University students from the UK’s least well-off families are still no more likely to go to the country’s top universities than when the Labour party launched a revolution in higher education 25 years ago, according to new research.
While the proportion of UK school-leavers enrolled at universities has risen by 60 per cent since Sir Tony Blair won power in 1997, the most disadvantaged remain stubbornly under-represented at the most prestigious institutions, even when they obtain the necessary grades.
The research compiled by consultancy dataHE for the Sutton Trust, a charity that promotes social mobility, was published on the eve of Labour’s conference in Liverpool. Opinion polls show that the party — which on Friday secured a strong victory in a closely watched Scottish by-election — is on track to regain power next year after 13 years in opposition.