Commission on Widening Access (Response)

– in the Scottish Parliament at on 17 March 2016.

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Photo of Liam McArthur Liam McArthur Liberal Democrat

3. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the final report of the commission on widening access. (S4F-03307)

Photo of Nicola Sturgeon Nicola Sturgeon Scottish National Party

I warmly welcome the report from the commission on widening access, which was published on Monday. Let me take the opportunity to thank Dame Ruth Silver, the chair of the commission, and all the commission members for the very good work that they have done.

I have repeatedly made clear my personal commitment and ambition—indeed, the commitment and ambition of this Government—that every young person, no matter their background, will have an equal chance of going to university, if that is what they choose to do. That is why we immediately accepted the commission’s recommended targets—to maintain the urgency and focus that are needed so that by 2030 students from the 20 per cent most deprived backgrounds should represent 20 per cent of entrants to higher education. We will now consider the other findings and recommendations carefully. If we are re-elected, we will bring forward a full response very early in the next session of Parliament.

Photo of Liam McArthur Liam McArthur Liberal Democrat

Widening access must be tackled right from the start of schooling. Having seemingly abandoned the area-based approach to raising attainment in schools, which ignored the needs of too many children in too many parts of the country, will the First Minister now accept that our idea of a pupil premium is the best approach for the whole of Scotland?

Given how important colleges are as a gateway to learning, and having rejected our penny for education proposal, how will the First Minister prevent her damaging cuts to council education budgets and colleges from undermining efforts to meet her new university targets?

The First Minister:

First, Liam McArthur is right to say that dealing with the issue of access to university does not just require the efforts and inputs of universities; it requires all of us, right across the system, to play a part. That is why the commission was right to call it a “whole system problem” that needs a whole-system solution.

As for the rest of Liam McArthur’s question, we have not abandoned anything. Our attainment fund, which was doubled by the Deputy First Minister in the budget, will continue to provide dedicated support to primary schools in our most deprived communities. It is already providing support to more than 300 primary schools across the country. In addition, we will extend the reach of our attainment fund, using the £100 million that is going to be raised every year through reforms that we have announced to local taxation. That money will be allocated to schools on the basis of eligibility for free school meals. It will go directly to schools—directly to headteachers—on the basis of greatest need. Taking together what the Deputy First Minister announced in the budget and what I announced at the weekend, if we are re-elected, over the life of the next Parliament there will be an additional three quarters of a billion pounds spent specifically on attainment in our schools.

Photo of Iain Gray Iain Gray Labour

One of the commission’s recommendations was that care-experienced young people who find their way to university should be supported by a full grant while they are there. That recommendation will certainly be part of Scottish Labour’s manifesto. Will the First Minister commit to it too?

The First Minister:

It is a good recommendation, and I will set out our response to it over the next few weeks of the election campaign. Actually, Iain Gray is not describing the recommendation as fully as he could have. It does not just talk about grants versus loans for students with care experience; It also says that where students with an experience of care meet minimum access requirements, they should be guaranteed a place at university. I think that those are sensible recommendations that can have an impact on our goal of making sure that there is equal access to university. We will consider them very carefully.

Photo of Elizabeth Smith Elizabeth Smith Conservative

One concern that the report expressed was that some schools do not have a sufficient number of teachers to be able to offer some highers and some advanced highers. What is the Scottish Government doing about that situation?

The First Minister:

Many suggestions have been made by many different people about how we make sure that, as part of ensuring equal access to university, all young people have access to the subjects when they are at school. One suggestion that I think has particular merit—not just because it helps ensure equal access but for other reasons as well—is schools working much more in clusters, so that when a particular subject might not be offered in one school, it can be accessed in another school.

The commission and others that have an interest are doing a lot of serious work. The output of all the work will certainly be reflected in my party’s manifesto. As I said, if we are re-elected, we will introduce a full and comprehensive response to the commission’s report early in the next session of Parliament.

Photo of Roderick Campbell Roderick Campbell Scottish National Party

One of the report’s recommendations is that those who compile key university rankings should

“ensure greater priority is given to socioeconomic diversity within the rankings” and that the institutions that take those actions should not be penalised. What is the Government’s view on that? How can we allay universities’ concerns about the ranking implications?

The First Minister:

I strongly agree with what the report says on that issue. It is essential that university rankings are not compiled in such a way that universities find themselves penalised for doing the right things to widen access to students from our more deprived areas.

Our world-class higher education system is—rightly—a source of great pride to us. Rankings are, understandably, important to institutions’ reputation and income. The report makes it clear that a strong and growing body of evidence suggests that socioeconomic diversity improves standards and the education experience of all students. Therefore, universities should be credited not penalised if they make their student body more diverse in that respect. That strong recommendation is backed by strong analysis. It will form part of our response to the report early in the next session of Parliament should we be re-elected.