Social mobility has not increased in 30 years and British children are the least likely to escape their background, a report says today. The academic progress of children is overwhelmingly linked to how much their parents earn, according to researchers from the London School of Economics.

They say that the brightest children born into the poorest families in 2000 are, by now, being overtaken in test scores by the least academic children from rich backgrounds. And whereas almost half of 23-year-olds from the wealthiest households had acquired a degree in 2002 only 10 per cent of those with the poorest parents did so.

Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, which funded the research, said: “Britain remains stuck at the bottom of the international league tables when it comes to social mobility. It is appalling that young people’s life chances are still so tied to the fortunes of their parents and that this situation has not improved over the last three decades.

“We need a radical review of our approach to improving social mobility, starting with an independent commission to review the underlying causes for our low level of mobility and what can be done to address it.”

Academics from the London School of Economics and the University of Surrey studied data on children born between 1970 and 2000. A previous study showed a decline in social mobility between 1958 and 1970. The latest report shows that it stabilised after 1970 but did not improve, and it charted how well children who were born in 2000 performed in cognitive tests aged 3 and 5.

The authors said: “Those from the poorest fifth of households, but in the brightest group at age 3, drop from the 88th percentile on cognitive tests at 3 to the 65th percentile at age 5.

“Those from the richest households who are least able at age 3 move up from the 15th percentile to the 45th percentile by age 5. If this trend continued these children from affluent backgrounds would be likely to overtake the poorer, but initially bright, children in test scores by age 7.”

Jo Blanden, who led the research, said: “By looking at the relationship between children’s educational outcomes at different ages and parental income we can predict likely patterns of mobility for those who have not yet reached adulthood.”

The report found that the percentage gap in graduation rates between the poorest and richest groups remained static from 1993 and 1998 and had increased slightly by 2002.

The report added that Britain compared unfavourably with other advanced countries in social mobility.

Michael Gove, the Shadow Children’s Secretary, said: “We need a school system that allows bright children to succeed regardless of their economic background.” Beverley Hughes, the Children’s Minister, said: “It is encouraging to see that the previous decline in social mobility in the UK appears to have stabilised.”

Half of parents discourage their children from speaking with local accents for fear that it might harm their prospects, a survey of 2,300 people by Combined Insurance found. More than a quarter of parents from the West Country worried that their children might be teased. Parents in the North East were concerned about the effect when applying to university.

35% of children with free school meals get 5 GCSEs A* to C (National average: 59%)

21% get 5 GCSEs A* to C including English and maths (National average: 45%)

Source: Department for Children, Schools and Families

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