Latest news with #JoSaxton
Powys County Times
8 hours ago
- General
- Powys County Times
Students will want universities to ‘understand context' over grades
School and college leavers will want universities to 'respect and understand' that they faced a 'significant' programme to deflate their GCSE grades following Covid-19, the Ucas chief has said. Jo Saxton, chief executive of the university admissions service, suggested that fewer students who are receiving their post-16 qualification results this summer met the entry requirements for A-level courses two years ago when grading was returned to pre-pandemic levels in England. Dr Saxton, who was chief regulator of England's exams regulator Ofqual from 2021 until 2023, has suggested that there could be 'higher' attainment across this year's A-level cohort as a result. Her comments come as students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive their A-level and Level 3 BTec results on Thursday, with many finding out if they have secured a university place. Last year, more than a quarter (27.8%) of UK A-level entries were awarded an A or A* grade, up from 27.2% in 2023. It was the highest proportion of entries scoring top grades outside the pandemic-affected years of 2020-22. In 2019 – the last year that summer exams were taken before the pandemic – 25.4% of entries were awarded A or A* grades. The Covid-19 pandemic led to an increase in top A-level and GCSE grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams. Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, has suggested that a higher percentage of UK A-level entries awarded top grades – compared with before the pandemic – could become the 'new normal' this summer. During a webinar hosted by the Higher Education Policy Institute think tank, Dr Saxton said: 'This cohort are the first to sit their Level 3 qualifications where they had the pre-pandemic standard reinstated on their GCSEs. 'I think that's just such an important backdrop for this whole cycle, just remembering this is that cohort, that there was a significant national programme to deflate their grades.' Dr Saxton, who was in charge at Ofqual when A-level and GCSE exams were reinstated in England following the pandemic, said she 'lost a lot of sleep' over the action to tackle grade inflation. But she suggested that teenagers told her that they wanted their exams back and they wanted their results to 'carry value'. Dr Saxton said: 'I think they will really be looking to those universities to respect and understand the context in which they've come through.' She said the return to pre-pandemic grading in 2023 meant 'fewer students than in recent years actually met the entry criteria that most schools and colleges would set for progression into A-level subjects'. Provisional exam entries data for England shows that A-level entries decreased by 0.4% from 825,355 last summer to 821,875 this summer, despite a 3.8% increase in the size of the 18-year-old population. Speaking just a few days before students receive their exam results, Dr Saxton added: 'It probably means that there's fractionally higher prior attainment across the cohort. This is me speculating as a former chief regulator.' Dr Saxton said clearing is no longer perceived as a 'bargain basement' for those who are not successful on A-level results day. Clearing is available to students who do not meet the conditions of their offer on A-level results day, as well as those who did not receive any offers. But prospective students who have changed their mind about what or where they wish to study, and also those who have applied outside the normal application window, can also use clearing. On Tuesday, the Ucas chief said: 'Clearing maybe was perceived as a bargain basement – it was for the people who had been unsuccessful. 'But that is definitely not how current applicants perceive it. 'For current applicants it's the mechanism by which they change their mind.' Nearly 22,700 courses with vacancies for undergraduate students living in England were available on the Ucas clearing site as of Wednesday last week – eight days before results day, a PA news agency analysis showed. A sample of 129 of the UK's largest higher education providers showed 17 of the 24 elite Russell Group universities had more than 3,600 courses with vacancies for English residents on clearing. Dr Saxton added: 'It is about students trusting their instincts and going back to their curated playlists, the favourites that they researched, that they've probably visited. 'They're not blindfolded throwing a dart at a dartboard.' Earlier this week, the Education Secretary said 'far too many young' white working-class British students do not get the exam results that they need to allow them to continue on to university. Bridget Phillipson told PA that the Post-16 White Paper and the Schools White Paper, which are both due in the autumn, will focus on turning around these 'thorny and generational challenges'. Dr Saxton said she would like the Government to look at regional disparities in access to and participation in higher education – such as the 'London advantage'. She said: 'More people in all parts of the country should get to benefit from higher education.'
