The impact of increasing competition for university on disadvantaged government school students

The influence of socioeconomic status on academic outcomes has been well documented in literature exploring post school pathways. Such accounts of educational disadvantage exist in relation to Melbourne, Australia as they do in other cities across the developed world. However, over the past decade in Melbourne there has been an increased stratification of educational outcomes that cannot necessarily be explained by any parallel increase in social inequality. This differentiation of outcomes has been the result of growing competition for university places – stemming from growth in the school aged population and rising retention rates, but accompanied by no equivalent increase in the number of university places. Some schools and students have thrived in this environment, but many others have struggled. This paper explores this stratification with particular emphasis on the decline in academic outcomes of government school students in disadvantaged areas of Melbourne. I consider the influence of factors such as the demise of the comprehensive school system and the resulting growth in curriculum specialisation, school choice policies, and the role of the private school sector in exacerbating disadvantage. The lessons learnt from Melbourne’s experience are relevant to education policy makers across the world.