A paper examined the notion of the higher education 'regulatory state'; and particularly the relationship, if any, between regulatory scholarship more widely and research on higher education governance.
Source: Roger King, Analysing the Higher Education Regulatory State, Discussion Paper 38, Centre for Analysis of Risk and Regulation/London School of Economics (020 7955 6577)
Links: Paper
Date: 2006-Dec
The government published the outcome of consultation on a new process to replace the research assessment exercise (RAE) after 2008. The RAE would be succeeded by a new overarching framework for assessing research quality and allocating funding which was more metrics-based.
Source: DfES Consultation on the Reform of Higher Education Research Assessment and Funding: Summary of Responses, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Consultation responses | HEFCE press release | UCU press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Dec
There were 3.63 million learners in local authority-funded further education in 2005-06 - a decrease of 13.6 per cent on 2004-05.
Source: Further Education, Work Based Learning and Adult and Community Learning: Learner Numbers in England 2005/06, ILR/SFR11, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR | BBC report
Date: 2006-Dec
A study found that the higher the proportion of graduates in an occupation, the lower the salary each individual received, even after controlling for education. This suggested a social rather than a material explanation of the expansion of higher education.
Source: Malcolm Brynin and Simonetta Longhi, The Wage Effects of Graduate Competition, Working Paper 2006-58, Institute for Social and Economic Research/University of Essex (01206 873087)
Links: Working paper
Date: 2006-Dec
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on reforms of further education. It said that the reforms proposed in its White Paper would deliver a clearer, more coherent system.
Source: Further Education: Government Response to the Committee's Fourth Report, Fifth Special Report (Session 2005-06), HC 1712, House of Commons Education and Skills Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response | DfES press release | MPs report
Date: 2006-Nov
A survey found that 89 per cent of higher education institutions rated their progress in widening participation in the previous four years as strong or very strong.
Source: Widening Participation: A Review, Higher Education Funding Council for England (0117 931 7317)
Links: Report | HEFCE press release | DfES press release | UCU press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2006-Nov
The government published a Further Education and Training Bill. The Bill was designed to: streamline and restructure the Learning and Skills Council by removing local LSCs, and creating 9 Regional Councils; establish an effective intervention regime where provision was unsatisfactory or not improving by transferring the Secretary of State's powers of intervention to the LSC, including the new duty to direct the removal of principals and senior post holders; establish effective learner and employer consultation, by making sure the LSC and colleges took account of the needs and views of employers and learners; and secure choice and diversity by establishing a new duty on the LSC to create greater opportunities for learners and employers to exercise choice in type, place, and form of learning.
Source: Further Education and Training Bill [HL], Department for Education and Skills, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory Notes | DfES press release | Downing Street Briefing | UCU press release | ASCL press release | NUS press release | CBI press release | BCC press release | IOD press release | Age Concern press release | CPAG press release | Times report | FT report | BBC report (1) | BBC report (2) | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2) | Guardian report (3)
Date: 2006-Nov
A government agency published a strategy aimed at promoting greater engagement by higher education institutions with employers, and increased flexibility in provision to support lifelong learning.
Source: Engaging Employers with Higher Education, Higher Education Funding Council for England (0117 931 7317)
Links: Strategy | HEFCE press release | BBC report | Personnel Today report
Date: 2006-Nov
A report by a government agency examined progress in the further education sector in the year 2005-06.
Source: Delivering Learning and Skills: Progress Report 2006, Learning and Skills Council (0870 900 6800)
Links: Report | LSC press release
Date: 2006-Oct
A study found that the work required of higher education students in England varied greatly between both subjects and institutions.
Source: Bahram Bekhradnia, Carolyn Whitnall and Tom Sastry, The Academic Experience of Students in English Universities, Higher Education Policy Institute (01865 284450)
Links: Report | Summary | UCU press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Oct
The Learning and Skills Council launched its first national strategy for learners in further education with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, covering the period 2006-07 to 2009-10. The strategy included £35 million additional investment to improve provision by 2007-08.
