Minutes reveal scale of financial worries after A-levels crisis

Government documents reveal ministers spoke to banks about worries over university finances

Meeting minutes for the government’s higher education taskforce have set out the details behind decisions made in the wake of the A-levels crisis, as well as concerns around students’ return to campuses during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Minutes for 11 meetings of the task force were released by the Department for Education on 12 November following a Freedom of Information request. The taskforce was set up by the department on 18 August after education secretary Gavin Williamson dropped the requirement for students to accept moderated A-level grades, which led to around 15,000 more students becoming eligible for their first-choice university.