Read: New campaign highlights universities’ double dose of opportunity
As we head towards A-Level results day, students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be feeling the pressure as they wait to find out how they did in this summer’s exams and if that was good enough to get them into their university of choice. It’s an anxious time, and one which has become increasingly uncertain over the last few years.
With indications that there will be less A* and A grades awarded this year as attempts are made to return grading to pre-pandemic levels, UCAS will be preparing for a fraught period of clearing. It has already warned that several popular universities are full and students will need to act quickly if they want to secure a place elsewhere. A demographic increase means there are greater numbers of school leavers this year. Controversially, there has also been a rise in international students who, with much higher fees, can bridge the finance gap for those cash-strapped universities struggling to balance the books amid a funding crisis for many universities. So the competition will be fierce.
Next Thursday – with all its personal victories and disappointments – will remind us how much of an appetite there still is for higher education, despite suggestions by ministers that some degrees offer poor value for money. Although the UCAS warning is aimed mainly at those hoping for Russell Group places, it’s important to remember that there are huge numbers of other universities across the country which are delivering opportunity, helping individuals realise their potential and contributing to their communities.
It's a dual role which is highlighted in the Purpose Coalition’s new campaign Raising Standards, Creating Opportunities. With widening participation and collaboration at the heart of their work, universities can offer key insights for the wider economy on how to truly spread opportunity. Against wavering messaging from the Government on a focused levelling up agenda, they have steadily defined their roles as engines of social mobility.
Many universities play a crucial role raising standards in their local schools. They do a huge amount of work with children pre-sixth form, either directly by tutoring pupils and upskilling teachers or indirectly by the provision of teacher training courses. Through their active engagement with local initiatives, tutoring, mentoring, and collaborative projects, they make a significant difference to local education outcomes.
Coalition partner, Solent University, uses its strong community connections to target disadvantaged learners in Southampton where educational outcomes are consistently poor. Its More Maths tuition programme supports learners in small groups and results show it is increasing their confidence and knowledge, prompting an even greater demand for places.
Loughborough University also focuses on the learning and teaching of mathematics and statistics, recognising that poor mathematical skills are associated with unemployment, low income and poor quality of life. Its Department of Mathematics Education is one of the largest groups of mathematics education researchers in the UK and has an international reputation. It is also home to the Centre for Mathematical Cognition as well as a new Centre for Early Mathematics Learning. The University has a long tradition of educating and developing teachers and a well-established and successful Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Partnership involving more than 60 partner secondary schools.
Alongside their work in schools, universities also play a vital economic role, contributing around £95 billion to the economy as well as supporting more than 815,000 jobs. They educate tomorrow’s workforce, including public sector workers like teachers, nurses and medical specialists. They also foster innovation and entrepreneurship in partnership with businesses and specialist industries that can support local communities.
The University of Greenwich’s enterprise centre, the Generator, helps students and graduates develop entrepreneurial skills, start new ventures, and grow existing businesses. In 2022- 2023 alone, the University awarded funding totalling £25,000, sponsored by Santander, through the Generators flagship competition - The Enterprise Challenge. Cardiff Met has been one of the top UK universities for Graduate start-ups each year for the last six years. The University of Derby Programme, Invest to Grow, partnered with SureScreen Scientifics, a local family business specialising in forensic analysis, to fuel their expansion into DNA analysis, including a new laboratory to expand their work.
Liverpool Hope University is the latest university to partner with the Purpose Coalition to highlight the social impact it is making and to explore how it can make an even greater difference.
As a first step in the Raising Standards, Creating Opportunities campaign, a report has been published featuring a wealth of best practice examples of how member universities are raising standards and creating opportunities. In the run up to an election, issues affecting higher education will be at the fore – whether that is how universities will be funded given rising costs and static tuition fees, low-value courses, the number of international students or student loans. Going forward, the campaign will give universities a voice that will highlight the contribution they are making and shape a sustainable future for higher education.
