TODAY’S GCSE results exposed the “entrenched inequality” in Britain’s education system, with privately educated pupils now 2.5 times more likely to score the highest grades than those at comprehensives.
Experts said the results reflected the widening gaps between the most and least well-off after the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis.
Figures published by England’s exams regulator Ofqual revealed nearly half — 48.4 per cent — of private school entries scored at least a grade 7, compared with 19.4 per cent of pupils in state schools.
The 29 percentage point gap for the top grades between private and state school education is up from 28.2 points in 2023.
Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said: “Despite all the talk of equalising opportunities, private school pupils remain twice as likely to be awarded the highest grades compared with their peers in comprehensive state schools — a gap that has widened compared with last year.
“These statistics are a stark reminder of the huge challenges that face a government committed to improving opportunities — what is clear is that we need a new approach: challenging schools to be genuinely inclusive and equitable for all our children, but also addressing the inequalities outside the school gates that have such a profound impact on children’s readiness to learn.”
Sir Peter Lampl, founder of the Sutton Trust charity and founder of the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), said: “It is concerning that the gap in attainment between private and state schools has widened this year.
“This reflects a broader pattern of widening gaps between the most and least well-off young people since the pandemic and cost of living crisis.”
Overall, 67.6 per cent of pupils received a standard grade 4 pass grade — down on last year’s 68.2 but higher than 2019’s 67.3.
London and south-east England continued to see the highest proportion of pupils receiving grades of 7 or higher while north-east England had the lowest proportion.
EEF co-CEO Chris Paterson said that it is “of particular concern to see the north-south divide at this level, reaffirming that our education system is not a level playing field.
“Similarly, the large gap at top grades between comprehensive and independent schools is further indication of the entrenched inequality in our system. ”
Teaching unions welcomed the government’s moves to tackle child poverty, despite reports that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will not axe the widely condemned two-child benefit cap in her Autumn Budget.