Source: Learning for Living and Work: Improving education and training opportunities for people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, Learning and Skills Council (0870 900 6800)
Links: Strategy | LSC press release
Date: 2006-Oct
The government agency for the further education sector set out its operational priorities for 2007-08. It said that English for speakers of other languages would no longer attract automatic fee remission - meaning that adult asylum-seekers who were awaiting the outcome of applications to stay in the United Kingdom would not qualify for free English language training (or subsidized further education of any kind).
Source: Raising Our Game: Our annual statement of priorities, Learning and Skills Council (0870 900 6800)
Links: Report | LSC press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Oct
A new book examined the importance of research in determining the reputation and success of universities and academics. It provided an overview of changing policies on funding and evaluating university research, and analyzed how this affected the status and hierarchical positioning of universities.
Source: Lisa Lucas, The Research Game in Academic Life, Open University Press (01280 823388)
Links: Summary
Date: 2006-Oct
A discussion paper examined the impact of different kinds of employability skills initiative on graduate labour market performance. Structured work experience, and employer involvement in degree course design/ delivery, both had clear positive effects: but departmental involvement in explicit teaching and assessment of employability skills was not significantly related to labour market outcomes.
Source: Geoff Mason, Gareth Williams and Sue Cranmer, Employability Skills Initiatives in Higher Education: What effects do they have on graduate labour market outcomes?, Discussion Paper 280, National Institute for Economic and Social Research (020 7654 1901)
Links: Discussion paper
Date: 2006-Oct
Provisional figures showed that 389,505 applicants had been accepted on to United Kingdom full-time higher education courses starting in 2006 (the first year of tuition top-up fees), compared with 404,668 in 2005 and 375,530 in 2004. This equated to a fall of 3.7 per cent between 2006 and 2005, and a rise of 3.7 per cent between 2006 and 2004.
Source: Press release 18 October 2006, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (01242 544610)
Links: UCAS press release | UCU press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Oct
A report by a committee of MPs said that the government policy of concentrating further education investment in 'priority' areas was in fact leading to 'unacceptable declines' in opportunities to improve people's basic skills.
Source: Further Education, Fourth Report (Session 2005-06), HC 649, House of Commons Education and Skills Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | NIACE press release | IOD press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Sep
A report estimated the increase in the revenues and spending power of English universities in the period 2003-04 to 2010-11, and sought to establish the extent to which improvements might be possible in the quality of the provision that universities made. Universities would have about 1.5 billion more in income over the period: but the extra money would do little to improve the staff-to-student ratio.
Source: The Prosperity of English Universities: Income growth and the prospects for new investment, Higher Education Policy Institute (01865 284450)
Links: Report | Summary | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Sep
A report examined the views of students and teachers about the learning in further education colleges for students aged 14-16. The aim of the research was to gauge the capacity of teachers and their institutions to meet the needs of younger learners.
Source: Joe Harkin, Behaving Like Adults: Meeting the needs of younger learners in further education, Learning and Skills Network (020 7297 9000)
Links: Report | Case studies
Date: 2006-Sep
A report said that the government's drive to recruit more university students from disadvantaged backgrounds was failing because academic achievement was strongly linked to family background. The policy was not reaching those teenagers who might have left school at 16 with no qualifications and with no interest in higher education at all. A linked discussion paper examined the implications of the report for higher education policy and strategic management.
Source: Stephen Gorard et al., Review of Widening Participation Research: Addressing the barriers to participation in higher education, Higher Education Funding Council for England (0117 931 7317) | David Watson, How to Think About Widening Participation in UK Higher Education, Higher Education Funding Council for England
Links: Report | Discussion paper | HEA press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Sep
A report said that the returns to a university degree in Britain were still high by international standards, suggesting that there was, as yet, no oversupply of graduates. Basic skills also continued to have very high value in the labour market, indicating that the supply of skills continued to be lower than demand. But some of the new vocational qualifications had very low or minimal economic value.
Source: Romesh Vaitilingam, Human Resources, the Labour Market and Economic Performance, Manpower Human Resources Lab/Centre for Economic Performance/London School of Economics (020 7955 7285)
Links: Paper | LSE press release
Date: 2006-Sep
A report evaluated how effective learner support funds were in reaching and supporting the target groups in further education; and their effect on encouraging participation, retention, achievement, and progression. The majority of students felt that the financial support they had received had helped them to complete their course. Older students were particularly positive.
