But even at the end of clearing there are many who have passed A-levels only to be told that they just aren't good enough. The temptation is to resit; but resitters tend to improve by only one grade, and universities tend to increase their demands by one grade, so whether this is sensible is debatable. Some may seek work directly, though in the present economic climate that may be harder than before. Others may take a gap year.
What of the remainder? They may well be attracted by some of the higher-level vocational courses on offer within further education, in say, engineering, business or art and design, and that would be a positive outcome. And some school leavers who were thinking about A-levels may now plump instead for vocational further education at age 16. But there are problems ahead, as further education colleges fill up with those who did not make the higher education grade; and colleges will have financial pressures of their own. As they move to new funding arrangements, any growth will not be funded until the next academic year.
So who will lose out as colleges take up some of the higher education slack? The answer, of course, is that some of the most disadvantaged young people will find that college places are less available than they had thought. There's a real risk that some young people will not receive a post-16 education because there are no spaces. Care leavers are perhaps the most vulnerable. So I hope that corporate parents and colleges will be in conversation, building on the new relationship between colleges and local authorities, to make sure that care leavers don't lose out because of the problems we have in higher education.
John Freeman, a former director of children's services and now a freelance consultant
