Peter Cottam, chairman of an independent headteachers group has come out against university admissions programmes that take pupils backgrounds into account when making offers. He claims universities cannot “undo the problems of 18 years of upbringing and education” and that tackling social issues at the University stage was like trying “to improve the design of an aircraft after it has already crashed”.

Mr. Cottam's comments have sparked yet more debate on the issue of equality of access to higher education. A head teacher at the fee-paying Halliford School in Middlesex, he was speaking at the annual conference of ‘the Society of Headmasters and Headmistresses of Independent Schools'. Cottam went on to add that our "culture of entitlement" had led to a situation where Universities discriminate against independently schooled applicants in an attempt to "provide the answer to all the social ills of society, with the result that it is in danger or resembling and branch of psychotherapy".

Mr. Cottam admits that the practice of giving lower grade offers to some students from state schools is based on studies, which show that students educated in the state sector tend to perform better than independent school pupils entering with similar grades. However he claims the results focused on are selective and cited a number of studies that have produced different results. He added that our "culture of entitlement" with regards to higher education leaves some students without "the strength of character that we all need, in order to deal with the inevitable ups and downs of life".

CUSU Access officer, Andy Mcgowan has responded saying “Access is not about ‘mending’ society, but is about showing young people that their educational options should not depend on the background from which they come…Currently, too many students are not being given the right advice about important decisions such as their options post-16, resulting in many of them self-selecting out of many courses and universities”.

Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of ‘Universities UK’ has also spoken out against Cottam’s position, saying,  "Admissions decisions have to be based both on students' existing achievements as well as their likely future achievements… In terms of the most selective courses, it remains the case that some under-represented students often do not have the grades required. It is therefore critical that the sector continues its outreach work with schools, as well as working with young people to raise their aspirations and their awareness about higher education".

This discussion comes in the wake of cuts to University funding, increased tuition fees, and growing national concern about access to education. Cambridge University is amoungst many currently expanding its access programmes. As Tim Holt, from the University’s ‘Office of External Affairs and Communications’ said “we remain committed to engaging with disadvantaged groups to help raise aspirations and attainment”.