Clare Marchant, Chief Executive of UCAS, said:
“UCAS welcomes the appointment of John Blake into this key role. His experience working in schools will be critical to delivering better outcomes for disadvantaged students, whether that’s in a college, university, or an apprenticeship.
“With 1 million people using ucas.com each year, we have a pivotal role in making sure that every person, regardless of background or postcode, has the high quality, independent advice they need to make life changing choices about their next step.
“Inspiring students starts as early as primary school, with UCAS research showing advantaged students are around 40% more likely to think higher education is for them compared to their disadvantaged peers. It’s therefore vital that universities, schools and UCAS work together to raise attainment and make sure people succeed in the education or training they choose.
“We look forward to working with John and the OfS on a continuing productive and collaborative relationship.”
Ends
UCAS Press Office
01242 545 469
Notes for editors
UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, is an independent charity, and the UK's shared admissions service for higher education.
Our services support young people making post-18 choices, as well as mature learners, by providing information, advice, and guidance to inspire and facilitate educational progression to university, college or an apprenticeship. We manage almost three million applications, from around 700,000 people each year, for full-time undergraduate courses at over 380 universities and colleges across the UK.
We also provide a wide range of research, consultancy and advisory services to schools, colleges, careers services, professional bodies and employers, including apprenticeships.
We’re a successful and fast-growing organisation, which helps hundreds of thousands of people every year. We're committed to delivering a first-class service to all of our customers — they're at the heart of everything we do.