Report highlights access benefit for children of graduates

By John Morgan. State school students in England with university-educated parents are five times more likely to reach higher education than those from "disadvantaged backgrounds", and are also more likely to go to an elite institution.That is the finding of new research by academics at the Institute of Education, University of London, demonstrating the part played by family background in determining which state-educated pupils go on to university.
The findings have emerged from an analysis of university entry data for four English-speaking countries - England, Canada, Australia and the United States. The research was conducted by John Jerrim, lecturer in economics and social science, and Anna Vignoles, visiting professor in the Institute's department of quantitative social science. Read more...