This analysis of the UK A level entries and outcomes is designed to get under the skin of trends for A level subjects and to challenge some of the findings of the JCQ, the body that releases the results data on behalf of the main A level awarding bodies. We repeat our call from last year for JCQ to release the data in readable files to aid analysis, and we urge them to learn the difference between ‘per cent’ and ‘percentage points’ – it makes a difference. More...

With the publication of, and ongoing fall-out from, the Augar Review of Post-18 Finance, it has become clear that there is a surprising degree of misunderstanding about various aspects of the HE market established in England over the previous decade and a half. My recently published book The marketisation of English Higher Education: a policy analysis of a risk-based system (McCaig 2018) looks in detail at how the market developed over a thirty-year period and – like a lot of us policy wonks – I have been involved in or engaged with various events and publications on how Augar fits into the current situation and the historical context. More...

When you work or study in the education system, it can be very difficult to gain a perspective on how the outputs of the system are viewed by those outside. Students are sold a simplified version of human capital theory to motivate them – work hard at school and university and you will be rewarded once you get into employment. Good grades are often portrayed as the gateway to decent work and a successful career. More...

Internationalism was a founding principle of Maastricht University in 1976 and we have the most international students (53 per cent) and staff (40 per cent) in the Netherlands. Although Maastricht recruits students worldwide, we are firmly grounded in Europe. I could fill every lecture hall bench with students from other continents but then I would be missing that European core. More...

This week students across the country will receive their A level results, finding out whether they have secured their place at university. Even if students haven’t quite made their grades, they are in a particularly strong position to negotiate with their chosen university, due to demographic changes. The number of 18 year olds in the English population is at one of the lowest levels in recent years, meaning universities are recruiting from a much smaller pool. More...

The Augar Review has provided much to consider; and one area on which it shines a gentle light is that of “Non-Prescribed” qualifications. For those who are unfamiliar, Non-Prescribed courses lead to qualifications, which, although at Levels 4 and 5, are not considered to be “higher education” and therefore sit outside of the higher education framework. More...