Bristol has been accused of turning down good students

The chairman of the Headmasters and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), Graham Able, said they were more satisfied that Bristol's admissions procedures were fair.

Speaking at a gathering of independent school head teachers in Brighton, Mr Able said: "I think we are in a position where we just move on from that situation as things change and misunderstandings are clarified."

He added: "We are increasingly reassured that their admissions' procedure will be fair and I am sure we will have as many candidates applying to Bristol this year as we've had in previous years."

Presentation

But a spokesperson for the Independent Schools Council, speaking on behalf of HMC and the Girls' Schools Association, said talk of ending the boycott was premature.

She said there had been a number of meetings between the schools' representatives and Bristol's, the latest of which was at the conference in Brighton.

"They have asked Bristol for certain assurances that would reassure them and their member schools that the admissions procedures are clear and transparent and their pupils are not being discriminated against."

Once those were given, there was a prospect of the ban being lifted but they were not there yet.

Bristol pro vice-chancellor Patricia Broadfoot gave a presentation in Brighton on the university's admissions policy.

'We welcome everyone'

This explained how it tried to cope with its popularity - with more than 30 applicants for every place on some courses.

It said its aim was to use a variety of methods to tease out those students with the best academic potential.

Bristol's communications and marketing director, Barry Taylor, said the boycott was based on a misunderstanding of the university's policy and practice.

"The university takes great pains to deal with every applicant fairly," he said.

"We will continue to welcome candidates from right across the education spectrum."

The boycott followed complaints from some independent schools that Bristol was deliberately giving preference to students from schools with a relatively poor academic track record.

Bristol does not think the boycott has had any effect as the debate around its admissions policy was mostly too late for this year's applications round.

It has seen a 2% dip in applications this year but had expected some falling back after a 12% surge last year.