The proportion of black British school leavers pursuing university education in England has experienced a decline for the first time in ten years just as the government seeks to reduce the courses available for students interested in higher education. Recent data from the Department for Education revealed that efforts aimed at recruiting more students from ethnic minorities and underprivileged groups, including white British pupils on free school meals, faltered or regressed, while the overall proportion of young individuals enrolling in universities continued to surge. Compared to other main ethnic groups whose university enrolment rate increased year-on-year by age 19, the rate of black British students fell in 2019 to 59%, from almost 60% in the previous year, marking the first reversal after ten years of growth. Additionally, only 5% of British students from black Caribbean families were admitted into "high tariff" universities, compared to over 10% of all students, indicating that certain groups are still struggling to access prestigious universities, despite the expansion in students taking place at these institutions. Graeme Atherton, the director of the university access charity Neon HE, blamed the reduction in black student enrolments on the Office for Students (OfS), which he suggests prioritised the attainment gap and student retention over increasing the number of black students in access and participation plans. As a result, universities could have reduced their funding towards working with school pupils, excepting high tariff institutions that have been pressured to admit more black students to comply with public discourse.
Furthermore, fewer disadvantaged white British male students on free school meals (FSM) enrolled in courses, marking the first dip in the proportion in seven years to only 12%. Disadvantaged white British boys and girls besides children from Gypsy, Traveller, or Irish Traveller communities remained the least likely group to progress into higher education. The “progression gap” between FSM and other school leavers was found to be increasing, with only 2% of black Caribbean and white British boys qualified for FSM being accepted into selective universities. Furthermore, while nearly half of those who did not receive FSM pursued higher education, just one in four on FSM went down this route, creating the largest gap in 12 years. These findings come at a time when the government intends to "rebalance" funding and students towards skills and vocational training and reduce "low-value" courses associated with poor rates of graduate employment. Michelle Donelan, the universities minister for England, previously stated that many British youths lacked the family history or sufficient returns on their university investment. However, Atherton fears that the government’s educational policies may result in fewer university attendees from poor backgrounds if it continues to show disregard for higher education. Therefore, the DfE has stressed that high-quality higher-education options must be given to those with the capacity, achievement, and interest to pursue such alternatives, ensuring that they can attain excellent graduate opportunities that would improve their lives.
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