Old school 'key to student place'

The Sutton Trust charity, which analysed admissions from 2002-06, says state school youngsters are losing out.

The trust found the number of pupils at the top 30 comprehensives who went to Oxbridge was just a third of what might be expected if based on ability.

But at the top 30 independent schools, more than expected got Oxbridge places.

The Sutton Trust is committing at least £10m over the next five years to lift the chances of youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds.

"It is deeply worrying - not to mention a sad waste of talent "
Sir Peter Lampl
Sutton Trust

It wants others to "join the cause", both financially and by coming up with innovative schemes.

It is also investigating how it can help state schools where the average A-level (or equivalent) score is high but the access to the top universities is relatively low.

Five years

The "Sutton 13" research-led universities the trust cites in its reports are Cambridge, Imperial College London, Oxford, the LSE, University College London, York, Warwick, Bristol, Nottingham, St Andrews, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Durham.

For this latest study it analysed admission rates between 2002 and 2006 involving more than one million students from 3,700 UK schools and colleges.

Among the other findings:

• 100 elite schools accounted for a third of Oxbridge admissions
• at the 30 most successful schools, a quarter of all university entrants went to Oxbridge
• 100 elite schools accounted for more than a sixth of admissions to the Sutton 13 universities

More than 80% of these elite schools are in the independent sector.

The trust says the findings cannot be attributed to A-level results alone:

• the proportion of university entrants going to Oxbridge from the top performing 30 independent schools was nearly twice that of the top performing 30 grammar schools - despite very similar average A-level scores
• at the 30 top performing comprehensives, only half the expected pupils were admitted to the Sutton 13
• at the 30 top performing independent schools, however, a third more pupils than expected went to the Sutton 13

Click here for a table showing the top 100 state schools

Sutton Trust chairman Sir Peter Lampl said: "It is deeply worrying - not to mention a sad waste of talent - that the chances of reaching one of these highly selective universities are much greater for those who attend a small number of the country's elite schools, mainly fee-paying.

"Where does this leave the vast majority of the population who do not have access to these opportunities?"

Researcher Lee Elliott Major said the "killer fact" was that the top 30 independent schools had twice the numbers going to Oxbridge than the top 30 grammar schools.

Sir Peter said: "We are not saying there's any skulduggery going on."

Family aspirations were obviously a key factor.

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Independent schools tended to prepare their students much better to cope with admissions interviews and tests.

"There's a big problem with a lot of schools not encouraging kids to aim high enough."

And he added: "We have a class structure, that is the very simple answer.

"We actually do have a class structure and that gets in the way of trying to do something about this."

Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell said: "The government is strongly committed to ensuring that every young person with the ability and potential to benefit from higher education has the opportunity to do so."

The Independent Schools Council said: "We believe the problems in widening access from the maintained sector require a solution much earlier in a child's education."

Universities UK president Rick Trainor said universities already did a great deal to widen access.

"We agree with the point that potential students should not be disadvantaged by where they happen to go to school - raising aspirations and attainment and offering appropriate guidance while at school is key to this."

UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS: TOP 100 STATE SCHOOLS

TYPE: SEL-Selective; COMP-Comprehensive; FE-Further Education College; SF-Sixth Form College

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