Poorest miss out on uni, say Tories

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In the 10% most deprived areas of the country, on average, only three in 10 school leavers (31.9%) go on to higher education, while 59% do so from the 10% richest areas, according to analysis of figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Shadow universities secretary David Willetts said more needs to be done to widen university access.

The statistics show that, in some areas, fewer than 4% of teenagers go to university.

In Tong, Bradford, just 3.7% of under-21s go on to higher education. In Honicknowle, Plymouth, this figure is 3.8% and in Ashton Hurst, Tameside, it is 4%.

The ONS figures give each town or neighbourhood a "rank of income score" where one is the most deprived.

The analysis shows that the most deprived ward is Spinney Hills in Leicester. However, 41% of teenagers from here go on to university.

Mr Willetts said: "These statistics reveal the scandal of low social mobility in Britain today. Going to university should be about academic ability not where you were born. Millions of pounds have been spent on widening access but we have not seen the results to match.

"Far too many school leavers from poorer backgrounds, who have similar aspirations to their wealthier peers, are simply not getting the opportunities they need to match their ambitions. School reform is crucial but there's more the Government can do. We need more imaginative approaches to widening access and better routes from vocational training."