The 12 social mobility stats of 2018

2018 has been another year of agenda-setting research for the Sutton Trust. From early years to apprenticeships, we take a look back at twelve stand-out statistics from this year’s reports.

1. Following the Jan cabinet reshuffle, we found that almost half of the new cabinet were Oxbridge graduates, compared to just 1% of the population.
2. Our first report on internships in 2018 found that the minimum cost of carrying out an unpaid internship in London is over £1,000 per month, or £827 in Manchester.
3. Our research into student mobility found state school students are 6 times more likely to stay at home and study locally than their privately educated counterparts.
4. In April analysis of Sure Start children’s centres showed as many as 1,000 have closed since 2009 – twice as many as the government have reported.
5. Seven years since their set-up, our first analysis of free schools revealed just 1 in 3 free schools have demonstrated a novel approach.
6. Our summer polling found just 1 in 5 teachers would recommend an apprenticeship to their highest attaining pupils.
7. In August we found private tuition is on the up, with 1 in 4 young people across England and Wales saying they’ve received private or home tuition.
8. ‘Potential for Success’ showed over 1,000 promising pupils from less well-off homes miss out on top grades at GCSE each year.
9. As pupils went back to school, ‘Parent Power 2018’ revealed almost 1 in 3 professional parents know someone who has used ethically dubious strategies to gain access to a particular school.
10. Our first ‘Student Destinations’ report highlighted that between 2006 and 2016, 7,000 more young people enrolled at a top university after completing a Sutton Trust programme than otherwise would have done.
11. ‘Pay As You Go?’, our second report on internships, revealed 70% of all internships in the UK are unpaid.
12. Our penultimate report of 2018 found 8 top schools and colleges in the UK send as many pupils to Oxbridge as 2,900 others put together.

You can find all our research reports from 2018 here.