Oxford admissions should be based on the number of free school meals you have received.
Mr Clegg said the Prime Minister was “absolutely right” to make his point, and then broadened the attack.
“Here’s a fact: last year, only 40 – four zero — children who had been on free school meals — in other words from the more disadvantaged families in this country — got into either Oxford or Cambridge, and that was a lower number than the year before,” he said.
Yes Mr Clegg and Mr Cameron it is shocking but it’s always been thus. More so since you and your ilk all but abolished grammar schools in the 60s/70s. They were the one chance bright kids from poor families to get a decent education
Until the Labour party destroyed them, there was a system of direct grant grammar schools. These were fee paying, but the local education authority paid for about 30% of the places. Entrance was by competitive examination (perish the thought nowadays), and it was a way to a good education for disadvantaged children. I went to one in Manchester; my mother was a widow, and I wouldn’t have gone there without the support of the LEA. All our year went to university, and I did get to Oxford.
It was suggested to Tony Blair that this system be revived, mainly because it actually worked. He was dead set against it. All the trends in education since the ’60’s, when the then Labour government introduced comprehensive education, seem to have conspired against increasing social mobility. Since observing the system since that time, I’m left with the possible conclusions that it was deliberate, or most politicians are extremely stupid. Since the discovery of Chris Huhne, I’m tending towards the latter.
Perhaps it should be suggested to Michael Gove that he give it a try.
You haven’t tried our good old American idea of “set-asides”? That way you guarantee diversity no matter how crappy the schools are.
A bit rich coming from 2 rich kids who went to public school themselves, Eton + Westminster.