Young people from free school meal backgrounds living in some areas of the country are 5 times as likely to go to university as those living in other areas new research released today by NEON shows. The ‘Universities not for everyone: levelling up and who is missing out on higher education in England’ report looks at progression to higher education for young people from free school meal (FSM) backgrounds from 2005-06 to 2021-22. Key findings in the report include:
- Of all the state-funded pupils’ progressing to higher education (HE) by age 19 in 2021-22 only a very small minority – less than 10%, come from an FSM background.
- Progress in expanding participation for FSM learners has slowed from 1.22% per year from 2005-06 to 2011-12 to 0.89% per year from 2011-12 to 2021-22 after the coalition government was elected.
- In 63% of local authorities, the gap between FSM state-funded pupils’ progressing to higher education (HE) by age 19 over the period 2011-12 to 2021-22 and non- FSM pupils progressing to HE has increased.
- The gap in in the % of FSM state-funded pupils’ progressing to higher education (HE) by age 19 between London and every London regions from 2011-12 and 2021-22 has increased. Between London and the south west the gap in participation in 2021-22 is 30%.
- Across England there has been an increase in 44% in FSM learners participating in HE from 2011-12 to 2011-22 but some areas are making very slow progress. In 15 areas there has been an increase in less than 25% over the period and in 2 areas – Leicester and Blackpool, the progression rate has declined over the period.
- In 69% of local authority areas the % of FSM state-funded pupils’ progressing to higher education (HE) by age 19 in 2021-22 is below the national average of 29.2%.
The report argues that both major parties are paying insufficient attention to the lack of progress in expanding opportunities in higher education participation for learners from low-income backgrounds and the widening gap compared to participation rates for higher income learners.
As Professor Graeme Atherton, Director of NEON and author of the report states:
‘We need to re-connect widening access to higher education with opportunity, levelling up and social mobility. Participation in higher education will increasingly be the avenue to better paid, secure employment over the coming years and learners from low-income backgrounds in communities across the country are being excluded from it’.
To read the full report please click here.