Why did you choose that degree? My teacher told me to!
1996 the new labour government famously promised “Education, Education, Education” alongside their manifesto pledge to remove the old 11plus and open access to education, and indeed Higher Education aiming for 50% of all young people to progress into university as a key component of social mobility (The Guardian, 2001). The Sutton Trust (established in 1997) found that higher education is a key driver of social mobility, young people from lower SES who attend university are more likely to be socially mobile(The Sutton Trust, 2021). The reality is that the massification brought about by the labour governments policies has not increased participation(Bekhradnia, 2014)and many non-traditional students (First generation, free school meal etc) with high level 3 achievement [e.g. 3 A grades at A-level] are not attending Russell Group or elite Universities (Montecute & Cullinane, 2023). Indeed, the figure of those eligible for a Russell Group place but not electing to take it up has increased from 3,000 in 1997 to 4,700 in 2023 (ibid