The middle-class exodus from state schools in London is speeding up, with nearly half of children in some parts of the capital now privately educated.

An analysis of government figures suggested a widening of the social class divide in education since the turn of the century. Some of the highest levels of child poverty, as measured by the proportion of children eligible for free school meals (FSM), were found in areas with the greatest proportion of children in independent schools.

The figures followed concern from Christine Gilbert, the Chief Inspector of Schools, who said that the school system was dividing children along social and economic lines.

The finding was most striking in inner-London boroughs. In Kensington and Chelsea, 45.3 per cent of children are educated in independent schools, yet the borough has the sixth-highest rate in the country for FSM children, at 37.7 per cent. The national average for FSM is 12 per cent.

In Hammersmith &Fulham, which has the third-highest rate of FSM children in the country at 42.2 per cent, a quarter of children are independently educated. In Westminster, 26.4 per cent go to independent schools, and yet the borough has the eighth-highest rate in the country for FSM children, at 35.8 per cent. Greg Hands, the Conservative MP for Hammersmith and Fulham, obtained the figures from the House of Commons, amid concern about the flight of middle-class families from state schools in his borough.

In 2000 22.6 per cent of children in the borough were educated independently. Now the figure is 25.6 per cent. Other inner-London boroughs have seen similar shifts. In Wandsworth, the proportion in independent schools has risen from 15.1 to 18.7 per cent.

These figures come against a nation-wide long-term demographic decline in the number of young people and steady increases in independent school fees to an average of about £11,000 a year.

Mr Hands said: “In Hammersmith & Fulham, we have one of the fastest-rising rates of private school attendance in the country and one of the highest rates of surplus places in [state] secondary schools.

“Part of that can be explained by changing demographics in that we now have more parents who can afford to go private. But there is more to it than that. Middle-class parents concerned about standards are opting out of the state system and it’s my objective to get them to opt back in. Our local state schools are making themselves better, but the missing element in their bid for improvement is the professional classes.”

Sam Friedman, head of the education unit at the Policy Exchange think-tank, said the social divide in education was particularly acute in London. The phenomenon could be attributed in part to its population, which is extremely socially mixed.

“In more rural areas, populations tend to segregate naturally. In London, there are pockets of advantage and disadvantage right next to each other and one way they segregate themselves is through school choice.”

— A bilingual state secondary school is to be opened in London. Children aged 4 to 19 will be taught in English and French at the lycée, under a plan drawn up and jointly funded by the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and the French Government.

A proportion of places at the school, which will replace two local schools, will be allocated to local children. The remainder will be reserved for the children of French nationals resident in London. The Lycée Français in South Kensington is oversubscribed, leading to a shortage of places for French nationals living in the area.

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