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A new study published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England reveals that teenagers born in September are 20% more likely to go on to university that those born in August. The study also revealed how entrenched the divisions between the children of poor and affluent neighbourhoods are.

David Bell, current Chief Inspector of Schools and an advocate of A-level reform, is to replace David Normington as permanent secretary at the Department for Education and Skills in January 2006. Normington is to take up a position as permanent secretary at the Home Office.

An analysis of the likelihood that more and more universities in the UK will find themselves running into financial difficulties and the implications this could have on university art collections across the country. It is suggested that, while traditionally universities have been loathe to sell off artworks that have been bequeathed to them, an expected contraction of university funding could force universities to sell off their collections.

Education Secretary Ruth Kelly has warned universities that they must identify and confront extremist behaviour on campus and defend the 'moderate majority' of students. Kelly noted that, in the aftermath of the London terrorist bombings of 07 July 2005, universities had a duty to tell the police of they had concerns about criminal acts or 'unacceptable behaviour'.

Universities in the UK are to receive a 60-page guidance document from Universities UK and the Standing Conference of Principals which will provide instructions on how to deal with extreme religious or political activity and on how to promote good race relations. The release of the document, which is expected to be revised in the light of the bombings in London, comes as evidence has mounted relating to the activities of extremists on university campuses.

An analysis of the results of a survey of over 10,000 undergraduates in the United Kingdom which aimed to uncover their opinions of the country's universities. The survey, which the organisers hope will help identify the strengths and weaknesses in the approaches adopted by the various universities, identified Strathclyde University as the best in the UK in the perception of undergraduates.

An analysis of the results of a survey of 10,000 16 to 18-year-olds in England and Wales which aimed to gain an insight into their views on higher education, tuition fees, student debt, and on their own academic interests, abilities and ambitions. Of those surveyed, 48% agreed that it is too expensive to go to university, 44% worried about being in debt and 43% said they were very aware of the plans for top-up fees.

The Labour Party's pledge to get 50% of 18 to 30-year-olds involved in higher education by 2010 threatens to obscure the wider aim of the Government to encourage people to continue learning from infancy through to retirement, according to Education Secretary Ruth Kelly. Kelly noted that since taking up her job, she has spent quite a bit of time thinking about how the target was come up with in the first place as well as considering how to communicate Labour's aim to create a lifelong learning culture.

An analysis of a survey of some 500 academics in the UK conducted in order to ascertain their opinions of life on campus and the health of higher education ahead of the general election on 05 May 2005. Also included are profiles of the education spokes persons for the various parties, Phil Willis for the Liberal Democrats, Tim Collins for the Conservatives and Ruth Kelly for Labour.

The electoral dominance of the Labour Party on campuses in the UK is set to come to an end on 05 May 2005 as a result of a growth in support from the Liberal Democrats amongst academics and students. Polls reveal that while Labour could count on about 65% of academics voting for them in 2001, the party can now only count on 41% of the academic vote, whereas the Liberals have seen their share of the academic vote grow to 44% from 22%.

The Labour Government watered down its initial plans for the expansion of student numbers as a result of concerns about the cost of the plans, fears that elite universities could go private if grants were squeezed and accusations of dumbing down. Under the initial plans, the Government wanted a target of 50% participation in higher education by 2006-2007, a date that was later moved back to 2010-2011.

An overview of the various incentives and support schemes that universities in the UK intend to offer from 2006, when top-up fees come into effect, in order to attract students. Universities will offer bursaries, ranging from the legal minimum of UKPd300 up to UKPd5,000, as well as other incentives such as rent discounts and help towards the cost of computer equipment.

University heads doubt that the new fee and bursary regime will generate enough additional income to prevent course closures or attract more working-class students to higher education, according to a survey by KPMG and The Times Higher Education Supplement of 72 universities and colleges. While 82% of those surveyed acknowledged that the extra money from variable tuition fees, bursaries and grants would help their financial position, 44% believed that this would not be enough to prevent course closures.

Statistics reveal that students from a poorer background in the UK are more likely to stay in their home area and go to one of the new universities, even if they have received top grades in their A-levels. If these students took up the places that they should have in the leading universities, then 3,000 privately educated students would be denied their places and would have to go to other universities.

An analysis of a study produced by Hefce which reveals that where you were born and where you live will significantly influence your chances of attending university. The study reveals that 18 and 19-year-olds from London are 50% more likely than their counterparts from the North East of England to go to university.

An analysis of the growing imbalance in the UK between the number of male and female university students. Statistics reveal that between 1994 and 2001, the number of women entering university increased to 427,000 from 299,000, while the number of men entering university rose by just 16,000 to 305,000. This disparity between the sexes has led some to argue that entry standards for men should be made easier than those set for women.

Sir Martin Harris, head of the Office for Fair Access, has warned students that they will face a 'volatile market' in scholarships and bursaries in 2006 as the majority of universities in the UK plan to begin charging tuition fees of UKPd3,000/yr. Of the 127 universities and colleges expected to lodge their plans for 2006, so far only one, Leeds Metropolitan University, has announced that it plans to charge less than UKPd3,000.

