsnight understands. Proposals to start phasing out grants, worth up to £3,387 a year for students from less well off households, were first drawn up in 2013. Back then, Nick Clegg, the ex-deputy prime minister, blocked the proposal. But ministers are reconsidering the idea as they seek to find savings ahead of the Budget, Newsnight understands. One source familiar with ...

Apprenticeships are the big hope for rescuing Britain's skills base. During the election campaign, David Cameron promised three million extra places. This pledge is a massive increase on the total of 440,000 people, from all age groups, starting an apprenticeship in 2013-14. Read More

The Office for Fair Access is to review how much poorer students benefit from financial support while at university. The university access watchdog has commissioned a research team led by Sheffield Hallam University’s Centre for Education and Inclusion Research to look at how, and to what extent, financial support helps students to stay on their courses, achieve a good degree and gain a graduate job. Re Read More.