Daily roundup: University admissions imbalance, families unaware of benefit changes, and low teacher morale

Universities should target white, working-class boys in the same way as other disadvantaged communities and ethnic minorities, the universities minister has suggested. In an interview with the Independent, David Willetts said steps had to be taken to address the downward trend in the number of males applying for higher education. But Graham Allen MP, chair of the Early Intervention Foundation, responded by suggesting the government should tackle the attainment gap before young people reached the age of entering university. “Twenty-five years representing my home constituency has taught me that the key here is “prior attainment” not belated favouritism,” said Allen. “The answer here is early intervention not culture of late remedialism which is massively expensive and only ever partially successful. There are no quick fixes to getting my young constituents to University, only patient long-termism starting with babies and their parents to help develop the social and emotional bedrock that will allow my white working class kids to do just as well on their own merits as middle class kids can.”

More than 300,000 families are unaware they will have to repay their child benefit in tax because the government has failed to inform them of changes to the system, the Telegraph reports. According to the newspaper, HM Revenue and Customs has denied the families the chance of opting out of the system by not issuing enough letters, meaning recipients will have to complete a self-assessment tax return and could face fines. The government will introduce a "high income child benefit charge" from 7 January, which affects individuals with an income of more than £50,000.