Source: Claire Tyers and Peter Bates, Learner Support Funds: Second Evaluation, Research Report RW78, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Aug
Improvements were recommended in the planning and funding of further education (post 16) for people with learning difficulties. But responses to a consultation expressed concern over proposals to stop funding by the Learning and Skills Council for the health and care elements of education packages.
Source: Through Inclusion to Excellence: An Analysis of the Responses, Learning and Skills Council (0870 900 6800)
Links: Report | LSC press release | Community Care report
Date: 2006-Aug
A report examined work-based learning in higher education, focusing on learning which accredited or extended the workplace skills and abilities of employees.
Source: Iain Nixon, Kevyn Smith, Rob Stafford and Steve Camm, Work-based Learning: Illuminating the higher education landscape, Higher Education Academy (01904 717500)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Aug
A report said that the number of graduates in the working population in Wales had risen considerably over the previous decade. There continued to be a graduate 'premium', with graduates in Wales earning on average around 46 per cent more per year than individuals with lower qualifications.
Source: Claire Tyers, Helen Connor, Peter Bates, Emma Pollard and Will Hunt, Welsh Graduates and their Jobs: Employment and employability in Wales, Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (029 2076 1861)
Date: 2006-Aug
A report said that 28.2 per cent of first-year degree students starting courses in 2004-05 came from lower socio-economic groups, a fall from 28.6 per cent the previous year. The proportion of teenagers who went to university from state schools or colleges also fell slightly - from 86.8 per cent in 2003-04 to 86.7 per cent in 2004-05.
Source: Performance Indicators in Higher Education in the UK 2004/05, Higher Education Statistics Agency (01242 255577)
Links: Report | HESA press release | UUK press release | ISC press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2006-Jul
There was a 3.5 per cent (17,184) decrease in the number of students applying by 30 June to United Kingdom higher education courses starting in autumn 2006, with 469,731 individuals applying compared with 486,915 at the same point last year. Men accounted for fewer than 45 per cent of those applying to higher education.
Source: Press release 20 July 2006, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (01242 544610)
Links: UCAS press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jul
A paper said that the under-representation in higher-status higher education institutions of those from less advantaged social class and ethnic origins was, to a very large degree, the result of corresponding inequalities in admissions chances - much of which was not accounted for by class and ethnic differences in candidate merit .
Source: Vikki Boliver, Social Inequalities of Access to Higher Status Universities in the UK: The role of university admissions decisions, Working Paper 2006-07, Department of Sociology/University of Oxford (01865 86170)
Links: Paper
Date: 2006-Jul
A report provided an overview of the tertiary (further and higher) education sector in the United Kingdom.
Source: Tony Clark, OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education Country Report: United Kingdom, Research Report 767, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jun
Consultation began on a new improvement strategy to drive up standards and performance in further education. The plans included a network of advisers to support colleges and training providers, new tools to help FE institutions to assess their own performance, and professional development programmes for managers and staff working in FE.
Source: Pursuing Excellence: An outline improvement strategy for consultation, Quality Improvement Agency (0870 2113 434)
Links: Consultation document | QIA press release | DfES press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jun
Employers said that the Learning and Skills Council was failing to diversify further education providers, to improve sub-standard courses, and to engage with employers to establish their needs.
Source: Further Skills for Success: Competition delivers for learners, Confederation of British Industry (020 7395 8247)
Links: Report | CBI press release | TUC press release | Personnel Today report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jun
The government began consultation on a new system to replace the 'research assessment exercise' (RAE) after 2008. It said that the 2008 RAE should proceed as planned, but the panels responsible for assessing individual subjects should be able to make greater use of metrics - statistical analysis - alongside or instead of peer review where they thought this was appropriate. A "shadow" metrics exercise covering all subjects should be run in parallel with the RAE.
