Scrapping foundation year funding ‘would end vital second chance’

Scrapping funding for foundation years in English universities would be a “short-sighted” move ending a vital “second chance” for students, including many from social groups least represented in higher education, and restricting the STEM pipeline, universities have warned.

The new Policy Perspectives Network formed by 10 universities has released a report based on data about their students who take foundation years, which offer a chance to access university to those who missed out on the necessary qualifications at school.

The government’s Augar review of post-18 education recommended “withdrawing financial support for foundation years attached to degree courses”, with ministers set to deliver a final response to its recommendations at this year’s spending review.

The Policy Perspectives Network – whose members are Aston, Essex, Kent, Lincoln, Manchester Metropolitan, Middlesex, Northampton, Portsmouth, Plymouth and Sheffield Hallam universities – says there are currently 55,000 foundation year (FY) students in English universities and that these courses “provide a vital second chance for ‘under-attaining’ students to retrain and upskill or mature students who want to re-engage with education”.

“It is our collective position that removing support for FY students in universities would be short-sighted,” its report says.

It argues that foundation years provide “a route to success for students who would otherwise not access opportunities”; “disproportionately” meet “the needs of students from more disadvantaged and under-represented backgrounds”; represent “quality and value for students, taxpayers and employers”; ensure “a greater likelihood of progression and complements other access routes including through [further education]”; and help “provide the skills needed to deliver sustainable recovery and regional prosperity in a post-Covid economy”.

At Sheffield Hallam, in 2020-21, “a higher proportion of [foundation year] entrants were males from IMD [index of multiple deprivation] decile 1 (18 per cent compared to 11 per cent of all other entrants) and were white males from IMD decile 1 (13 per cent compared to 8 per cent of all other entrants)”, the report says.

Meanwhile at Lincoln, “23 per cent of [foundation year] students declared a disability compared to 16 per cent of the overall population”, it adds.

The report also says that foundation year courses “are playing an important role in diversifying the entry routes into STEM and addressing skills shortages. Analysis by the OfS [Office for Students] found that in 2017-18 engineering and technology was the second largest subject for entrants to foundation year courses (12 per cent of entrants), followed by biological sciences (11 per cent), with the largest area of provision being in business and administrative studies (26 per cent).”

“Foundation years provide an important platform for reaching disadvantaged students, building skills and confidence, and responding to local skills shortages,” the report concludes.

john.morgan@timeshighereducation.com