State teachers refuse to push poor, bright pupils to apply for Oxbridge
STATE school teachers refuse to encourage bright, disadvantaged pupils to apply to Oxford and Cambridge because they assume most ‘won’t be happy there’.
Four in ten teachers said they would rarely or never advise their cleverest children to apply – despite the opportunities this could offer the students, a study found.
Of those admitting they did not encourage pupils, 19 per cent said it was because they felt the children were unlikely to get in and 13 per cent said they didn’t think they would be happy there.
The findings come amid a Government drive to increase the number of students from deprived backgrounds going to top universities. In previous years, both Oxford and Cambridge have faced criticism for not doing enough to encourage children from state schools and disadvantaged backgrounds to apply for courses.
‘Damaging future prospects’
Theresa May has highlighted the injustice of white working class boys being the least likely group to attend university.
The Government hopes to reintroduce grammar schools to the poorest areas in the country to help more disadvantaged bright children get into Oxbridge.
Yesterday, experts said the findings showed many teachers in the comprehensive system were failing to help bright students fulfil their potential.
The study of 1,607 primary and secondary school teachers was carried out by the Sutton Trust, a charity providing educational opportunities for children from under-privileged backgrounds.
Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: ‘ Many state school teachers don’t see Oxbridge as a realistic goal for their brightest pupils. It is vital that the universities step up their outreach activities to address teachers’ and students’ misconceptions.’
Chris McGovern, of the Campaign for Real Education, said: ‘ Lots of teachers, it seems, are actively damaging the future prospects of the children they teach.
‘If the Government seeks an extra argument in favour of grammar schools for helping raise the attainment and expectation of children from deprived backgrounds, this research finding provides it.’
The news comes ahead of the deadline this Saturday for applying to Oxford and Cambridge.
Just one-fifth of the polled teachers said they always advised their bright pupils to apply and a quarter said they usually did.
Researchers also found teachers’ common misconceptions extended to the proportion of state school students at Oxford and Cambridge. Just over a fifth thought fewer than 20 per cent of students came from the state sector when the actual figure is about 60 per cent.
Alan Smithers, professor of education at the University of Buckingham, said: ‘It is shameful that these teachers cut across the chances of bright, poor pupils by assuming they would not be happy there.’