Bright but poor less likely to get good grades

Bright children from poor families are far less likely to get good grades in respected A-level subjects than other teenagers, research by University of Oxford academics indicates.

A study tracking thousands of children found that 35 per cent of pupils from lower-income households who scored highly in primary school tests achieved three A levels, compared with 60 per cent from more affluent families.

When academics looked at the courses they studied, there was a similar pattern: 33 per cent of poor children took at least one A level in a traditional “facilitating” subject, whereas 58 per cent of affluent teenagers did so.

Leading universities have said that some of their degrees will not be open to candidates who have not studied at least one facilitating subject. These are maths, the sciences, English literature, history, geography and languages.

The Sutton Trust’s study examined data for 3,000 children, looking at 349 from poor families who achieved an above average level 5, in English, maths or science in primary school tests.

Sir Peter Lampl, the trust’s chairman, called on the government and schools to “urgently” take action.

Read the full report here (£).