BOLTON has bucked a national trend that has seen the gap between poorer and better off students going to university grow.

Findings from the Sutton Trust show disadvantaged students accessing higher education has risen slightly in the borough. But hey are still much less likely to do so than their better-off peers.

The figures show of 516 students in Bolton who received free school meals at the age of 15, 136, amounting to 26.4 per cent, were at university in 2019-20, up slightly from 26.2 per cent the year before which has been welcomed by Bolton Council leaders.

Cllr Anne Galloway, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “This is welcome news, that the figures are showing that higher numbers of pupils from more disadvantaged homes are going onto university this year.

“It is one of our priorities to improve the academic attainment of disadvantaged young people and to encourage them to have high educational aspirations for themselves.”

By compasion, of 2,769 other pupils in Bolton who are not on free school meals, 47.5 per cent were studying in higher education at the age of 19, which was down from 48.3 per cent in 2018-19.

Across England, 26.6 per cent of pupils who received free school meals at age 15 participating in higher education in 2019-20, compared to 45.7 per cent of those who did not receive meals.

This gap is the widest it has been since 2005-06, and varies significantly throughout the country.

Analysing the figures, Sutton Trust chief executive James Turner said: “The fact that the university access gap for children on free school meals has not closed at all in the past decade, shows just how stubborn and ingrained inequalities are in our system.

“The Covid-19 pandemic means that the divide between disadvantaged students and their classmates is likely to become even wider, but there is an urgency to act now to prevent the gaps widening still further.”

In response the government says that a greater proportion of disadvantaged pupils are going to university than ever, but that there is more to do.

A Department of Education spokesman said: “Ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to access a world-class education remains a top priority, and we expect universities to do all they can to help disadvantaged students.”