Unequal gains

People from high-income groups are still more than four times as likely to get a degree as those from low-income groups, new research shows. A study by the Sutton Trust reveals that social mobility in the UK remains at the low level it was for those born in 1970 and that the educational success of recent generations of children is still tied overwhelmingly to parental income. While 44 per cent of young people from the richest 20 per cent of households acquired a degree in 2002, only 10 per cent from the poorest 20 per cent of households did so. Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: "We need a radical review of our approach to improving social mobility."