Testing questions

Schools are worried about the number of universities using entrance tests, an admissions chief said this week. Speaking ahead of the 2007 Universities and Colleges Admissions Service conference, Anthony McClaran, the chief executive, said he believed the number of institutions using admissions tests would "be a surprise for most people". Many schools had raised concerns about the amount of information available and about the charges for taking the tests, he added. At the conference, Mr McClaran defended the decision to introduce an additional question on Ucas application forms about whether a prospective student's parents had a higher education. He said a "record-breaking" number of applications to higher education were expected this year.

Alan Ryan, page 13