Southampton teenagers less likely to go to university

A new study has revealed that significantly less young people in Southampton are going to university than most of the UK.

Only 31% of Southampton teenagers moved on to higher education in the 2010/11 academic year

According to newly published statistics by the Department for Education, just 31% of Southampton’s teenagers entered higher education after completing A-Levels, compared to the 43% South East average for 2010-11. This is also below the Hampshire region average of 43%.

Only 7% of A-Level students in Southampton go on to study at the top third of the country’s universities – HALF the amount of the entire Hampshire region. Similar findings were revealed for Portsmouth and Bristol, where state school pupils proved significantly less likely to go to university than areas such as Reading (66%) and the London Boroughs of Redbridge (66%), Ealing and Enfield (both 64%).

After the figures were released, Schools Minister David Laws said to the BBC:

These statistics demonstrate the gulf between the schools and colleges which deliver for their students – and those which do not. Some students will be aiming to get a job after college, others will be hoping to win a place at a great university. But all schools and colleges must ensure they deliver for all their students – whatever that student’s target.

Nationally, the study found that almost two thirds of 18-year-olds stayed in higher education after completing their A-Levels in 2010-11, with 48% going onto degree courses.