Pupils could be blocked from taking out student loans if they fail maths and English GCSEs, under Government plans aimed at tightening controls on higher education.
The proposals, which are set to be published later this week before being put to consultation, would see the introduction of both student number controls and minimum entry requirements for some university applicants.
The Department for Education (DfE) said the measures are being considered in order to prevent pupils from being “pushed into higher education before they are ready” and to ensure “poor-quality, low-cost courses aren’t incentivised to grow uncontrollably”.
The plans will include a suggestion that students who do not get 2 Es at A level or equivalent or at least a Grade 4 pass in English and Maths at GCSE are barred from getting a student loan, a DfE spokesperson said.
About a third of pupils currently fail to get a Grade 4 – the equivalent to a C or pass under the previous system – in English and maths.
