Uni admissions to target 11 year olds
In an effort to widen access and recruit the brightest students, children as young as 11 will soon become targets for top universities. The move, reported by The Times, is designed to encourage more state school applications for top tier higher education institutions.
Once the scheme is implemented the tests taken during the final year of primary school will become crucial in identifying gifted pupils. However, the plan has already faced criticism from a wide range of government figures. On the eve of Tony Blair's Education Reform Bill, backbenchers are questioning the feasibility of such a scheme with worries that students that develop later intellectually will be ignored.
Universities which are anxious about not lowering standards are expected to support the move, which effectively makes the test into a university entrance exam. A list of gifted students will be coordinated by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, who plan to inform school headteachers of the top 5% school achievers.
Warwick University will act as a future medium for schools, with heads encouraged to register their names with the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth (NAGTY). Referring to the widening participation programme, Sir Cyril Taylor, Chairman of the Trust, said "What they [universities] don't want to be told is to lower their admission standards to meet some strange quota of comprehensive school intakes...but what is an outrage is that we have 20,000 very able children in comprehensives who don't get the three As at A level that they should do."
Cambridge University has already divided up areas in England according to their Colleges and are set to contact the NAGTY for the names of high performing children throughout the country.
Curious about whether Imperial was involved in the scheme, Felix spoke to the College Press Office, who said: "We have always been very clear that the criterion for admission to Imperial is academic ability and we would support measures that make it easier for admissions staff to identify the most able candidates, such as a full breakdown of A-level result data. Since the Government has not yet published details of the plan reported in The Times it is not possible for the College to respond."
The issue has also raised significant welfare concerns, with worries that this will create extra pressures on pupils in an already exam pressured environment. Sarah Khatib, ICU Deputy President (Education and Welfare), told Felix, "Children at age 11 are too young to be tested for university entrance; some pupils could develop their potential later than others and will therefore be disadvantaged by this test."
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