Football star Stephen Gerrard (pictured), who is missing from England’s World Cup team due to injury, has added impetus to a government drive to encourage state school pupils to consider university. He has endorsed the Aimhigher roadshow - a tour of English schools to provide information to 13 to 19-year-olds about higher education. Margaret Hodge, minister for lifelong learning and higher education, said before the roadshow that around 50 per cent of pupils said they were interested in, or definitely going to, university. Now the figure is 71 per cent.