T otal E quality F or S tudents is about equality of opportunity and equal access to time and resources for all regardless of disability, gender, ethnicity or a low income background. This should be the overarching aim of all education that unlocks the full potential in our citizens. Many students are held back from achieving their full potential because of their circumstances. Even one student failing because of financial pressures on time and resources is a tragedy – one casualty is one too many. At University did you: Repay fees? Work part-time? Have what you needed? Have a life? Succeed? Many now do not have these basic advantages. If you did, then please do something about it. “ Courses of higher education should be available for all those who are qualified by ability and attainment to pursue them and who wish to do so .” Robbins Report, 1963 This did not include “ and as customers have at least £9000 per year available for fees and can feed and house themselv
This will be the question posed in undergraduate history examinations in fifty years. The hope is it can be answered positively by all students studying history as a major subject, or possibly science students taking history as a minor subject. The answer will probably involve acknowledging the role of both Augar and Pearce in trying to make sensible suggestions within the constraints of restricted remits. The villain will be the government in pursuing the separate strategy of providing a labour force for business and profit with little concession to the idea of fairness or equality for individuals, who are relegated to pawns. Whilst planning for the economy is essential, this must be accompanied by fairness for all individuals. The conclusion will be that the pandemic exposed a wide gap in educational equality for individuals in our society. Yet the government missed a clear opportunity to tackle it with bold reforms that put the idea of equality and fairness for individuals at the