UNITED KINGDOM

Data show Oxbridge-chances divide

More than one in seven schools and colleges are failing to send any pupils to the UK's top universities, new figures show, writes Alison Kershaw for The Independent. Almost two-thirds do not send any teenagers to Oxford or Cambridge, according to government data.

The statistics reveal a stark divide in pupils' chances of attending a leading university, with those educated at grammar schools much more likely to win a place than their peers. The data, published for the first time last week, show how many A-level pupils at each school and college in the country went on to higher education in general, as well as the numbers that went to Oxford or Cambridge and other leading Russell Group universities. The figures include state schools only, excluding private schools.

Four schools and colleges in England did not send any pupils to university in 2009-10. Some 330 schools and colleges, around 15%, which entered pupils for A-levels or equivalent qualifications, did not send any students to a Russell Group university. In addition, 1,395, around 64.5%, did not send any youngsters to Oxford or Cambridge.
Full report on The Independent site