CHILDREN from poorer backgrounds in Oxford will be left behind without urgent action to improve education, it was warned last night.

Oxford City Council leader Bob Price said efforts to tackle the so-called town and gown divide in the city had failed to have any major impact.

According to a new report, the life chances of disadvantaged children in Oxford are among the worst 20 per cent in the country.

Oxford was labelled a “coldspot” for social mobility, with children growing up in Slough, Trafford, Dartford, or Tower Hamlets in London more likely to do well at school or find a good job.

Children were classed as “disadvantaged” if they were eligible for free school meals. And those in Oxford lagged behind particularly in early years, primary and secondary education.

The figures also revealed the number of disadvantaged pupils from the city who went to top universities was just four per cent.

Oxford-based education expert John Howson said the early years were “absolutely critical” to life chances, adding: “If children miss those building blocks, they will spend the rest of their time trying to run up a down-escalator.”

City Council leader Bob Price accused the government of failing to provide enough cash and said: “Educational attainment in the city’s most deprived areas remains disappointingly low and this confirms what we have known for years.

“The interventions we have tried so far have not had much impact, so this reinforces the case for more resources to be put into areas that are struggling.”

Mr Price said the issue was due to be discussed at the next meeting of the Oxford Strategic Partnership – a body made up of schools, councils, the police and the city’s two universities – as a priority. Alan Milburn, chairman of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission, which conducted the review, said the findings laid bare “the local lottery in social mobility”.

He added: “This report is a wake-up call for educators and employers as well as policy-makers.

“Much more will need to be done if there is to be a level playing field of opportunity.”

Schools warned yesterday they were struggling to retain experienced teaching staff and cope with funding pressures.

There were also concerns that the proposed closure of children’s centres across the city could have a knock-on effect on early years education.

Windmill Primary School head teacher Lynn Knapp said: “We are sitting on a timebomb.

“Good practice is that you identify issues early when the children are young and you get there early and turn them around.

“Once children get older they are less likely to change – that is my concern.”

Cutteslowe Primary School head teacher Jon Gray added: “Oxford city is one of the most affluent cities that I know but also one of the most deprived cities.

“We need schools coming together more and sharing provisions and expertise to support children. In Oxford there has never been a joined-up approach.”

Linda Smith, city councillor for Blackbird Leys, warned yesterday that cuts to local services such as children’s centres in her ward and areas such as Barton and Cutteslowe would only make the gap between “town and gown” wider.

George Heeley, 20, of Blackbird Leys Road, has had a series of jobs at Unipart and colleges around Oxford but struggled to stay in full-time work.

The former St Gregory the Great pupil left secondary school with grades that were “not the best” and said more should be done to help people in his position.

He added: “University is not my cup of tea. I would like to go back into training but I haven’t been given the chance.”

A spokesman for Oxford University said yesterday: “While attainment in school is the major barrier to widening the mix of students at Oxford, the university strongly believes it has a duty to the local community to raise aspirations and provide educational support through partnerships between the university and local schools wherever possible.

“The university’s involvement in the Oxford Education Deanery and the new IntoUniversity centre in Blackbird Leys are important parts of the our commitment to bridging the attainment gap locally by supporting state schools and their students in Oxford.”

HEADLINE FIGURES
* Two fifths of disadvantaged pupils leave primary school without the recommended minimum reading, writing and numeracy skills
* Only a quarter attain five good GCSEs including English and Maths
* More than two thirds left school without gaining two A-levels or equivalent qualifications
* Just 14 per cent go on to higher education, with only four per cent winning places at top universities.