Comprehensive schools ranked most likely to improve social mobility

According to research released by the Sutton Trust, 47 per cent of the public believe that comprehensive schools are the best for social mobility.

Three new reports have been released with the focus on social mobility: The State of Social Mobility in the UK produced by Boston Consulting Group; Social Mobility and Economic Success produced by Oxera Consulting; and What the Polling Says, from Ipsos Mori.

The research was released by the Trust at a Summit to commemorate its twentieth anniversary.

The publications found that just two-fifths (40 per cent) of those surveyed agreed that people in the UK have equal opportunities to get on, compared with 53 per cent in 2008.

In addition, 29 per cent believe that today’s youth will have a better quality of life than their parents, compared with 43 per cent in 2003.

When asked which measures would most likely improve social mobility and help disadvantaged young people get on in life, almost half of respondents (47 per cent) chose ‘high-quality teaching in comprehensive schools’, ahead of two social mobility policies adopted by the main parties in the recent election.

These policies consisted of lower university tuition fees, ranked the best measure by 23 per cent, and more grammar schools, ranked by eight per cent.