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Clearing no longer 'bargain basement for the unsuccessful' as savvy students use it to 'trade up' uni courses
University Clearing is no longer a 'bargain basement for the unsuccessful' amid an explosion of top courses on offer, the head of Ucas has said. Dr Jo Saxton said sixth formers entering Clearing on A-level results day was the 'new normal', with much of the old 'stigma' removed. The admissions chief also said this year's students could be better-achieving than previous years – opening up the possibility of even higher grades. And in a wide-ranging interview, she also urged the Government to encourage university entry for students from disadvantaged regional areas. Dr Saxton was speaking ahead of hundreds of thousands of 18-year-olds receiving their A-level grades on Thursday. Those who miss their grades and get rejected from their chosen universities can enter Clearing, which matches unplaced students with unfilled places. Asked if there was still a 'stigma' to Clearing, she said: 'There is a new normal.' 'Clearing maybe was perceived as a bargain basement – it was for the people who had been unsuccessful. 'But that is definitely not how current applicants perceive it.' She pointed out that because so many top courses are now entering Clearing, many students even use it to 'trade up' from their existing place. 'For current applicants, it's [often] the mechanism by which they change their mind,' she said. Around 26,000 courses are currently on offer in Clearing, with most of the top universities of the Russell Group listing places available. Dr Saxton said students are becoming savvier, by pre-researching alternative courses before results day. 'They're not blindfolded throwing a dart at a dartboard,' she added. It comes after experts predicted at the weekend results may remain higher than before the pandemic. Asked if there would be grade inflation this year, Dr Saxton suggested any rise in grades may be down to the cohort being cleverer. This is because they were the first cohort since the pandemic to have their GCSE grades returned to the old harder standards – meaning more people at the lower end may have been put off from doing A-levels. 'The practical consequences of that is that it did mean that fewer students than in recent years actually met the entry criteria that most schools and colleges would set for progression into A-level subjects,' she said. 'It probably means there's fractionally higher prior attainment across the cohort.' Dr Saxton was speaking at an event run by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi), about her views as the head of the UK's official admissions body. Asked about her 'hopes and fears' for the Government's up-coming plans for universities, due to be published in the autumn, she said she wants to see more action on students from disadvantaged areas. She said: 'We're definitely thinking about it and have been involved in some of the conversations. 'In terms of what I hope for, I'd really like to see more about access and participation plans, particularly from a regional angle – that regional disparity. That London advantage. 'More people in all parts of the country should get to benefit from higher education.' Last year, 27.8 per cent of pupils got A or A* grades – a record outside of the pandemic – and a record number also got accepted onto courses.
Times
9 hours ago
- General
- Times
Schools give pupils lessons in phone calls to prepare for clearing
Teenagers are being taught how to make phone calls and manage the anxiety of speaking to university admissions officers before clearing. Despite many appearing to be addicted to their devices, pupils are not used to having phone conversations. Most use their phones to send texts or voice notes instead. Ucas wants teenagers who have narrowly missed a university place to have automatic offers that they can accept or decline without having to negotiate by phone. However, such a system will take several years to implement and in the meantime schools are teaching teenagers how to use the phone for conversations in a professional setting. Jo Saxton, chief executive of Ucas, said she was aware of several schools doing this. Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar School in Lancashire is one of them. It is running an enrichment programme on Wednesday afternoons to help sixth-formers learn life skills. Teenagers expressed dread and anxiety about ringing university admissions teams so the school developed the bespoke scheme which runs weekly for six months. It covers mock university interviews and workshops on how to email and phone university departments. James Johnstone, the head teacher, said: 'They have phenomenal digital literacy but their interpersonal skills are less developed. We see a reluctance to engage readily in dialogue. 'With phones they don't necessarily have the confidence to have professional conversations. They've never spoken to utility companies and been on hold for 60 minutes. 'It might sound basic to adults but, for them, skills were lacking. We teach how to speak professionally, how do you introduce yourself and set out the purpose of it. The importance of listening during phone calls, jotting down notes; it's quite a high-stakes time for young people, meeting the entry requirements for their initial choices. 'We work in how to manage that anxiety, in terms of breathing, jotting down scripts in advance, what types of questions they want to ask such as, 'Is the course available and what are the entry requirements; when do I need to decide by?' Then how to wrap up a professional conversation, such as phrases like 'thank you for your help today', and clarifying the next steps.' • Best universities in the UK: the Sunday Times league table revealed Pupils tried role-playing conversations in pairs and some initially froze. They were given practical advice, then moved to mock calls between staff and students. They built up to calling the school office then a customer service number, such as a bank's. The workshops also cover budgeting, managing student loans, cooking healthy meals on a budget, time management, reading utility bills, tenant rights and agreements, and dealing with setbacks. Pupils are said to be communicating more professionally, using less slang and thinking about their digital footprint and LinkedIn profiles. Children below sixth-form are not allowed phones during the school day but Johnstone said: 'You go to the buses at the end of the school day and the first thing they're doing is just heads in screens.' Phone calls to Ucas have fallen by a third since 2019. Saxton told The Times that school workshops were teaching the basics of making a professional or business phone call, such as saying hello and knowing that you will need your Ucas identifying number. 'Because they don't usually make phone calls, they're not used to the same sort of etiquette and protocols of greeting and signing off, and making sure they've got the right research and information in front of them,' she said. 'Quite often students who ring Ucas have to phone us back because they didn't realise they needed their identifying number. It's helping them get their ducks in a row.' At one school, Saxton saw a workshop in which the concept of being placed on hold was explained to pupils — that it does not mean something has gone wrong or there is a problem. She said: 'I'd love to get to a place where students could wake up on results day, not only finding out their results, but if they haven't met the terms of their firm or insurance offer, that there is an email that says 'We know these are the three other institutions you applied to. They would love to have you to do this. If you'd like to accept that press here'. That's the vision.' At a conference this year, Saxton said: 'Clearing works on phones and schools are now running little clinics to increase the confidence that students have in how to make a phone call. 'That is how difficult teenagers these days can find how to make a phone call. So clearing needs to become increasingly digital. Of course we'll make sure that we keep humans and human experts in the room. We are beginning a conversation with the sector about ways we can reform clearing so that it actually better meets everybody's needs.'
