School pupils in David Blunkett's constituency of Sheffield Brightside are almost eight times less likely to go to university than children brought up in the neighbouring constituency of Sheffield Hallam.

That was one of the starker findings of a nationwide study published today that showed a "deep and persistent" divide between the educational achievements of rich and poor.

The report by the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFC) indicates the scale of the problem facing ministers and education authorities as they try to widen access to university. It looked at participation rates among students aged 18 and 19 in every region, parliamentary constituency and ward in the UK from 1994 to 2000.

The study showed that the divide had barely closed over the six-year period, despite the introduction of tuition fees and Government attempts - which have sometimes angered some of the countries' older universities - to funnel more working-class children to go into higher education.

According to the HEFC study, young people living in what were judged to be the "most advantaged" 20 per cent of areas are up to six times more likely to go to university or college than those in the "least advantaged" 20 per cent of areas.

In the Sheffield Brightside constituency of Mr Blunkett, the former Education Secretary, only eight per cent of pupils earn a university place. In Sheffield Hallam, where Liberal Democrat Richard Allan is the city's only non-Labour member, the figure is 62 per cent - the fourth highest in the country.

Sir Howard Newby, the chief executive of HEFC, said the report highlighted the division between rich and poor neighbourhoods and the challenges facing the education system.

But speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Sir Howard added: "I don't think we should despair about this. There are lots of students who have come through from those sorts of backgrounds and done really well at university.

"I think the lesson that we take from this is, by the time universities are traditionally dealing with schoolkids, in the sixth form, that's already too late. The universities need to reach out into schools and into communities to children at a much earlier age, even right down to primary school level to get them used to the idea that higher education is something for them, something they can aspire to."

Tony Halpin, Times Education Editor, said that the reasons for the gap were complex, and included parental aspirations, family poverty and the ability of students to avoid mediocre schools.

"The environment in which teenagers grow up is also crucial," Halpin added. "How likely are they to know or meet people, outside of their teachers, who have themselves been to university and can encourage them to go? All of these things are givens in professional families living in prosperous suburbs."

The study found that family background was not the only factor influencing a child's chances of a university education. The month in which someone is born has "a strong influence" on their chances - young people in England were 20 per cent more likely to go to university if they were born in September, making them the oldest in their intake, than if they were born in August.

It also found that young women in England are 18 per cent more likely to go to university or college than young men, and young people in Scotland - where university tuition fees have been scrapped - are generally more likely to go on to higher education.

Kim Howells, the Higher Education Minister, said that the report showed how difficult it was to get children from disadvantaged backgrounds into higher education, although the Government was working hard to ensure that anyone with suitable qualifications could go to university.

But Tim Collins, the Shadow Education Secretary, said the problem was with the quality of education experienced by those from poorer backgrounds. "Tackling these must be the top priority for any Government looking to improve university access," he said.

The study also found:

• Young people are 20 per cent more likely to go into higher education if they were born in September than if they were born in August, due to the effects of the start dates of the school year
• students from poorer neighbourhoods are slightly more likely to continue with postgraduate study than others
• children in some regions are 50 per cent more likely to go to university than their peers elsewhere in the country
• there is a north:south divide, with more low participation constituencies in the north of England than the south. In 2000, 36 per cent of young people from London went into higher education, while only 24 per cent went from the North East.

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