A levels: are students really ‘trading up’ to selective universities?

A sensible article that ends with a disappointing quote. It is disingenuous to tempt too many unsuitable candidates into HE when there may be a better route for them. The debate is separate from the effects of COVID-19. All of us can have unrealistic aspirations but part of the human condition is to make the most of reality rather than remaining in fantasyland (cf. the article on arts graduates elsewhere).

And so Mr Andrews is admitting to the press that his institution is in the bottom rank of unis. Tut tut.

Spot-on quotes from both Andy Westwood and Nick Hillman here: the lower-prestige universities and the communities they serve deserve a safety net, and the ‘too many students go to university’ narrative needs to be confronted.