North pupils held back by inequality

A total of 646 hard-working pupils from Northern state-funded schools were accepted into either Oxford or Cambridge universities in the 2020/21 academic year, according to data from the Department of Education.

- ROB PARSONS

But that compares with 714 from London, meaning students from state-funded London schools are twice as likely to get into Oxbridge as those from the North. As David Dubas-Fisher from Reach's data unit reports, the totals equate to 1.2% of school leavers from the capital and 0.6% from the North.

In addition, of the four local authorities described as "Oxbridge deserts" with no students going to either university, three are in the North - Knowsley, Rochdale and Salford.