Art course rethink

Foundation courses for art and design students are under threat from changes in next year's admissions system, course tutors have warned.

The University and Colleges Admissions Service is taking responsibility for courses previously recruited through the Art and Design Admissions Registry.

This could push up the number of candidates applying direct from school rather than after foundation courses because UCAS is better integrated in the school system than the registry.

Foundation course tutors fear more students will choose to enter university courses directly from school because of the combination of student poverty and the soaring costs of art and design materials.

But administrators warn that university art and design will need an overhaul if more students enter directly. Jane Hughes, faculty administrator at the University of the West of England, said: "It would mean a radical rethink of art and design teaching because courses are built on the understanding that applicants have a certain skill level they would not necessarily gain from A level."