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THE WEEKLY WORLD EDITION OF The Daily Telegraph AND The Sunday Telegraph

February 16 - 22 2011 No. 1021

telegraph.co.uk/expat

The Telegraph

ONTHEEDGEGrittyBritsmakewavesatSundance

:: FEATURES P24 & 25

Another speech for king of the Baftas

‘I played dead,’ says Pc shot and blinded by Raoul Moat :: NEWS P6

By Tim Ross, Social Affairs Editor LEADING universities will be forced to take fixed quotas of students from state schools in exchange for the power to charge tuition fees of £9,000, under Coalition plans announced last week.

Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, ordered a government watchdog to “focus more sharply” on institutions, such as Oxford and Cambridge, that have struggled to increase the proportion of places given to working-class candidates.

He told Sir Martin Harris, the director of Fair Access, to set targets for individual universities and said they could include benchmarks for “the percentage of students admitted from state schools or colleges”.

Any university that failed to do enough to meet its targets could be stripped of the power to charge fees above the basic level of £6,000. Serious breaches of an agreement between Sir Martin and a university could see institutions fined up to £500,000, the minister said.

Private school head teachers condemned the proposed measure as “dangerous” social engineering, warning that it would put the worldclass reputation of Britain’s best universities at risk.

The move would punish talented pupils from private schools who would lose out simply because of their background, they said.

Tim Hands, master of Magdalen College School, Oxford, said the reforms would introduce “quotas by any other name”. He warned that universities would no longer be free to recruit the best candidates.

Senior Conservatives described Mr Cable’s blueprint as “wrong-headed and shameful”.

Under Labour, ministers became increasingly reluctant to discuss whether universities should take more students from state rather than private schools, preferring instead to speak about candidates from “underrepresented groups”.

The Coalition’s reforms explicitly set out how universities could be given targets for taking more state school candidates.

The Liberal Democrats have been criticised by students and some of their supporters, who are disillusioned that the party’s MPs backed plans to triple tuition fees from £3,290 to a maximum of £9,000 from next year. Lib Dems signed a pre-election promise to oppose fees, but were forced to compromise after agreeing to join the Coalition.

In an attempt to mollify his critics, Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister and Lib Dem leader, demanded that universities should ask for lower A-level grades from working-class students than those from more affluent families.

Mr Clegg said: “Universities can and should do more to ensure fair access. Social mobility in this country has stalled. It will only improve if we throw open the doors of universities, especially the most selective, to more bright students from disadvantaged

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By Anita Singh, Showbusiness Editor IT IS the low-budget British film that has taken the world by storm, and on Sunday night The King’s Speech was duly honoured with seven Baftas.

The story of King George VI’s struggle to overcome a stammer, aided by his devoted wife, dominated the British Academy Film Awards.

Colin Firth, pictured with his wife Livia Giuggioli, continued his winning streak by taking the best actor prize for his portrayal of the monarch. Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush won the supporting actor awards. It was Firth’s second consecutive best actor Bafta – he won last year for A Single Man. “I like coming here,” he said as he accepted the award.

The film’s tally included best original screenplay for David Seidler, the 73year-old writer whose own childhood stammer inspired him to tackle the story.

But there was disappointment for Tom Hooper, the director of The King’s Speech, who lost out to David Fincher for the Facebook film The Social Network.

Mubarak quits Egypt election pledge after president stands down :: NEWS P3

Wonder goal WayneRooney’s magic moment against City :: SPORT P48

‘Dear Mr Osborne, We are unable to limit bonuses or increase lending. You have been charged £35 for this letter.’ Banks sign up to a series of lending reforms as George Osborne raises levy Page 33