University admissions

Private schools have accused the government of "blackmail" after top universities were set tough new targets for the admission of students from the state sector.

Vice-chancellors told Charles Clarke, the education secretary, that the goals were unattainable unless elite universities were forced to change their admissions policies by diluting academic standards.

Government Response: Department for Education and Skills

A spokeswoman at the DfES said: "Offa’s remit did not allow it to punish universities for missing 'milestones' in their access agreements.

"But it could take account of their progress when agreements came up for renewal."

Stakeholder Response: Professional Association of Teachers