Huge majority of mothers want their children to go to university

At a time when the Government is considering lifting the cap on fees, which would see students pay thousands of pounds more for their degrees, a survey of almost 14,000 families reveals 97 per cent of mothers in England want their child to go on to higher education.

This figure was the same for mothers in families above and below the poverty line.

The figures are taken from the Millennium Cohort Study, which is tracking the development of children born in the UK between 2000 and 2002. The findings show that at the very least, mothers want their child to continue studying, with 98 per

cent saying they want their five to seven-year-olds to stay in school past the minimum leaving age.

Dr Kirstine Hansen and Dr Elizabeth Jones, who analysed the responses, said: "The overarching impression from the parental interviews is one of all families, right across the social spectrum, taking an interest in the millennium children's schooling and aspiring for them to do well.

"This is a positive sign because previous research has shown that parental involvement and interest in their children's education is a strong predictor of later educational success."

The study also looked at the help children received with reading, writing and maths at home, and found that those with parents who have higher qualification levels are less likely to get help.

While 85 per cent of parents with no qualifications said their child had help, 77 per cent of parents with the highest qualification levels said the same.

But children with parents with higher qualification levels were more likely to have a private tutor for the basics, and are also more likely

to attend extra curricular activities.