Source: Reform of Higher Education Research Assessment and Funding, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Consultation document | DfES press release | Hansard | HEFCE press release | BBC report | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2) | Guardian report (3)
Date: 2006-Jun
A report examined the perceptions and experiences of learners in further education and sixth-form colleges who had applied for learner support funding and had either been refused or awarded financial help from one or more strands of learner support funding.
Source: Darshan Sachdev, Patricia Apenteng, Bethan Harries and Lynn Macqueen, Learners Perceptions of Learner Support Funding, Learning and Skills Network (020 7297 9000)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jun
An independent review (chaired by Heather Graham) made recommendations designed to improve support for part-time higher education in Wales.
Source: Independent Review of Part-Time Higher Education Study in Wales, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 5111)
Links: Report | Summary | PSI press release
Date: 2006-Jun
An article examined the links between psychological well-being, satisfaction with academic performance and social integration, and students' term-time and vacation employment.
Source: Adelina Broadbridge and Vivien Swanson, 'Managing two roles', Community, Work & Family, Volume 9 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-May
Government departments and public agencies signed a concordat designed to cut the burden on universities of inspections and demands for information.
Source: Higher Education Concordat: On quality assurance arrangements and data collection, Higher Education Regulation Review Group (020 7925 6814)
Links: Concordat | QAA press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-May
A survey found that three-quarters of a sample of further education providers said that fees had not reduced their enrolments: but enrolments in adult and community learning had proved more sensitive to fee rises.
Source: Adrian Perry and Mick Fletcher, The Impact of New Fee Policies in Further Education, Learning and Skills Network (020 7297 9000)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-May
A report examined the views of school pupils in Northern Ireland on progressing towards further and higher education. Catholics were far more likely than Protestants to see securing educational qualifications as the route to securing a job, and a job with good prospects. There was a common view that the educational maintenance allowance was too small to make a difference in the decision to stay on after 16. New student finance arrangements from 2007-08 could make Northern Ireland s two universities more middle-class, by attracting more students from well-off Protestant backgrounds.
Source: Bob Osborne and Alayne Smith with Amanda Hayes, Higher Education in Northern Ireland: A report on factors associated with participation and migration, Northern Ireland Executive (028 9052 0500)
Links: Report | UU press release
Date: 2006-May
A report said that universities generated an additional ?25.6 billion of economic benefits as a result of their expenditure.
Source: Ursula Kelly, Donald McLellan and Iain McNicoll, The Economic Impact of United Kingdom Higher Education Institutions, Universities UK (020 7419 5435)
Links: Report | UUK press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-May
A think-tank report said that the introduction of private payment in higher education was not only necessary, but desirable ? a conclusion supported (it said) by practical experience both in the United Kingdom and abroad.
Source: Julian Astle, Open Universities: A funding strategy for higher education, CentreForum (020 7340 1160)
Links: Summary
Date: 2006-May
The higher education funding body published a strategy for the development of higher education in England in the period 2006-2011.
Source: Strategic Plan 2006-11, Higher Education Funding Council for England (0117 931 7317)
Links: Strategy | HEFCE press release
Date: 2006-Apr
By the end of March 2006 424,560 students had applied to start studying at an English university in the autumn of 2006, compared with 438,624 at the same point the previous year - a fall of 3.2 per cent.
Source: Press release 27 April 2006, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (01242 544610)
Links: UCAS press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Apr
An article said that the policy in England (and the United States) of charging higher education students for tuition was being pursued incrementally, without an adequate conceptual model for long-term funding of universities and the possible impact on students and academic programmes.
Source: 'Higher education and the spectre of variable fees: public policy and institutional responses in the United States and the United Kingdom', Higher Education Management and Policy, Volume 18 Number 1, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (+33 1 4524 8200)
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Apr
Statistics were published on initial higher education participation rates for English-domiciled people aged 17-30. The 2004-05 provisional figure was 42 per cent, no change from the final figure of 42 per cent for 2003-04, and down from 43 per cent in 2002-03.
Source: Participation Rates in Higher Education: Academic Years 1999/2000 - 2004/2005 (Provisional), Statistical First Release 14/2006, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR
Date: 2006-Apr
A new national agency - the Quality Improvement Agency for Lifelong Learning (QIA) - was set up with effect from 3 April 2006 to support education and training organizations, such as further education colleges, to improve the quality of their provision.
