What a dreary and depressing article. Had there been any concern for evidence rather than a desperate search for examples to reinforce her own prejudice, your journalist might have provided drop-out rates for a number of universities. I would be very interested to see how Oxbridge measures up against other Russell Group universities and it would be particularly revealing to see how these look alongside former polytechnics.

Her mock horror that in some of the most demanding and prestigious jobs there is a high proportion of people educated at our best universities is puzzling. Michael Gove is absolutely right to encourage really able people of all backgrounds to apply for Oxford and Cambridge, and let us hope that the sort of prejudice that has clearly informed this article does not get in their way.

Simon Corns, Headteacher, Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Blackburn.