Should increasing social mobility be a remit of universites?

[mids2019]

Entered an intriguing discussion about reasons for falling numbers of pupils entering Oxbridge from elite schools and the debate seemed to be on meritocracy in a general sense with some very powerful views on ensuring fair access to all education.

The question is will social mobility improve significantly given successive governments have tried to solve this issue with varying levels of success?.

@TheJerkStore

Fascinating disucssion. Good luck in the outreach work.

Hopefully see a different education environment in future years...

[quote mids2019]@TheJerkStore

Fascinating disucssion. Good luck in the outreach work.

Hopefully see a different education environment in future years...[/quote]
Thank you

What would your suggestion be for levelling the playing field? @mids2019

@Rummikub

Good question.

I think overall higher education and society has become a lot more egalitarian.

Change is happening slowly and we have gone from a 40/60 state private (in my day) split at Oxbridge to a 70/30 split so at least at the elite level change is happening. The playing field is being levelled.with a very slow roller.

I think we need to see if the playing field is being levelled more generally in society but time will tell.

I think there may be resistance to change. I don't think societies are naturally meritocratic.

I think we live in interesting times and maybe are attitudes to elitism are being blurred. The UK has historically been pretty elitist.

At a university level we will have much more fair access to universities at all levels and recruitment from these universities will become more balanced. It may be that we end up with a group of elite universities (obviously including Oxford and Cambridge) and we will need to monitor access to these.

I think we continue in the same direction in terms of levelling the playing field and the hard work being done to achieve that is appreciated as I think to some extent you are working against natural.societal forces.

I’m not convinced university is the right time to try and level up. I think it’s far too late. Many of the better prepared will know when they turn up in year 1, the degree is only part of the picture and will be strategic about society positions etc. Often those from private school or more affluent backgrounds will have had better access to clubs, sport at a high level, careers talks, alumni visits etc.

I have a friend that works for a boutique consultancy and she said that in recruited they actively looked to replicate people like them eg if you were a law grad at Oxford and had been a blue, they’d be looking for other Oxford blue law grads. I was quite shocked at how limiting it must be.

Universities work with schools ( sometimes right down to primary school) in order to raise aspirations and awareness of higher education.

We aren't waiting until young people get to university or even to the application stage ..... it stars much earlier.

@Dustyhedge

That could be part of it. I think increasing the proportion of disenfranchised students at elite universities may not increase social mobility as much as envisaged.

I think careers support for working class children is extremely important both to raise aspiration and allow sensible decision making with A levels , degree choice etc.