Financial aid 'key to ending education discrimination'

State school students from low income backgrounds should be provided with financial aid to help them access the top professions, it has been claimed.

According to the Good Schools Guide, the government has been too focused on encouraging poorer pupils to take subjects they may not normally consider in order to improve social mobility statistics, and in doing so is "positively discriminating" against private school students.

Sue Fieldman, regional editor of the online guide, said: "It is about time the government […] started actively supporting state school children who actually want to study these subjects.

"You cannot force people to study subjects just because the government wants to broaden intake."

She added that the best way of achieving greater diversity in the professions is to ensure children from low-income backgrounds are provided with sufficient government funding to pursue whatever career they choose once they leave school.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills recently announced a new series of measures designed to improve social mobility.



Published On 20/01/2010