More poor pupils going to Oxbridge

THE NUMBER of poor pupils going to Oxford and Cambridge University has doubled but remains only a fraction of those studying at A-level, new figures reveal.

By The Newsroom

Published 11th Aug 2014, 06:36 BST

In 2010/11, just 0.1 per cent of pupils on free school meals who did A-levels or equivalent qualifications went on to Oxbridge. The following year, it increased to 0.2 per cent.

The Department for Education says it measures this figure as it will show if the Government’s education policies are “raising standards and aspirations so that more disadvantaged young people are able to go to Oxford and Cambridge University”.

Tables also show the percentage of students from deprived backgrounds from Russell Group universities – such as Leeds, Sheffield and York – also increased from three to four per cent between 2010/11 and 2011/12.