A strong set of A-level results should raise confidence in Britain’s future. These are difficult exams, and schools and colleges across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are rightly proud of their achievements. Top grades are up, especially in maths, which remains the most popular subject. A total of 262,820 18-year-olds have gained a place at university or college – 3% more than last year.
But the headline success masks some troubling trends. The humanities made up only a quarter of entries, while subject choices are becoming more specialised. Huge gender gaps are also striking: girls made up 79% of English A-level entries but just 19% in computing. In T-levels there has been an improvement, although their newness makes this year’s results harder to assess or compare. But the dropout rate remains higher than in the qualifications that T-levels are supposed to replace, while take-up remains low. Five years in, such ongoing issues cannot be dismissed as teething troubles.
More worrying still are the geographical disparities dividing economically disadvantaged parts of the north and Midlands from the wealthy south – and especially London. Young people in the capital are almost twice as likely to apply to university as those in north-east England – the widest gap on record. Educational opportunities are diverging in parallel with economic ones.
Nor are these inequalities only spatial. There may be relief in government that private schools did not take more of the top grades; the 46.8% of their pupils receiving an A* or A was only slightly up on last year. But the fact that just 13% of college learners achieved these marks should concern everyone who wants to see all young people reach their full potential. This is arguably made more concerning by the severe financial difficulties facing some universities. The stakes in admissions have always been high, and widening inequalities between institutions could lift them higher. A 2% rise in international students accepted on to undergraduate courses should ease the sense of crisis slightly.
So far, Andy Burnham’s statements on education have pointed to devolution as his preferred method of rebalancing the system, along with a renewed focus on vocational options including new GCSEs (or equivalents). But while more firmly embedding colleges within local economies is a good idea, giving mayors responsibility for sixth forms, along with the full range of post-16 options, would be a huge shift. It must not be rushed. Rather than reorganising existing budgets, ministers should work towards a boost to spending on disadvantaged 16-19s with a scheme modelled on the pupil premium.
Looking across the qualifications landscape, A-levels are a bright spot. For too many teenagers, GCSEs are an overly restrictive or demoralising ordeal. The ability to make choices at 16 about what to study is broadly welcomed. Sixth-form and college courses can be rewarding for teachers as well as pupils – as could be seen in the videos of staff on results day. These courses and exams are not perfect; greater breadth should be a medium-term aim. But if politicians want to do right by young people, there are two things they should do right away. One is to revise the unfair terms of student loans. The other is to address the financial crisis facing the universities where many of them will be enrolling in a few weeks’ time.
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