Only one in 20 pupils in some of the country’s poorest postcodes progress to higher education, according to new analysis by Teach First.

The charity has called for the government to improve entry rates by writing off student debt to get better teachers into challenging schools. It has also called on universities to start offering university access programmes at primary level.

According to Teach First’s research, on average only one in five young people born in the country’s poorest postcodes progress to university, while half of those born in the wealthiest postcodes do so.

However, the gap is even more stark between some areas.

Big differences

For example, in some parts of Derbyshire, as few as one in twenty students go to university, while in parts of Buckinghamshire it is more than 80 per cent. This means that those born in some of the richest areas are up to 18 times more likely to attend university than those in some of the poorest areas.

Teach First also found big differences between the choices made by disadvantaged young people when it came to university compared to their more privileged peers. 

A ComRes poll of 18-25 year olds found that 41 per cent of the most advantaged students said they chose their university because it was the best for what they wanted to study, compared to only 31 per cent of the least advantaged.

Similarly, the reputation of a university was important to 53 per cent of the most advantaged students, but it only was for 46 per cent of the most disadvantaged.

Disadvantaged students are also more likely to choose an institution close to where they live, with 29 per cent saying they chose their university on this basis, compared to 24 per cent of the most advantaged.

Of the most disadvantaged pupils who did not go to university, only 12 per cent said this was because their grades weren’t good enough.

‘More must be done’

To ensure students were able to make more informed choices when it came to university, Teach First said there should be a trained careers middle leader in every school to develop and lead a careers strategy. It suggested this could be paid for out of money councils and academies are required to set aside for the apprenticeship levy.

Teach First says the government should offer student loan forgiveness to attract the best possible graduates into teaching, where they can help young people from deprived communities achieve their potential.

It suggests 20 per cent of student debt could be cleared for those working for two years, increasing to 50 per cent for those who remain in certain geographic or subject areas for five years.

The charity also says that universities’ access work is coming too late, with programmes frequently aimed at pupils aged 16-18 “by which point much of the effects of disadvantage have already played out”.

Instead, it argues that access work should start at primary school to give pupils “the best possible opportunity to make informed and supported decisions about their futures at an earlier age”.

Brett Wigdortz, Teach First’s chief executive and founder, said “there are still far too few disadvantaged pupils getting to university”.

“They’re simply not given the same chance to reach their full potential, with less access to brilliant teaching and less guidance on how they can turn their aspirations into reality. ”

He added: “More must be done by the government, universities and society as a whole to break down the barriers to social mobility that are preventing too many of our young people reaching as far as their potential allows”.

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