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| Ucas refusing to release data it holds on students from poor backgrounds – while making £12m a year selling applicants' details | |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| The body that handles university applications has been accused of blocking efforts to improve social mobility by refusing to release important data it holds on students from poor backgrounds. | The body that handles university applications has been accused of blocking efforts to improve social mobility by refusing to release important data it holds on students from poor backgrounds. |
| Alan Milburn, who chairs the social mobility watchdog, has called on the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) to open up its gold mine of information to help end the “national scandal” of disadvantaged children missing out on places at top universities. | Alan Milburn, who chairs the social mobility watchdog, has called on the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) to open up its gold mine of information to help end the “national scandal” of disadvantaged children missing out on places at top universities. |
| He believes the secret data could transform the battle to give every young person an equal chance. Ucas cites data protection concerns but Mr Milburn believes that using information on an anonymous basis would ensure the £750m a year spent by universities on fairer access is much better targeted. | He believes the secret data could transform the battle to give every young person an equal chance. Ucas cites data protection concerns but Mr Milburn believes that using information on an anonymous basis would ensure the £750m a year spent by universities on fairer access is much better targeted. |
| Alan Milburn, a former Health Secretary, and now the social mobility watchdog (Getty) Critics claim Ucas is stalling partly because its commercial arm, Ucas Media, raises £12m a year from selling products using its data on more than one million young people. This enables firms including drinks and mobile phone companies to target them with advertising. | Alan Milburn, a former Health Secretary, and now the social mobility watchdog (Getty) Critics claim Ucas is stalling partly because its commercial arm, Ucas Media, raises £12m a year from selling products using its data on more than one million young people. This enables firms including drinks and mobile phone companies to target them with advertising. |
| Releasing the data would shine a light on the relative performance of universities at widening access – as it would show every student’s social background, ethnicity and home town, as well as their GCSE grades and predicted and achieved A-level grades. | Releasing the data would shine a light on the relative performance of universities at widening access – as it would show every student’s social background, ethnicity and home town, as well as their GCSE grades and predicted and achieved A-level grades. |
| There are suspicions that higher education institutions, which sit on the Ucas governing body, would rather the data be kept secret as it would expose their record on fair access. Mr Milburn, chairman of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission, told The Independent: “Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are severely under-represented at our top universities. Thousands of poorer students have the grades to get in but miss out on getting places. | There are suspicions that higher education institutions, which sit on the Ucas governing body, would rather the data be kept secret as it would expose their record on fair access. Mr Milburn, chairman of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission, told The Independent: “Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are severely under-represented at our top universities. Thousands of poorer students have the grades to get in but miss out on getting places. |
| “This is a national scandal, but we cannot take effective action to improve the situation without proper data. It is vital we understand what drives the social class gaps in admissions and how effective different policies are in reducing them.” | “This is a national scandal, but we cannot take effective action to improve the situation without proper data. It is vital we understand what drives the social class gaps in admissions and how effective different policies are in reducing them.” |
| The UCAS clearing house call centre in Cheltenham, England (Getty) The former Labour Health Secretary added: “Ucas is in a unique position to help universities understand what is really going on. It should accept its social responsibility to share its data with researchers and with universities.” | The UCAS clearing house call centre in Cheltenham, England (Getty) The former Labour Health Secretary added: “Ucas is in a unique position to help universities understand what is really going on. It should accept its social responsibility to share its data with researchers and with universities.” |
| Mr Milburn believes Ucas’s fears about data protection are exaggerated, and that the technology exists to allow anonymised information to be shared. | Mr Milburn believes Ucas’s fears about data protection are exaggerated, and that the technology exists to allow anonymised information to be shared. |
| His call was backed by two former ministers for higher education. David Lammy, the Tottenham MP hoping to become Labour’s candidate for Mayor of London, said: “It is totally unacceptable that a quasi-public body is withholding such important information. It runs a coach and horses through understanding whether there is fair access to our elite universities and undermines all the efforts to ensure higher education is as inclusive as possible. We won’t fully understand what we need to do to encourage social mobility until Ucas makes this information available.” | His call was backed by two former ministers for higher education. David Lammy, the Tottenham MP hoping to become Labour’s candidate for Mayor of London, said: “It is totally unacceptable that a quasi-public body is withholding such important information. It runs a coach and horses through understanding whether there is fair access to our elite universities and undermines all the efforts to ensure higher education is as inclusive as possible. We won’t fully understand what we need to do to encourage social mobility until Ucas makes this information available.” |
| David Willetts, universities minister in the Coalition Government, said: “The future is for us to have the data that enables us to track kids through school, their A-levels, university and into work. That involves linking up the different data sets, with proper protection of confidentiality. I would love to see Ucas whole-heartedly involved in that but we have to respect that it is not a government body.” | David Willetts, universities minister in the Coalition Government, said: “The future is for us to have the data that enables us to track kids through school, their A-levels, university and into work. That involves linking up the different data sets, with proper protection of confidentiality. I would love to see Ucas whole-heartedly involved in that but we have to respect that it is not a government body.” |
| Universities minister David Willetts: 'we have to respect that [Ucas] is not a government body' (Getty) Mary Curnock Cook, chief executive of Ucas, said: “Ucas is committed to using its data proactively to support widening participation and fair access. It is clear that the tide is turning and organisations that rely on the trusted engagement of their customers must tread cautiously. We put the confidentiality of applicants’ personal details at the heart of our service and respect their wishes in providing access to data.” | Universities minister David Willetts: 'we have to respect that [Ucas] is not a government body' (Getty) Mary Curnock Cook, chief executive of Ucas, said: “Ucas is committed to using its data proactively to support widening participation and fair access. It is clear that the tide is turning and organisations that rely on the trusted engagement of their customers must tread cautiously. We put the confidentiality of applicants’ personal details at the heart of our service and respect their wishes in providing access to data.” |
| Ucas insisted there was “no commercial motivation” behind its approach. It said it does not sell personal details. | Ucas insisted there was “no commercial motivation” behind its approach. It said it does not sell personal details. |
| However, a study for the Social Mobility Commission by Dean Machin of University College London found: “The profits from Ucas Media subsidise Ucas’s charitable activities and the fees Ucas charges applicants and members. In all, Ucas Media provides about one-third of Ucas’s income. The need to protect Ucas Media’s work, and the commercial value of Ucas data, is an important reason why Ucas can be reluctant to share data.” | However, a study for the Social Mobility Commission by Dean Machin of University College London found: “The profits from Ucas Media subsidise Ucas’s charitable activities and the fees Ucas charges applicants and members. In all, Ucas Media provides about one-third of Ucas’s income. The need to protect Ucas Media’s work, and the commercial value of Ucas data, is an important reason why Ucas can be reluctant to share data.” |
| In a case heard by the Information Commissioner, Ucas noted that “disclosure of withheld information would allow the higher education institutions’ competitors an otherwise unavailable insight into their commercial operations and health”. | In a case heard by the Information Commissioner, Ucas noted that “disclosure of withheld information would allow the higher education institutions’ competitors an otherwise unavailable insight into their commercial operations and health”. |
| UCAS insists it does not sell personal information. | UCAS insists it does not sell personal information. |