Help schools boost poor pupils' grades universities told

England's top universities must do more to help schools in poor areas raise attainment, says the man charged with promoting fair access to university.

The argument that poorer teenagers' grades are often not good enough for top universities "just doesn't hold water", said Prof Les Ebdon, director of the Office for Fair Access (Offa).

Universities must make more effort to take poorer students, said Prof Ebdon.

Universities said they were already spending millions to widen access.

Prof Ebdon said that, for some time, "a number of universities, especially those with the highest entrance requirements, have told me that there's a limit to what they can do to improve fair access because people from disadvantaged areas secure, on average, lower entrance grades".

But he dismissed this argument.

"It is precisely because there are lower rates of attainment in disadvantaged areas that universities must work in close partnership with schools to raise attainment," he said.

"Indeed there are many examples of universities already working closely and creatively with schools and I expect to see much more of it.

"Raising the attainment of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds is crucial and I want it to be a major part of the access plans of universities."

He said that while there were more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in higher education than ever before, there was "much more to be done".

"One of the key ways universities can make a real difference is to ensure that they are working hand-in-hand with schools to make sure that aspirations and attainment can be raised in our disadvantaged communities."

Prof Ebdon made the comments to coincide with new Offa guidance for universities on broadening access to higher education.

Under the current fees system, any English university wishing to charge tuition fees of more than about £6,000 must have an access agreement approved by Offa which sets out plans to recruit and retain youngsters who would not normally study for a degree.

The Russell Group, which represents some of the UK's most selective universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, agreed that working with schools was a key way for universities to boost attainment.

"Many of our members already have extensive partnership and outreach programmes with schools that are designed to encourage successful applications from all backgrounds," said head of policy, Sarah Stevens.

"We estimate that the 24 Russell Group universities work with well over 2,000 schools, reaching many tens of thousands of students across the UK every year."

Ms Stevens said that this year, Russell Group universities "in England alone" would spend more than £250m on programmes to widen access.

A government spokesman welcomed Prof Ebdon's remarks: "We want the whole sector to work with us to improve the quality of schools, so that more students of all backgrounds have the grades and the confidence to apply to the best universities, and be successful in their exams in the first place."