Best Of

WTF?

One in ten new university students do not have a single A-level

Vice-chancellor warns that poorly qualified undergraduates are unlikely to pass their degrees yet benefit from taxpayer investment in the form of student loans

Almost one in ten university freshers do not have a single A-level or equivalent, official figures show.

The numbers have more than doubled in a decade, from 31,000 — or 5 per cent of the intake — in 2014-15 to 75,000 — 9 per cent — in the academic year 2024-25.

Of those, 50,000 students did not have a GCSE or equivalent, up from 12,000 ten years before.

The figures, from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, cover undergraduates and postgraduates, part and full-time students and those studying at the Open University.

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/education/article/a-levels-university-students-z76bnsj8t

I thought everybody was getting 5 A* A levels.

Hell no.

I’d also wonder if this is including Foundation courses? These are becoming large as universities try to tap into new markets - the ones with potential but not the right grades. I’m not a fan generally, but it will be fine for some with genuine reasons for not having the right academic background.

Like being stupid?

WTF?

One in ten new university students do not have a single A-level

Vice-chancellor warns that poorly qualified undergraduates are unlikely to pass their degrees yet benefit from taxpayer investment in the form of student loans

Almost one in ten university freshers do not have a single A-level or equivalent, official figures show.

The numbers have more than doubled in a decade, from 31,000 — or 5 per cent of the intake — in 2014-15 to 75,000 — 9 per cent — in the academic year 2024-25.

Of those, 50,000 students did not have a GCSE or equivalent, up from 12,000 ten years before.

The figures, from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, cover undergraduates and postgraduates, part and full-time students and those studying at the Open University.

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/education/article/a-levels-university-students-z76bnsj8t

Unless they are mature students in retirement, those students would be better off doing apprenticeships

Far harder to get an apprenticeship than a place at Uni.

Going to Uni and you can delay the reality that there are no jobs around for 3 years

The whole point of going to uni is to delay having to get a job. That and getting laid.

WTF?

One in ten new university students do not have a single A-level

Vice-chancellor warns that poorly qualified undergraduates are unlikely to pass their degrees yet benefit from taxpayer investment in the form of student loans

Almost one in ten university freshers do not have a single A-level or equivalent, official figures show.

The numbers have more than doubled in a decade, from 31,000 — or 5 per cent of the intake — in 2014-15 to 75,000 — 9 per cent — in the academic year 2024-25.

Of those, 50,000 students did not have a GCSE or equivalent, up from 12,000 ten years before.

The figures, from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, cover undergraduates and postgraduates, part and full-time students and those studying at the Open University.

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/education/article/a-levels-university-students-z76bnsj8t

I thought everybody was getting 5 A* A levels.

Hell no.

I’d also wonder if this is including Foundation courses? These are becoming large as universities try to tap into new markets - the ones with potential but not the right grades. I’m not a fan generally, but it will be fine for some with genuine reasons for not having the right academic background.

The new official line.

Mike Johnson: "We all understood there was clearly an imminent threat that Iran was very close to the enrichment of nuclear capability ... I don't know where Joe Kent is getting his information ... the president felt he had to strike first to prevent mass casualties"
https://x.com/atrupar/status/2033919110749253641


Which again doesn't really square with this.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/17/uk-security-adviser-attended-us-iran-talks-and-judged-deal-was-within-reach
...Powell’s presence at the talks, and his close knowledge of how they were progressing, was confirmed by three sources. One source said he was in the building at Oman’s ambassadorial residence in Cologny acting as an adviser, reflecting widespread concern about the US expertise on the talks represented by Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy on several issues.

Kushner and Witkoff had invited Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to the Geneva talks, to provide technical expertise, though Kushner would later claim that he and Witkoff had “a pretty deep understanding of the issues that matter in this”. Nuclear experts would later say that Witkoff’s pronouncements on the Iran nuclear programme were riddled with basic errors.

Powell has long experience as a mediator, and one source said Powell brought an expert from the UK Cabinet Office with him. One western diplomat said: “Jonathan thought there was a deal to be done, but Iran were not quite there yet, especially on the issue of UN inspections of its nuclear sites.”

A former official who was briefed on the Geneva talks by some of the participants said: “Witkoff and Kushner did not bring a US technical team with them. They used Grossi as their technical expert, but that is not his job. So Jonathan Powell took his own team.

“The UK team were surprised by what the Iranians put on the table,” the former official added. “It was not a complete deal, but it was progress and was unlikely to be the Iranians’ final offer. The British team expected the next round of negotiations to go ahead on the basis of the progress in Geneva.”

That next round of talks was due to take place in Vienna on Monday 2 March, but never happened. The US and Israel had launched their all-out attack two days earlier...

What Powell thought is moot, since Starmer chose not to get involved in operations. If you don't get involved, your judgment is irrelevant.

All that matters is if America and Israel were satisfied with the Iranian offer. They clearly weren't.

Please for the love of God will you give this "If you don't get involved, your judgment is irrelevant" argument a rest ? It's truly the most pathetically weak argument I've heard on PB since at least last week.

No.

The judgment of any bystanders is irrelevant.

Powell can think whatever he wants. His opinion is no more relevant than yours or mine.

What matters is the opinions of any would-be decision makers. Since Starmer opted that we would not be making the decision, that is not Powell.

It nevertheless lends credence to the widely held belief that Nehanyahu and Trump attacked Iran on a false premise and it was never about Iran's possession of a bomb. This will affect what people will sign up to now, given it's a huge mess.

A personal question that's slightly related to this - feel free to ignore if you wish. Do you still support the Iraq war, if you ever did? I'm curious if there's anyone apart from Tony Blair still supporting it, and if so why?