CLASS is still disadvantaging students even if they make it to higher education, according to a think tank.
A Higher Education Policy Institute study has revealed that no college or university where more than 30 per cent of students received free school meals (FSM) achieved a gold award under the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).
The awards aim to recognise excellence in teaching and student outcomes, but the paper shows that award-winning institutions such as Bath, Exeter, Oxford and Loughborough are among the lowest recruiters from disadvantaged background, while the highest recruiters were silver-rated institutions, such as Middlesex and Roehampton universities.
With 12,000 fewer teachers since 2010 and dwindling resources, Scotland’s schools desperately need investment to support diverse learners rather than empty promises from politicians, writes ANDREA BRADLEY