Source: Press release 5 April 2006, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: DfES press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Apr
A think-tank report said that the number of young people available to go into higher education in England would decline sharply in the period to 2020: but the fall would be mainly in the social groups least likely to go to university.
Source: Bahram Bekhradnia, Demand for Higher Education to 2020, Higher Education Policy Institute (01865 284450)
Links: Report | BBC report
Date: 2006-Mar
An article questioned whether the drive to expand access to higher education would necessarily benefit both individuals and their wider communities.
Source: Michael Watts and David Bridges, 'The value of non-participation in higher education', Journal of Education Policy, Volume 21 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Mar
Data were published on the standards of living, debt, savings, and spending of students in England and Wales. The average debt of those graduating in 2005 was 7,918. Students total average expenditure rose by 44 per cent in real terms between 1998-99 and 2004-05.
Source: Steven Finch et al., Student Income and Expenditure Survey 2004/05, Research Report 725, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report | Brief | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Mar
The government published a White Paper on further education. It said the aims were to drive up the quality of teaching, reward colleges for success, and make the sector more responsive to the skills needs of individuals and employers. There would be free education for those aged 19-25 studying for their first level 3 qualification (two A Levels or equivalent); new adult learning grants to help students with living costs; a new, tougher, approach to tackling poor quality; and trials of a new individual learner accounts programme at level 3. Government subsidies for leisure and recreation courses would be reduced.
Source: Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances, Cm 6768, Department for Education and Skills, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: White Paper | DfES press release | TUC press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Mar
A report by a government agency said that the proportion of young people in higher education stood at 42.5 per cent in 2006, and was predicted to rise to 43 per cent in 2007: but the rate of growth would not be enough to ensure a rise to 50 per cent by 2010 (the government's target).
Source: Recurrent Grants for 2006-07, Higher Education Funding Council for England (0117 931 7317)
Links: Report | HEFCE press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Mar
An article examined attempts to widen access to higher education by applicants from under-represented socio-economic groups and educational backgrounds. Some key approaches were described and discussed in the light of the concept of affirmative action. The article also examined the legal support for widening participation.
Source: Lois Bibbings, 'Widening participation and higher education', Journal of Law and Society, Volume 33 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Mar
The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced (in the 2006 Budget statement) that a working group would be created to examine a 'metrics-based' system to replace the research assessment exercise (RAE) from 2008.
Source: Budget 2006: A strong and strengthening economy - Investing in Britain s future, Cm 968, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | HMT press release | DfES press release | HEFCE press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Mar
A think-tank report said that some leading English universities would face serious financial problems if the downturn in the number of foreign students coming to study in the United Kingdom continued.
Source: How Exposed are English Universities to Reductions in Demand from International Students?, Higher Education Policy Institute (01865 284450)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Mar
There was a 3.4 per cent (12,941) decrease in the number of students applying by the closing date to higher education courses starting in autumn 2006. But the total figure of 371,683 represented an increase of 5.2 per cent when compared to the 2004 cycle closing date.
Source: Press release 16 February 2006, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (01242 544610)
Links: UCAS press release | OFFA press release | UUK press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Feb
A report by a committee of MPs said that, with 500 organizations involved in the planning and delivery of further education, there was significant risk of duplication and wasted effort from overlapping roles. Further education colleges were routinely subject to four different types of audit and inspection.
Source: Securing Strategic Leadership in the Learning and Skills Sector, Twenty-fifth Report, (Session 2005-06), HC 602, House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Feb
A study found that young people had a poor awareness of the flexible learning modes available in higher education.
Source: SQW Ltd and Taylor Nelson Sofres, Demand for Flexible and Innovative Types of Higher Education, Higher Education Funding Council for England (0117 931 7317)
Links: Report | HEFCE press release
Date: 2006-Feb
A paper said that all publicly funded universities had a civic duty to engage with wider society at local, national, and global level, and to do so in a manner that linked the social to the economic spheres.
