Charles Clarke has unveiled plans for the new higher education access regulator and warned universities they will have to accept more working class students.

The education secretary announced that the watchdog will be known as the Office for Fair Access (OFFA).

Clarke stressed that OFFA would not impose targets for social inclusion within higher education, but would be "rigorous" in promoting wider access to the best institutions.

Forum Response: Professional Association of Teachers

Alison Johnston, senior professional officer for PAT, said: "We hope that OFFA will be a success in widening university access. However, we would like to see greater opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to go to university - not more debts for students.

"The social and financial disadvantages that deny many poorer students the chance to go to university begin at an early age - not at the post-16 level - and the government must tackle these problems too if it is serious about encouraging opportunity for all.

"We remain very concerned about high levels of student debt and about allowing universities to charge even higher tuition fees. We believe that the fear of debt deters many students from going to university - problems cause many other students to drop out.

"Financial penalties for university could have the opposite effect to the one intended and restrict the number of places institutions can offer to poorer students - especially when financial worries can result in such students leaving in the first place.

"We do not want to see a two-tier system of higher education, with only the rich able to afford to go to university.

"PAT would like to see a national maintenance allowance for all students in full-time tertiary education or training. This would be an investment in our young people and in the future of our country.

"As a teachers' union, PAT has long been concerned about the ability of young teachers to pay off student debts and we are worried that this is deterring many from becoming teachers. Most graduates faced with student debts, high house prices - and now deferred tuition fee payments as well - will naturally seek careers paying the highest salaries - which does not include teaching."

Forum Response: Universities Council for the Education of Teachers

Professor Peter Gilroy, chairman of UCET, told ePolitix.com: "This is yet another example of the lack of trust in the higher education (HE) sector. This is an example of audit culture which is effecting both the government and ourselves. The HE sector already has a finance audit and a research audit as well as others and an access audit is an audit-gone-mad approach to the sector.

"Having said that, with money coming into the HE it is clear that the use of it needs to be regulated. The title of 'regulator' is in itself misleading."

Forum Response: Universities UK

Diana Warwick, chief executive of Universities UK, said: "Universities have been making strenuous efforts to widen participation for many years, as highlighted in recent Universities UK reports.

"All universities fully support the aims of widening participation and securing fair access for all students with the potential to benefit from higher education, irrespective of their background. We will therefore be looking to ensure the proposals will address the needs of all students and all universities.

"It is also clear that the access agreements between OFFA and individual institutions will need to take into account that many universities have already made significant advances in widening participation. They will have to maintain a degree of flexibility to reflect the uncertainties universities face, for example in their public funding and student demand.

"In addition, the agreements will need to reflect the fact that while bursaries are one way of helping to widen participation, funding them will be much more difficult for those institutions that have already recruited a high proportion of non-traditional students, but are less wealthy."

Forum Response: SCOP

A spokeswoman for SCOP told ePolitix.com: "SCOP supports the principle of fair access for all students, underpinned by institutions' own robust and transparent admissions procedures. We welcome the government's commitment to raising standards at the 14-19 level in schools and FE colleges, and the additional resources to aid fair access to higher education announced in the higher education white paper.

"We will be consulting our members on the proposals to establish an Office of Fair Access before responding in detail. We would stress, however, that fair access is not just about access to the so-called 'top universities' but is an issue for the whole sector to address. There is much excellent practice to draw upon in developing the principles of good practice.

"Many HE colleges have well integrated strategies for attracting students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, alongside high employability and low drop-out rates.

"In addition to their strong reputations for teaching quality and student support, every general college and four-fifths of specialist colleges match or exceed their benchmark targets for widening participation and, in several colleges, the numbers of students from backgrounds in social classes IIIM-V is more than double sector norms."