Heartland

... please turn the lights off...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/201 ... t-students

"There would need to be arrangements to make sure any such system was fair"

Yes, I'm sure that it won't result in hundreds of toffee-nosed Ruperts being bought places at Oxbridge by their wealthy parents.

FFS

Sorry but this is typical Guardian spin.

The proposals would allow UK students to enrol in university of their choice as long as they pay vastly higher fees up front AND they meet the grades.

This means that if you're smart and happen to have rich parents, you can pay vastly inflated fees to secure a place. As a result, someone else, perhaps from a poorer background, can benefit from a place created by your vastly inflated fees. Now maybe that's unfair to. But I think the fact that you still have to get the grades changes the debate somewhat (most people seem to have missed this).

The detail has yet to worked out anyway.

Oh, of course you still have to get the grades.

If you believe that, I have a bridge that you might like to buy...

markfiend wrote: Yes, I'm sure that it won't result in hundreds of toffee-nosed Ruperts being bought places at Oxbridge by their wealthy parents.

FFS

Toffee-nosed Rupert probably has been to Eton and come out of it with qualifications enough to get to Oxbridge on merit. As have Ollie and Jocasta who's parents went fee-paying.
The only reason Oxbridge seem as stuffy as they are, despite having a shedload of Asian and Chinese kids there, is because the British state school system is so bloody abysmal. I understand our teenagers have the literacy standards of Slovenia and Estonia. So surely you'll always get the children of the rich there?
I can't quite see why getting people who make the grade AND are willing to fork out lots of money to get to our top universities is a bad thing. Or is this like the "not enough ethnics in Oxbridge" thing, that was proved to be just Cameron talking out of his bottom?

i never got to do an oxbridge application because there was no extra tutoring available and we certainly couldn't afford it privately. i came out joint top in my year A level scores and i have an S level as well. so i'll never know, and it's not my fault.

if they want a degree that badly, is cheaper to buy one off the internet.

It's moot now anyway, Call-Me-Dave has said that it was never government policy, we never said it was, who, us? No! You're imagining it! Ooh, look over there! (Runs away.)

DeWinter wrote:I can't quite see why getting people who make the grade AND are willing to fork out lots of money to get to our top universities is a bad thing. Or is this like the "not enough ethnics in Oxbridge" thing, that was proved to be just Cameron talking out of his bottom?

Because it would drift from "people who make the grade and are willing to pay" to "people who almost make the grade and are willing to pay a bit more".

It already happens. Or do you think that (for example) Prince Edward got into Jesus College, Cambridge on merit? With A-level grades of CDD?

markfiend wrote:It's moot now anyway, Call-Me-Dave has said that it was never government policy, we never said it was, who, us? No! You're imagining it! Ooh, look over there! (Runs away.)

Indeed, it's hard to find a policy that meets any significant opposition that Cameron ever admits to being in favour of. But I doubt it bothers him much, the man clearly believes in very little. Heir to Blair indeed!

markfiend wrote:It already happens. Or do you think that (for example) Prince Edward got into Jesus College, Cambridge on merit? With A-level grades of CDD?

Amusing thing is his coursework was probably done for him, as it was with William.
The best schools, the best private tutors, the best Universities in the world, and the best the Royals manage is a degree in History of Art. The average male Windsor must be as thick as a post.

I think it used to happen. I don't think it happens anymore. At least in the blatant 'Bertie Wooster' sort of way it used to. Of course, there are always going to be exceptions. I think this is mostly unavoidable. But society has certainly progressed - there's a definite of current of that's not on these days. More people have a voice of course...

So the question becomes would it have been worth it? Herein lies the messy world of poltiics...