Million Plus

MillionPlus, the Association for Modern Universities, has today (9 September) responded to Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposal to lift the ban on grammar schools and her suggestion that universities that wish to charge fees above £6,000 will be compelled to establish a new school or sponsor an underperforming one as a condition of the access agreement that is agreed with the Director of the Office for Fair Access.

Pam Tatlow, Chief Executive of MillionPlus, said:

“We fully support the Prime Minister’s ambitions to improve social mobility, but the road map she has outlined today needs to be subject to full scrutiny.

“Modern universities have an excellent track record in working with schools and are agents of social mobility in their own right. Universities already work with academies and university technical colleges, and it is wrong to suggest that universities give nothing back.

“Given that access agreements for 2017-18 have just been announced and the majority of universities have achieved TEF1 and can set fees up to £9,250 per annum, the timing of this announcement raises major questions about the future direction of travel. It is also likely that students and graduates will have a number of questions about these proposals as they will effectively be asked to pay higher fees in order to support the school sector”

ENDS

Notes to editors
1. MillionPlus is the Association for Modern Universities. More information can be found at www.millionplus.ac.uk
2. Modern universities: key facts
3. This release comes in response to the package of education reforms announced today
4. For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact Dan Blows on 020 7717 1658 or email press@millionplus.ac.uk