Fewer disadvantaged Brighton and Hove pupils are going to university

Fewer pupils eligible for free school meals in Brighton and Hove are going to university. The news comes as the proportion of the most disadvantaged pupils going on to higher education across England fell for the first time, with the gap between them and their peers increasing to record levels. New Department for Education figures show 20.

9 per cent of year 11 pupils in the 2022-23 academic year who were eligible for free school meals when they were 15 in Brighton and Hove went on to enrol in higher education by the time they were 19. Higher education takes places at universities and further education colleges. This was less than the year before, when 21.

2 per cent did. Meanwhile, the proportion of free school meal pupils going on to further study nationally fell for the first time having risen every year for the last 17. Further education follows on from secondary education.

As a result, the gap between the most and least disadvantaged children is now at a record high level. In Brighton and Hove, free school meal pupils still lagged well behind their peers, as 51.8 per cent of them progressed to higher education.

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