MP says soft A-levels bar state pupils from leading universities

A-levels in traditional subjects like maths, science and foreign languages are becoming the preserve of private and grammar schools, according to Tory MP Elizabeth Truss.

An analysis of official data, conducted by Ms Truss, suggests that half as many students educated at comprehensive schools study three “rigorous” A-levels as those who attend fee-paying schools.

Ms Truss, MP for South West Norfolk, said the figures showed that comprehensive school pupils were seeing their chances of attending elite universities “cut off before they have even filled in their application forms”.

The analysis looked at the proportion of pupils in comprehensive, grammar and private schools taking subjects that appear on the Russell Group’s list of “facilitating” A-levels.

The Russell Group represents the UK’s most prestigious universities, including Leeds and Sheffield.

The list is designed to give would-be students advice on the best subjects to take at A-level to get into degree courses at these elite higher education providers.

The findings show that 15 per cent of comprehensive school pupils entered for at least three “facilitating” A-levels, compared with 32 per cent at grammar schools and 31 per cent at private schools. The biggest gaps were in science, maths and languages.

Only seven per cent of comprehensive school pupils took a modern foreign language A-level compared with 13 per cent of those at grammar school and 19 per cent at private school.

Nine per cent of comprehensive pupils took physics A-level compared with 17 per cent each at private and grammar schools.

Ms Truss said: “Students are being mis-sold low-quality subjects that are not accepted at top universities to boost school and local authorities’ results. It is time Ofqual put an end to the myth that mathematics and media studies are ‘equivalent’.” Her findings also showed media studies was taken at A-level more often in non-selective state schools.