A CHARITY has warned of “unacceptable” levels of segregation across state schools after it found that poorer students stand less chance of getting into top-performing comprehensives.

The Sutton Trust study researched the top 500 secondary schools in England, ranked according to how pupils performed across eight subjects at GCSE level. 

According to the study, the “top-performing” schools took 40 per cent fewer pupils eligible for free school meals than the average comprehensive school.