Background could beat grades for universities

SNP makes bold move in bid to get pupils from deprived areas into higher education

Nicola Sturgeon has put herself on a collision course with Scotland’s universities over plans to widen access to higher education.

The SNP Holyrood election manifesto commits to having 20% of students from the 20% most deprived areas of Scotland by 2030.

Ms Sturgeon said: “I am very clear that we will set targets and will have milestone targets along the way.

“Some of them are about recognising the different experiences of pupils from the most disadvantaged backgrounds and making sure they are taken into account.

“Young people getting perhaps four or five Bs in their exams from a deprived background might be equivalent to a person from a wealthier background getting all As.

“So we’ve got to challenge our universities and some of that will be controversial along the way.”

St Andrews University demanded the First Minister be “open and honest” about the possibility her policy will limit the chances of Scots from other backgrounds.

A spokesman said: “If there are to be no new additional university places in Scotland and a fifth of all our existing places must be reserved for students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, it will mean simply that there will be fewer places for Scottish students who do not live in the country’s most deprived areas.”

Both Dundee and Abertay universities said they exceeded targets for recruiting students from poorer areas.

Lucy Hunter-Blackburn, formerly the Scottish Government’s most senior civil servant on higher education, said there were “good arguments” for the base of Ms Sturgeon’s case.

But she added: “It’s still not clear though whether or not the SNP thinks these students should be getting into university instead of some others.”

Pictures: PA. Above: Nicola Sturgeon signs copies of the SNP’s manifesto. Right: the SNP leader addressing the gathering as supporters hold up copies of the manifesto.