The secret to getting in to a top university is piano and ballet lessons. Students get extra admissions points for university education for skills such as music and dance.
When it comes to university admission, while A-level results make a considerable contribution to tariff scores, so do all sorts of other things.
- Does the applicant have a good qualification in dance or a grade six in music (piano or any other instrument)? 12 points.
- Another qualification in speech and drama? A further 12 points.
- An A for an extended project? 24 points.
- Level 3 certificate in British sign language? 16 points.
To provide some context, a B at A-level is worth 40 points. Last year, as we looked closely at students who had not quite made the grades – BBB instead of ABB, for instance, or BBC instead of BBB – those with extras such as ballet and piano qualifications were offered places.
Other applicants with the same A-level results who did not achieve an acceptable tariff score were denied a place.
This seems to be a bit unfair and has an obvious impact on widening participation in universities. Students whose parents or guardians are unable to pay for piano or dance lessons, or whose schools do not offer extended projects, for example, ultimately lose out.
Another observation was that every student who had just missed their A-level grades, their personal statements revealed that many had done remarkably well given their circumstances, and would flourish at university.
The ideal scenario is where everyone has access to university education. As educators, you have to teach these students who missed out. In the meantime, the best admissions advice to students and parents visiting on open day is to keep at those piano lessons – if you can afford them.
Source: theguardian
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