Pathways participants progress to top-notch unis

The 2010-11 Pathways to Law annual report has revealed that 47% of the first cohort of pathways participants was admitted to a Russell Group or 1994 Group university. A comparator group, comprised of students with similar social and academic profiles, saw just 41% go to those same universities.

The report also reveals that the scheme substantially raised participants' academic ambitions, with 85% applying to Russell Group universities, compared with just 61% of the other group. Fifty-four percent of the pathways cohort went on to study law at degree level, with a further 25% studying subjects with traditionally high rates of postgraduate conversion to law.

The pathways scheme was established in September 2007 by the CoL and the Sutton Trust, and aims to help A-level students from under-represented backgrounds enter the legal profession by providing a range of guidance and learning opportunities. It targets academically able students from state schools who are interested in a career in law and will usually be the first generation of their family to attend university. Among other things, students attend lectures, seminars and advice sessions, and have a short work placement in a law firm.

Richard de Friend, chair of the academic board at CoL, said: "Although proving a definite effect for any given educational intervention is notoriously difficult, there are indications that Pathways to Law is having a positive impact. The scheme is generally reaching the right students and there appears to be a clear benefit in terms of increasing the likelihood of admission to a top university."