Martin McQuillan

‘Social mobility’ is now the central trope in the public discussion of university tuition fees and the guiding principle of HE policy. Given that social mobility is only a possible side effect of a university education not its primary purpose; we are entitled to ask how we arrived at this confusing situation in which the tail seems to be wagging the dog. In the week that Alan Milburn published his review of social mobility and higher education, we take one step back and look at the concept of ‘social mobility’ itself and its complicated relationship with universities.