*/
Only 23% of black and ethnic minority Bar school graduates from the UK and EU got a pupillage last year, according to figures released by the Bar Standards Board (BSB).
That figure was up by 2.5% on the previous year, but showed a marked disparity with their white counterparts who were more than twice as likely to get a pupillage, with almost 50% successful.
Among the UK/EU-domiciled BPTC graduates, 50% of pupillages were awarded to women, up from 48% last year.
The statistics revealed that the overall chance of getting a pupillage is slim, with less than 43% of those who enrolled on the course from 2012/13-2015/16 having started one. That figure dropped to around 41% when including 2016/17 graduates as they have had less time in which to obtain pupillage.
The BSB figures also showed that 815 (57%) of the 1,424 students enrolled on the BPTC in 2016/17 passed and 13% achieved the highest grade, ‘outstanding’ (those figures may rise once retakes are taken into account).
The performance rates do not appear to have affected the number of students applying to take the course, which can cost up to £20,000. The BSB report showed that the number of applications for the BPTC for 2016/17 was 2,917, seven more than in 2015/16.
The BSB is looking at proposals to change the course, while the Bar Council has backed plans for the Inns of Court College of Advocacy to deliver a new two-part BPTC for about half the cost.
Ewen Macleod, BSB Director of Strategy and Policy, said: ‘We hope that this latest set of statistics will help students to gauge their chances of success within the current qualification model.’
Only 23% of black and ethnic minority Bar school graduates from the UK and EU got a pupillage last year, according to figures released by the Bar Standards Board (BSB).
That figure was up by 2.5% on the previous year, but showed a marked disparity with their white counterparts who were more than twice as likely to get a pupillage, with almost 50% successful.
Among the UK/EU-domiciled BPTC graduates, 50% of pupillages were awarded to women, up from 48% last year.
The statistics revealed that the overall chance of getting a pupillage is slim, with less than 43% of those who enrolled on the course from 2012/13-2015/16 having started one. That figure dropped to around 41% when including 2016/17 graduates as they have had less time in which to obtain pupillage.
The BSB figures also showed that 815 (57%) of the 1,424 students enrolled on the BPTC in 2016/17 passed and 13% achieved the highest grade, ‘outstanding’ (those figures may rise once retakes are taken into account).
The performance rates do not appear to have affected the number of students applying to take the course, which can cost up to £20,000. The BSB report showed that the number of applications for the BPTC for 2016/17 was 2,917, seven more than in 2015/16.
The BSB is looking at proposals to change the course, while the Bar Council has backed plans for the Inns of Court College of Advocacy to deliver a new two-part BPTC for about half the cost.
Ewen Macleod, BSB Director of Strategy and Policy, said: ‘We hope that this latest set of statistics will help students to gauge their chances of success within the current qualification model.’
Chair of the Bar sets out a busy calendar for the rest of the year
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Examined by Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
Time is precious for barristers. Every moment spent chasing paperwork, organising diaries, or managing admin is time taken away from what matters most: preparation, advocacy and your clients. That’s where Eden Assistants step in
AlphaBiolabs has announced its latest Giving Back donation to RAY Ceredigion, a grassroots West Wales charity that provides play, learning and community opportunities for families across Ceredigion County
Rachel Davenport, Co-founder and Director at AlphaBiolabs, outlines why barristers, solicitors, judges, social workers and local authorities across the UK trust AlphaBiolabs for court-admissible testing
Through small but meaningful efforts, we can restore the sense of collegiality that has been so sorely eroded, says Baldip Singh
Come in with your eyes open, but don’t let fear cloud the prospect. A view from practice by John Dove
Looking to develop a specialist practice? Mariya Peykova discusses the benefits of secondments and her placement at the Information Commissioner’s Office
Anon Academic explains why he’s leaving the world of English literature for the Bar – after all, the two are not as far apart as they may first seem...
Review by Stephen Cragg KC
