Inequalities between schools preparing pupils for university

Students from high attaining state schools are better prepared for the university application process than their peers in more deprived areas, new research has found.

Researchers at the University of Stirling looked at the guidance and advice given to students applying to university from different state schools in Scotland.

They found that while high attaining schools focused on preparing applicants to be desirable to leading universities, the focus in low attaining schools was on persuading their students that university is advantageous.

The report, published by the journal Social Sciences said: “Within the most advantaged schools, there was a long-term commitment to actively build the skills that institutions desired and undertake one-to-one interviews to ensure the personal statement was pitched correctly.

“Amongst the most deprived communities, there was evidence of a long-term ‘battle’ by teachers to foster student aspirations and encourage them to reach their potential. This appears to lead to teachers focusing on persuading students to apply, rather than preparing them longer-term to be desirable.”