A new report was published today by the Sutton trust. Believing in Better (authors Pam Sammons, Katalin Toth and Kathy Sylva) is the third in a series funded by the Sutton Trust that are based on an A-level follow up of the EPPSE 3-16 sample.
The latest report shows that students’ aspirations and self-belief influence A level take up, in addition to the important role of background.
Gender differences in the importance attached to going to university are found by age 13, with girls attaching more importance to university than boys.
Disadvantaged pupils generally have lower aspirations, but taking into account their GCSE results, disadvantaged pupils with higher aspirations are more likely to go on to take 3 A levels.
For further information, see the Sutton Trust website
Further media coverage
- Sally Weale, The Guardian, Friday 3rd June 2016, Girls more positive about university than boys, new study finds
- Henry Austin, iNews, Thursday 2nd June 2016, Teenage girls more determined than boys to win university place
- Javier Espinoza, The Telegraph, 3 June 2016 Girls set their sight on university at 13
- Aftab Ali, The Independent, Friday 3 June 2016 Growing gender gap in university admissions already present at age 13, says Sutton Trust report
- BBC (Unattributed), 3 June 2016, Girls ‘more likely’ to think university is important
- Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week, 3rd June 2016, Sutton Trust: Change admissions and bus in poor pupils to the best schools
- ‘PA’, AoL, 3rd June 2016, Girls showing university aspiration at just 13
- Barbara Ellen, The Guardian, 5th June 2016 When university can seem as distant as Mars
- George Bowden, Huff Post Young Voices, 3rd June 2016 University Gender Gap Begins As Early As Year Nine, New Research Suggests
- Chris Havergal, THE, 3rd June 2016 University gender gap emerging at age 13, Oxford study finds
- Unattributed, Capita Specialist Recruitment, 3rd June 2016 New study finds girls are more positive about university