Access to Oxbridge dominated by south east

Schools in London and the south east send a disproportionate amount of students to Oxford and Cambridge compared to the rest of the UK, according to new research.

A paper to be presented to a Royal Geographical Society international conference later this month maps the number of pupils sent to Oxford and Cambridge from different types of schools in different areas.

It found that inner London sends 1.89 times more to Oxbridge than the national average, with the south east sending 1.46 times more students and outer London sending 1.37 times more students.

When the figures were broken down based on school type, the south east was found to send 1.43 times more students to Oxbridge than the national average, with outer London sending 1.24 times as many.

When compared to the rest of the UK, this shows that some state schools in London and the south east send more pupils than many private schools in the east midlands and north east.

Schools in the north east send 0.44 of the national average to Oxbridge, while the north west sends 0.55 of the national average and the east midlands sends 0.59.

Researcher Sol Gamsu suggests that gentrification in the capital paired with selective sixth forms has contributed to the figures and the rise of ‘super state’ schools. He also commented that rising house prices in London were forcing out less affluent families from accessing high performing comprehensive schools.