Rhyl Journal
9 hours ago
- General
- Rhyl Journal
Students will want universities to ‘understand context' over grades
Jo Saxton, chief executive of the university admissions service, suggested that fewer students who are receiving their post-16 qualification results this summer met the entry requirements for A-level courses two years ago when grading was returned to pre-pandemic levels in England. Dr Saxton, who was chief regulator of England's exams regulator Ofqual from 2021 until 2023, has suggested that there could be 'higher' attainment across this year's A-level cohort as a result. Her comments come as students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive their A-level and Level 3 BTec results on Thursday, with many finding out if they have secured a university place. Last year, more than a quarter (27.8%) of UK A-level entries were awarded an A or A* grade, up from 27.2% in 2023. It was the highest proportion of entries scoring top grades outside the pandemic-affected years of 2020-22. In 2019 – the last year that summer exams were taken before the pandemic – 25.4% of entries were awarded A or A* grades. The Covid-19 pandemic led to an increase in top A-level and GCSE grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams. Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, has suggested that a higher percentage of UK A-level entries awarded top grades – compared with before the pandemic – could become the 'new normal' this summer. During a webinar hosted by the Higher Education Policy Institute think tank, Dr Saxton said: 'This cohort are the first to sit their Level 3 qualifications where they had the pre-pandemic standard reinstated on their GCSEs. 'I think that's just such an important backdrop for this whole cycle, just remembering this is that cohort, that there was a significant national programme to deflate their grades.' Dr Saxton, who was in charge at Ofqual when A-level and GCSE exams were reinstated in England following the pandemic, said she 'lost a lot of sleep' over the action to tackle grade inflation. But she suggested that teenagers told her that they wanted their exams back and they wanted their results to 'carry value'. Dr Saxton said: 'I think they will really be looking to those universities to respect and understand the context in which they've come through.' She said the return to pre-pandemic grading in 2023 meant 'fewer students than in recent years actually met the entry criteria that most schools and colleges would set for progression into A-level subjects'. Provisional exam entries data for England shows that A-level entries decreased by 0.4% from 825,355 last summer to 821,875 this summer, despite a 3.8% increase in the size of the 18-year-old population. Speaking just a few days before students receive their exam results, Dr Saxton added: 'It probably means that there's fractionally higher prior attainment across the cohort. This is me speculating as a former chief regulator.' Dr Saxton said clearing is no longer perceived as a 'bargain basement' for those who are not successful on A-level results day. Clearing is available to students who do not meet the conditions of their offer on A-level results day, as well as those who did not receive any offers. But prospective students who have changed their mind about what or where they wish to study, and also those who have applied outside the normal application window, can also use clearing. On Tuesday, the Ucas chief said: 'Clearing maybe was perceived as a bargain basement – it was for the people who had been unsuccessful. 'But that is definitely not how current applicants perceive it. 'For current applicants it's the mechanism by which they change their mind.' Nearly 22,700 courses with vacancies for undergraduate students living in England were available on the Ucas clearing site as of Wednesday last week – eight days before results day, a PA news agency analysis showed. A sample of 129 of the UK's largest higher education providers showed 17 of the 24 elite Russell Group universities had more than 3,600 courses with vacancies for English residents on clearing. Dr Saxton added: 'It is about students trusting their instincts and going back to their curated playlists, the favourites that they researched, that they've probably visited. 'They're not blindfolded throwing a dart at a dartboard.' Earlier this week, the Education Secretary said 'far too many young' white working-class British students do not get the exam results that they need to allow them to continue on to university. Bridget Phillipson told PA that the Post-16 White Paper and the Schools White Paper, which are both due in the autumn, will focus on turning around these 'thorny and generational challenges'. Dr Saxton said she would like the Government to look at regional disparities in access to and participation in higher education – such as the 'London advantage'. She said: 'More people in all parts of the country should get to benefit from higher education.'
