A new report from Holyrood’s Education, Children and Young People Committee expresses extreme disappointment in the Scottish Government’s failure to improve the tracking of students’ educational journeys.
The Committee has been reviewing the Government’s progress towards a target of students from the 20% most deprived backgrounds making up 20% of full-time, first-degree entrants to higher education by 2030.
Progress has been made over the last decade, with that figure rising from 13.7% in 2013-14 to 16.7% in 2020-21. However, since then the figure has fallen back to 16.3%. The Committee’s report identifies several probable causes for this slight decline, which were beyond the Scottish Government’s control, including the COVID-19 pandemic, however it also identifies student tracking as an issue.
Instigating a Unique Learner Number, or ULN, was recommended by the Commission for Widening Access in 2016. But, despite support from across the higher education sector, the current Commissioner for Fair Access and the Scottish Funding Council, the Committee was told that the work on ULNs had not progressed.
The Committee was told that a ULN would greatly improve the sector’s understanding of the education journeys of students and what works best for a student’s transition into higher education and what ongoing support they need.
Other approaches to widen access to higher education are identified in the Committee’s report, including taking greater steps to support disabled people, people from Black and Minority Ethnic groups and care experienced people, who can face additional barriers.
The Committee also calls for the Scottish Government to extend the remit of the Commissioner for Fair Access to include colleges to ensure prospective students benefit from fair access and appropriate support.