Progression to Higher Education
14.2% of state-funded and special school pupils who received Free School Meals (FSM) at age 15 entered Higher Education by age 19 by 2005/06. This rose steadily to 26.2% for the 2016/17 cohort but has remained at 26.3% for the two most recent cohorts.
The progression rate for pupils not receiving Free School Meals has risen from 33.5% for the 2005/06 cohort to 45.1% for the 2018/19 cohort.
The gap between FSM and Non-FSM progression rates increased to 18.8 percentage points for the 2018/19 cohort, up 0.2 percentage points since last year and the largest gap since 2006/07.
Progression to High Tariff Higher Education
2.0% of state-funded and special school pupils who received Free School Meals (FSM) at age 15 entered high tariff HE by age 19 by 2009/10. The rate has increased to 4.1% for the 2018/19 cohort (up from 3.4% last year).
The progression rate for pupils not receiving Free School Meals has risen from 9.4% for the 2009/10 cohort to 12.0% for the 2018/19 cohort (up from 11.2% last year).
The gap between FSM and Non-FSM progression rates was 7.9 percentage points for the 2018/19 cohort, up 0.1 percentage points since last year.
Progression to Higher Education by Region and FSM Status
Progression to Higher Education
Progression to Higher Education varies significantly by region, in particular for those eligible for Free School Meals. 49.0% of those eligible for Free School Meals at age 15 in Inner London progressed to HE by age 19 compared to fewer than 18% in the South East and South West. London also has the highest progression rates for those not eligible for Free School Meals at age 15 – well over 50% in both Inner London (59.2%) and Outer London (57.1%). The South West has the lowest progression rate for those not eligible for Free School meals (40.0%).
Progression to High Tariff Higher Education
Progression to high tariff HE providers also varies by region. In London, 8.8% of those eligible for Free School Meals at age 15 progressed to high tariff HE by age 19 – a rate over four times higher than for the South West. London also has the highest progression rates for those not eligible for Free School Meals at age 15 – over 17%. The West Midlands has the lowest progression rate for those not eligible for Free School Meals (9.4%).
Progression to Higher Education by Local Authority and FSM Status
As seen in the regional figures, London has the highest progression rates and this is particularly apparent for pupils eligible for Free School Meals. HE Progression rates are above 50% for FSM pupils in nine Local Authorities in London.
The gap in progression rates between FSM pupils and non-FSM pupils also tends to be much narrower in Local Authorities in London than in other areas. The progression rate gap tends to be highest in Local Authorities with a small proportion of pupils eligible for Free School Meals.
The pattern is similar when looking at progression to high tariff HE. In 10 Local Authorities in London the progression rate for Free School Meal pupils is above 10%, compared to 4.1% nationally. Progression rates to high tariff HE tend to be lowest in coastal regions in the South West in particular and the more disadvantaged areas in the North and Midlands.
Historical Data Figures for earlier years can be downloaded from the associated files at the top of this page.