Private schools: We take more poor children

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David Lyscom from the Independent Schools Council said the academically best-performing schools which do not charge fees have considerably fewer poor children than private schools.

The suggestion, due to be made in a speech to the council's annual conference in London today, comes as the organisation tries to counter its reputation for social exclusivity.

The sector is under pressure to do its bit under the new Charity Commission rules demanding they help low-income families.

The ISC said its new figures would counter the private schools' reputation of being "stuffed full of posh white kids".

Mr Lyscom said parents from all backgrounds decide to pay for their children's education.

"Even where parents are being squeezed, evidence suggests that school fees are one of the last areas where parents will cut expenditure," he said. "Unlike holidays, cars and flat-screen TVs, educating one's children is not seen as discretionary expenditure."

He said one in 10 parents who choose private education was from low-income areas, while 14.5 per cent earn the national average household income of just over £30,000.

As a result, more than a quarter of private pupils now receive direct financial support from their schools, either in means-tested bursaries or academic scholarships.

In his address today, Mr Lyscom will also claim that private schools are more ethnically diverse than state schools, shattering the myth that they are bastions of privilege dominated by upper-and middle-class white pupils.

Data compiled by the ISC from its 1,265 members - which include schools such as Harrow and Eton - has revealed that 23 per cent of pupils at private schools are from ethnic minority backgrounds comapared with 22 per cent in state schools.