Kim Howells, newly appointed Higher Education Minister in the UK, outlines what he believes should be the top priorities of academics in 2005. At the top of the list Howells puts explaining to parents and students the impact of variable tuition fees, bursaries and grants.

Some A level subjects are easier than others to get top marks in than others, according to a study by Peter Tymms of Durham University. The finding has led to calls for universities to weight the results of applicants according to the difficulty of the subjects they took. The study revealed that A levels in maths, the sciences or modern languages are harder to get top grades in than the arts or humanities.

An analysis of the results of a survey into the attitudes and lifestyle of 1,000 undergraduates at over 171 universities in the United Kingdom. The survey revealed that the average early 21st-century undergraduate is likely to aspire to a career in advertising or the media, read the Sun newspaper, vote Liberal Democrat, work in a shop part-time and enjoy partying.

Studies by universities in the UK into the levels of literacy and numeracy of their first-year students have revealed that the standards have fallen since 1991, despite constant increases in pass rates and grade levels at A-level. Findings at one university suggest that students from the 2001 intake with a B grade at A-level actually displayed 'slightly lower levels' of competence at mathematics than those that failed the exam in 1991. Ways to deal with the problem of falling educational standards are examined.

A new poll of secondary schools teachers in the United Kingdom has revealed that 82% of them support Government plans to restructure the university admissions system and only allow sixth form students to apply for places once they have received their A-level results. The Government has argued that using actual rather than predicted exam grades will be fairer to students and intends to begin implementing the plans in 2008.

The Government has broken a promise to give the UK's post-92 universities the lion's share of funding for knowledge-transfer work and applied research, according to Michael Driscoll, chairman of Campaigning for Mainstream Universities, the body that represents new institutions. Provisional figures outlining the allocation of the latest round of the UKPd238 million Higher Education Innovation Fund in 2006-2008 reveal that the highest levels of funding will be received by old universities, which will receive up to UKPd3 million each.

The Russell Group of research universities is to appoint a director-general as part of a change in its lobbying activities ahead of the Government's 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review. The group also announced that Malcolm Grant, provost of University College London, will replace Michael Sterling when he steps down as chairman of the group in June 2006.

Chancellor Gordon Brown has announced a new UKPd4 million fund to foster links between UK and Chinese universities and changes to the immigration rules for overseas students as part of efforts to 'boost higher education exports'. The changes to the immigration rules are expected to benefit as many as 50,000 students.

Independent assessors have been brought in to undertake an assessment of the 'full range of activities and value for money' of vice-chancellors' body Universities UK (UUK) amid calls for the organisation to demonstrate a greater degree of openness about differences of opinion regarding the direction higher education should take in the future. The main committee of UUK met on 02 December 2005 behind closed doors to examine a report about the body's future structure.

Law schools are less likely to offer places to candidates from some ethnic minorities than other university faculties, according to a report produced by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. The report recommended that, in order to prevent any potential racial bias, candidates' names should be withheld from universities, and especially from law schools.

Government ministers are under pressure to reexamine the way medical schools will levy tuition fees from 2006. Under the current plans, undergraduate medical students will be able to defer paying their UKPd3,00/yr tuition fees until after they graduate but graduate students will be forced to pay their fees upfront. It is argued that these plans will deter older and more experienced graduate students from starting medical courses.

Fears that universities could ask their academics to police extremism on campus have been eased, but the Government's new Terrorism Bill has raised fresh concerns about academic freedom. New guidelines for universities about 'dealing with hate crimes and intolerance' stress that staff will not be expected to monitor the political activities or beliefs of their students. Academics have urged the Government to rethink its Terrorism Bill, arguing that as it is currently worded chemists, social workers and librarians could be subject to prosecution.

An overview of the work being done by academic psychologist Lew Hardy, professor of health and human performance at the University of Wales, Bangor, to restructure the form of Army basic training. The aim of the restructuring is to deal with recruitment problems being faced by various branches of the Army, as well as help counter any accusations that Army recruits are bullied.

Employers and universities could help boost recruitment to the graduate professions by offering additional bursaries to undergraduates on relevant degree courses, according to the 'Gateways to the Professions' report produced by Sir Alan Langlands, vice-chancellor of Dundee University. While the report notes that there is 'no evidence' that the introduction of tuition fees in 1998 provided a disincentive for people to go to university, it does note that bursaries should be considered for courses leading to careers in architecture, engineering, law, social care, teaching or medicine.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England has launched a new consultation paper that it hopes will provide a clearer picture of the cost to universities of teaching every subject. The aim of the paper is to provide information for a restructuring of the UKPd4 billion teaching funding system to allow for greater 'stability, predictability and transparency'.

The Conservative Party in the United Kingdom are expected to undertake a u-turn on the expansion of higher education and tuition fees following statement's made by the party's Higher Education Spokesman, Stephen O'Brien. It was suggested that it was hard to imagine the Tory Party, which currently opposes tuition fees, advocating anything other than a co-payment system, with students and the state contributing to the cost of a degree, in the future.

Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell has announced his determination to ensure that there is a 'phase two' to Labour Party plans that have seen the number of overseas students at universities in the UK rise by 100,000. Despite these aims, Rammell has stated that the government will not rethink its plans to increase visa charges and restrict the right of appeal for those whose visa applications are unsuccessful.

Lieutenant-General Sir John Kiszely, director of the UK's Defence Academy, is to tell a conference of 120 senior university figures, that closer links need to be forged between the Armed Forces and academe. Kiszely is to call for more undergraduate courses in fields such as languages, conflict prevention and cultural studies to be established and for a better understanding of the mutual needs of universities and the Armed Forces to be developed.

Reports of the level of Islamic extremism prevalent on university campuses in the UK have been overstated, according to a report produced by the Federation of Student Islamic Societies. However, the report also noted that one in ten Muslim students would not tell the police if they found out that a fellow Muslim planned to commit a terrorist act, a figure that Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell described as 'extremely worrying'.

The Liberal Democrats are considering plans to restructure the way students at universities in the UK get their degrees as part of an analysis of the party's education policy. One plan under consideration would allow students to study at a variety of universities as they acquire the credits they require to earn their degree.

Student dropout rates at institutions which have had the worst retention rates in recent years have been falling, according to the latest university performance indicators published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency. The universities are using schemes such as personal tutors for new students in their first few months at university in order to reduce dropout rates. Cambridge University, with a 1% dropout rate, was the university with the lowest dropout rate in 2002-2003, while Bolton, with a 31.9% dropout rate, was the university with the highest dropout rate.

A number of universities in the UK have criticised the Government's plans to reform the admissions system. They claim that the move to do away with the old system, under which candidates applied to universities with estimates of their A-level grades, for a new system under which candidates will make their applications once they have their A-level grades, will result in a last-minute 'panic' for places.

A profile of Drummond Bone, vice-chancellor of Liverpool University and president of Universities UK (UUK). Bone contends that there is no need for everybody in he higher education sector to agree with each other and says that one of his aims as president of UUK is to help the organisation change and develop.

Common ground rules for PhD vivas should be implemented following research which has revealed wide disparities in the way vivas are conducted. It is contended that guidelines would be of particular benefit to female students, who are much more daunted than their male counterparts by the prospect of a face-to-face questioning of their PhD thesis.

Academics working in the UK are better off in real terms than those working in Japan, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand and are on a par with those working in Canada, France and Denmark, according to a government-commissioned study carried out by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research. The report warns that, while lower-paying countries may prove to be a valuable source for recruits, foreign staff are also more likely to leave academia in the future, which would lead to future retention problems.

Academics should be allowed to spend less time on teaching and administration and more time on research if recruitment and retention in higher education is to be improved, according to a government-commissioned report produced by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research. The report also warns that plans to create research-only or teaching-only universities (or jobs) could serve to exacerbate retention and recruitment problems.

Arts and humanities departments at universities in the UK will need to demonstrate how they develop the careers of their young academics in the upcoming 2008 research assessment exercise. Those responsible for overseeing the assessments in subjects ranging from modern languages to history and philosophy have made it clear that one of the elements they will be examining is the steps being taken by departments to sustain their subjects in the future and bring on their young talent.

Universities in the UK could be forced to provide the security services with details on student and academic applications and will be expected to keep track of academic debates on campus as a result of a series of initiatives taken by the Government in the aftermath of the London terrorist attacks on 7 July 2005. Universities in the UK already operate under a voluntary system under which universities alert the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to overseas research applicants suspected of planning to develop weapons of mass destruction, but this system could now be made compulsory.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) has ruled out the creation of a 'central command-and-control' system to protect academic subjects, such as maths, sciences and languages, that are deemed strategically important, declaring that the closure of university courses in the future would simply represent natural adjustments in the higher education market. Sir Howard Newby, chief executive of Hefce, argues that the creation of one or two national centres of excellence in these strategically important subjects would be preferable to trying to maintain facilities to provide these subjects across the country.

A survey of 10,000 first-year undergraduate students at universities in the United Kingdom has revealed the issues that influence students' decision on where to study. The survey revealed that location can be a decisive factor for many students, while 80% of those questioned stated that 'a friendly campus feel' was an important factor in their choice and 72% stated that it was important that the university they selected had an image of being 'strong in league tables'.

Students planning to go to university in the UK following the introduction of top-up fees in 2006 are expected to hit universities with a number of demands, including better quality teaching, better campus facilities and free gym membership, according to a survey of 10,000 teenagers conducted for The Times Higher Education Supplement. In return for the introduction of fees, 62% of those surveyed stated that they expected improved teaching quality, while 39% stated that there should be no additional hidden charges, including extra charges for university accommodation.

An analysis of the expectations teenagers have about the impact an university degree will have on their earning potential and how these expectations compare with reality. In general, teenagers have an inflated idea of the difference a degree will have on their pay packet, expecting to be earning, on average, UKPd9,100 more with a degree than if they had opted not to go to university.

An analysis of the higher education policies of the various political parties in the UK in the run-up to 2005 general election. All of the parties except Labour have promised to scrap tuition fees for university students, whereas Labour has promised to reinvest 25% of the money raised by tuition fees in bursaries for poorer students.