Primary school children should be taught about university

Charity Teach First has called for education about university to start as early as primary school to stop poorer pupils missing out

It has issued a warning that young people from low income backgrounds will struggle to access higher education without changes to the way universities spend access agreements.

These calls are backed up by findings of a specially commissioned ComRes survey of over 1,000 undergraduates which found that almost half (47%) of students from wealthier backgrounds said they always knew they would consider university compared to 28% of those from low income backgrounds. Wealthier students also started planning their applications earlier, with 23% starting during their GCSES, and were more likely to have taken part in non-academic extracurricular activities to support their applications.

Thirty per cent of survey respondents found applying to university difficult, 40% report receiving little support from their school in planning their application, and 38% say they felt intimidated when applying for university – highlighting the value of supporting young people during the process.

Teach First says universities spend over £700 million a year on access agreements, but much of this is on schemes with low effectiveness or as recruitment incentives for those who have already decided to apply. These schemes, therefore, come too late for many young people.

Previewing a new report with PA Consulting Group out next month on young people’s progression after school, Teach First is calling for universities to use their funding to engage young people about higher education opportunities from an earlier age. The report recommends starting with primary level pupils and with a particular focus from 14 years old, a key decision making point. Currently only around 1,200 pupils on Free School Meals go on to Russell Group universities each year, just 1.5% of the 80,000 pupils eligible each year for Free School Meals in secondary schools.

The report also says better co-ordination is needed to ensure such schemes reach areas with the lowest university progression rates. In some areas of the country only one in seven 18 year olds go to University.