CLASS is still disadvantaging students even if they make it to higher education, according to a think tank.

A Higher Education Policy Institute study has revealed that no college or university where more than 30 per cent of students received free school meals (FSM) achieved a gold award under the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).

The awards aim to recognise excellence in teaching and student outcomes, but the paper shows that award-winning institutions such as Bath, Exeter, Oxford and Loughborough are among the lowest recruiters from disadvantaged background, while the highest recruiters were silver-rated institutions, such as Middlesex and Roehampton universities.