Source: John Goddard, Re-Inventing the Civic University, National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (020 7438 2500)
Links: Paper | UWE press release
Date: 2006-Jan
The government published the report of a review of arrangements for the delivery of financial support to higher education students, and its collection from borrowers, in England.
Source: Improving the Student Finance Service: Report of the Review of Higher Education Student Finance Delivery in England, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report | Annex | Hansard
Date: 2006-Jan
A report examined the state of quality and standards in the English higher education sector. Although there was no systemic failure, there were 'clear areas for improvement'.
Source: Report of the Sub-Committee for Teaching, Quality, and the Student Experience, Higher Education Funding Council for England (0117 931 7317)
Links: Report | HEFCE response | UUK press release | 1994 Group press release | GuildHE press release | UCU press release | Telegraph report | BBC report | Times Higher Education report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jan
A study found that the 'Aimhigher' initiative appeared to be associated with a positive impact on progression to higher education for some young people, particularly those from more disadvantaged groups.
Source: Marian Morris and Simon Rutt with Palak Mehta, The Longer Term Impact of Aimhigher: Tracking Individuals, Higher Education Funding Council for England (0117 931 7317)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jan
A paper said that universities should be allowed to charge tuition fees of up to £7, 125 per annum (instead of £3, 125 currently), with students taking out private loans to cover the extra costs. Institutions that wished to charge supplementary fees would be barred from excluding any applicant on the basis of ability to pay.
Source: Richard Brown, Invest for Greatness in Higher Education: Some Funding Ideas, Institute of Education/University of London (020 7612 6050)
Links: Paper | Times Higher Education report
Date: 2006-Jan
There was an overall rise of 7.4 per cent (27,825) in the number of applicants who were accepted on to higher education courses by universities and colleges in autumn 2005. A total of 405,369 applicants were accepted on to courses, compared to 377,544 in 2004.
Source: Press release 19 January 2006, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (01242 544610)
Links: UCAS press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jan
A report examined the impact of concentrations of students on local communities. It highlighted how local authorities, communities and higher education stakeholders were working together to integrate students into their local environment.
Source: Studentification : A guide to opportunities, challenges and practices, Universities UK (020 7419 5435)
Links: Report | UUK press release
Date: 2006-Jan
A report said that the higher education sector still faced significant challenges in creating equality for all staff and students, despite making some progress over the previous five years. The proportion of black and minority-ethnic students achieving first and upper-second class honours degrees had increased: but the attainment gap between BME and white students continued to widen. The proportion of professors and heads of department who were women had risen from 15.1 per cent to 18.7 per cent: but at that rate of change it could take another 33 years for men and women to be equally represented at this level.
Source: Equality in Higher Education: Statistical Report 2009, Equality Challenge Unit
Links: Report | ECU press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jan
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on standards and procedures in the university sector. It said that the committee had portrayed the sector in an unfairly negative light.
Source: Students and Universities: Government Response to the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee's Eleventh Report, Eighth Special Report (Session 2008-09), HC 991, House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response | MPs report | GuildHE press release | Times Higher Education report
Date: 2006-Jan
Researchers established baseline information for a two-part study aimed at investigating the effects of the variable fee reforms on policies, behaviour, and planning of higher education institutions.
Source: Paul Temple, John Farrant and Michael Shattock, New Variable Fee Arrangements: Baseline institutional studies for the Independent Commission, Research Report RW55, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jan
A paper examined proposals for the design and conduct of the research excellence framework, which would replace the research assessment exercise. It expressed concern about aspects of the system for measuring the social and economic impact of research work.
Source: Bahram Bekhradnia, Proposals for the Research Excellence Framework: A critique, Higher Education Policy Institute (01865 284450)
Links: Report | HEPI press release | UCU press release | Times Higher Education report
Date: 2006-Jan
Provisional figures suggested that 477, 277 students had a place confirmed at a university or college in 2009, an increase of 25, 406 (5.6 per cent) on the same point in the previous year.
Source: Press release 21 October 2009, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (01242 544610)
Links: UCAS press release | DBIS press release | UCU press release | GuildHE press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jan