Glasgow Times
9 hours ago
- General
- Glasgow Times
Students will want universities to ‘understand context' over grades
Jo Saxton, chief executive of the university admissions service, suggested that fewer students who are receiving their post-16 qualification results this summer met the entry requirements for A-level courses two years ago when grading was returned to pre-pandemic levels in England. Dr Saxton, who was chief regulator of England's exams regulator Ofqual from 2021 until 2023, has suggested that there could be 'higher' attainment across this year's A-level cohort as a result. Her comments come as students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive their A-level and Level 3 BTec results on Thursday, with many finding out if they have secured a university place. Last year, more than a quarter (27.8%) of UK A-level entries were awarded an A or A* grade, up from 27.2% in 2023. It was the highest proportion of entries scoring top grades outside the pandemic-affected years of 2020-22. In 2019 – the last year that summer exams were taken before the pandemic – 25.4% of entries were awarded A or A* grades. The Covid-19 pandemic led to an increase in top A-level and GCSE grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams. Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, has suggested that a higher percentage of UK A-level entries awarded top grades – compared with before the pandemic – could become the 'new normal' this summer. During a webinar hosted by the Higher Education Policy Institute think tank, Dr Saxton said: 'This cohort are the first to sit their Level 3 qualifications where they had the pre-pandemic standard reinstated on their GCSEs. 'I think that's just such an important backdrop for this whole cycle, just remembering this is that cohort, that there was a significant national programme to deflate their grades.' Dr Saxton, who was in charge at Ofqual when A-level and GCSE exams were reinstated in England following the pandemic, said she 'lost a lot of sleep' over the action to tackle grade inflation. But she suggested that teenagers told her that they wanted their exams back and they wanted their results to 'carry value'. Dr Saxton said: 'I think they will really be looking to those universities to respect and understand the context in which they've come through.' She said the return to pre-pandemic grading in 2023 meant 'fewer students than in recent years actually met the entry criteria that most schools and colleges would set for progression into A-level subjects'. Provisional exam entries data for England shows that A-level entries decreased by 0.4% from 825,355 last summer to 821,875 this summer, despite a 3.8% increase in the size of the 18-year-old population. Speaking just a few days before students receive their exam results, Dr Saxton added: 'It probably means that there's fractionally higher prior attainment across the cohort. This is me speculating as a former chief regulator.' Dr Saxton said clearing is no longer perceived as a 'bargain basement' for those who are not successful on A-level results day. Clearing is available to students who do not meet the conditions of their offer on A-level results day, as well as those who did not receive any offers. But prospective students who have changed their mind about what or where they wish to study, and also those who have applied outside the normal application window, can also use clearing. On Tuesday, the Ucas chief said: 'Clearing maybe was perceived as a bargain basement – it was for the people who had been unsuccessful. 'But that is definitely not how current applicants perceive it. 'For current applicants it's the mechanism by which they change their mind.' Nearly 22,700 courses with vacancies for undergraduate students living in England were available on the Ucas clearing site as of Wednesday last week – eight days before results day, a PA news agency analysis showed. A sample of 129 of the UK's largest higher education providers showed 17 of the 24 elite Russell Group universities had more than 3,600 courses with vacancies for English residents on clearing. Dr Saxton added: 'It is about students trusting their instincts and going back to their curated playlists, the favourites that they researched, that they've probably visited. 'They're not blindfolded throwing a dart at a dartboard.' Earlier this week, the Education Secretary said 'far too many young' white working-class British students do not get the exam results that they need to allow them to continue on to university. Bridget Phillipson told PA that the Post-16 White Paper and the Schools White Paper, which are both due in the autumn, will focus on turning around these 'thorny and generational challenges'. Dr Saxton said she would like the Government to look at regional disparities in access to and participation in higher education – such as the 'London advantage'. She said: 'More people in all parts of the country should get to benefit from higher education.'
