What is wrong with Universities favouring privately educated candidates? They are better prepared and have been "conditioned" as future leaders from an early age! Just remember that some of these priveleged privately educated students come from quite humble stock! I dont want any prizes or patrinising nonsense fro anyone, but I prvately educated all 5 of my children...and I was brought up on a very poor council estate in Newcastle! With 70% of teachers in the public sector schools being socialists, thank goodness we have private schools

I doubt this report is showing a complete picture. No mention of numbers applying or grades attained. Bearing in mind that the cost is now very high I suspect that cost has reduced the number of applicants from poorer backgrounds.

Show the full picture and stop hiding the truth.

you dont need to go to university be abe to make pasties and serve petrol do you cave dameron.

I am fed up with constant social engineering.

Raising standards rather than forcing admission targets should be the priority. There is a myth that private school pupils have it easy. They work hard for their grades, sit the same exams only to be discriminated upon as Universities demand higher grades from them so as to accommodate government forced 'lower' grades for 'disadvantaged' ' state school' where supposedly the pupils are totally victims that have no idea they should work hard , ie take 'higher' tier subjects.

Private Schools have all kinds of pupils, but does any one remember those pupils from 'poor' backgrounds who worked hard to gain entry?

How do children in poor countries some barely able to afford a meal, a shoe or text book , work hard scoring high marks all without the excuse of poverty being a hindrance.
The problem is largely aspiration, example set by parents.

Look around while Private /Grammar /Good State School pupils come home with up to 5 pieces of home work a day, who is hanging around corners with friends?

Britain, stop telling those children that they are discriminated upon where the problem is at times their own poor performance, weak effort.

Some parents instill the merits of hard work and appreciation of education in their children from day one, rich or poor.
So why should their child get A*A A A , and supposedly the child with B B C or BC get into Exeter, Birmingham ?

This is not so bad as long as you can take all the exams you need later on in life. I didn't take my A levels until I was 30. Ok it annoyed some of the public school types later on because they thought I was doing it to show off and some became very angry. I did go briefly to University but could not really afford it.

Where did it go wrong we have more going to university than fifty years ago yet less educated individuals now than we ever did. We now have children that are not allowed to play free to experience the joys of discovery, climbing trees swinging on ropes playing congers falling out with their friends while playing then laughing with them instantaneously friends once more. Schools gave hope, guidance, showed boundaries and consequences even though some teachers had sadistic tendencies and we all loved to push them as far as we could, so long as our parents never found out. School was hard work and rivalry was strong a state secondary would have fun at the expense of a grammar but not many of us came into contact with public schools an anathema to all working men and their children. They were seen as self-important being better than the rest too posh for their own good, yet every working man wanted that education for their child.

What we came up with was the comprehensive, a system of throwing all into the same pot but without public schools, teaching under continued political interference started its slow decline. Academically universities took hold thousands taught but very few educated as these students moved into the working world life began to change political correctness took hole and we became risk averse. Academia replaced intelligent for intelligent is not what you know but the way you use what you know, just like the old schools.

My family has grown up and attended schools in a terribly poor area. In general the teachers are appalling and too arrogant too care or listen. No matter how hard they try they are dragged down by badly behaved and disruptive kids and incompentent teachers, when you find a good one the difference is shocking. My sister has come into money ans because her daughter was doing so badly and being so badly bullied they have just changed her to a private school. The difference is scandalous. She is happy and learning more than ever. She just can't wait to leave in the morning. She does longer hours but her home time is her as she has no homework. She has gone from 32 in her class to 15 and if my sister needs to speak to a teacher she actually can and they listen. Is it any wonder that our kids are left behind?

What should be done is, stop private education and private health care in this country, then see the rich plough more money into services.

Maybe 9k tuition fees have had an impact, as well as the cancelling of EMA for 6th formers. Was that what the Liberals pledged to support? What damning indictment of this lousy rotten Tory Coalition that education has been compromised for short term bankers profits. Blair got many things wrong (wars etc) but his Liberal policy on education was commendable..the fact he gave public money to PFI's was not bonny but it's better than Gove the wimpy Tory private-educated t&^%er who has been educated beyond his intelligence.

It's called the Big Society.

Millions of unemployed illiterates cared for public schooled, university educated altruistic and benevolent masters.

Lords of the Manor and serfdom. Nothing changes.

The other Dave.

"despite a government drive to improve social mobility" They couldn't "drive" a "mobility" scooter. Must keep Oxbridge for those that went to Eton, jolly good idea old chap, what, pip pip and tally ho.

It is a shame. But sadly, it is one of the facts of life. A private school education is generally better than that from a state school simply because the teaching is better. This is because the teachers have themselves been to university rather than trained in the state school system.

I really think it is payback time from the aristocracy for having their houses took off them and given to the National Trust and ordinary people getting on and making more money than them. This is revenge plain an simple.