Jayne Dowle: Why we're failing to help pupils reach for the stars

Kate’s different though. She is so outstanding at maths, science and engineering, she was plucked from her secondary school in Barnsley a few years ago and now attends a specialist university technical college (UTC) in Sheffield.

You might think that Kate is now on a fast-track to NASA. When she came round to see our Jack the other night though, I discovered that she’s millions of light years away from her dream.

Her teachers have advised her to pursue an apprenticeship and A-Levels, then apply for a place to study engineering at Sheffield Hallam university. Not for a moment have I anything against Sheffield Hallam. I have friends who teach and work there, and know many people who have graduated with excellent degrees. I also understand that Kate’s college and local universities work together; all this is good and positive for South Yorkshire.

The thing is, I believe that Kate is special. Not only does she have the academic prowess to go far, she possesses huge intellectual curiosity and theories of her own. If I was teaching her, I’d be urging her to consider Oxford, Cambridge or Imperial College, London, a world-class institution which specialises in science and engineering.

As it stands, she’s struggling to even get an apprenticeship with a local company. She spent her recent “work experience” placement serving in a shop. And until I put her straight, she was under the tragic misconception that Oxbridge tuition fees are twice as expensive as other universities. As the child of a single parent, the cost of a degree terrifies her.

She hadn’t heard of the many initiatives which encourage young women to study science, nor of the extra funding which STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects attract at universities. I can only wonder why. Surely her teachers must be able to spot her potential? They should be encouraging her to aim for the stars she is so fascinated by

And also, I’d hope that they might be able to take the time to bust a few myths about higher education. It’s not the first time I’ve come across teachers in South Yorkshire who see no further than Sheffield. I appreciate that both Sheffield Hallam and the University of Sheffield are outstanding. However, if what I have heard recently from schools is anything to go by, they are in danger of becoming the only option for local youngsters.

I accept that practicalities – not least financial – have to be managed. However, as a graduate of the University of Oxford and a veteran of a very competitive industry, the media, I understand too that we have to raise both expectations and aspirations.

Nick Hudson, then regional director of the education watchdog Ofsted, published a report in 2013 which highlighted just this. He argued that the education of children across the Yorkshire and Humber region is dogged by “poverty of expectation and poverty of aspiration”.

It is easy to misconstrue Hudson’s thesis and assume that he was talking merely about exam results. Although these are important, they should not be regarded in isolation. What happened to the belief that anything is possible?

Our Yorkshire children will never be world-beaters until our schools broaden their horizons. I would like teachers to fully equip pupils for the ultra-competitive world they are about to enter into. I know timetables are tight, but please arrange visits to as many universities as possible. Encourage former pupils to return to school and share their experiences of higher education. Run sessions in which the basics of going to university are explained, in detail. If a bright girl like Kate is confused about tuition fees, heaven help the rest.

And also, be realistic. There are thousands of young people who want to become astronauts, or journalists for that matter. However, they may come from privileged backgrounds with excellent family connections. They are likely to attend ultra-competitive schools, fee-paying or otherwise.

They will be party to expert personal guidance and be aware that if you want to succeed in a tough field, you have to use every single tool in your armoury; the most prestigious university possible, the scholarship, the industry sponsorship.

I’ve had so many heart-breaking conversations with teenagers who have no idea of the sheer grit and determination required to make it, and not just as an astronaut. If they want to be a vet, or a doctor, or a lawyer, they will be required to pit themselves against the very best. It grieves me that more than 30 years after I left school in Barnsley, we don’t seem to have made much progress.

When Kate started talking about dark matter at my kitchen table I almost burst into tears. There’s a whole universe of opportunity out there. Unfortunately, our children are still growing up with precious little idea of how to navigate it.