The English sector faces a number of “really concerning” challenges on widening participation, it has been warned, as figures show some of the most disadvantaged students falling even further behind.

reveals that 29 per cent of state-funded school pupils who were eligible for free school meals (FSM) at age 15 entered higher education by 19 in 2022-23 – down from 29.2 per cent the year before.

This was the first fall recorded in the time series, and with rates rising for less disadvantaged pupils, it means the participation gap is at a record level.

Graeme Atherton, head of the Centre for Inequality and Levelling Up at the University of West London, told ̽����Ƶ that the figures showed why the new Labour government should make widening access its number one priority for higher education.

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“This data signals a worrying return to the stagnation in progress for FSM learners of the late 2010s,” Professor Atherton said.

“Widening access work was allowed to drift by the last government, and this needs to change or we risk seeing further years of declining participation for students from the lowest income backgrounds.”

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Professor Atherton said it was particularly concerning to see significant regional differences in participation by FSM students persisting in English higher education.

The data did show that the proportion of FSM students progressing to a high-tariff university reached a record high of 6.1 per cent in 2022-23 – but the gap to their peers also reached new highs.

Lindsey Macmillan, professor of economics at UCL, said the FSM gap can be linked to this cohort of students doing their GCSEs during “peak Covid” years – with attainment at this stage seen as critical to influencing participation gaps.

“The erosion in the real value of maintenance loans has been highlighted as an issue for low-income participation,” added Professor Macmillan.

“The failure to index-link these loans to inflation has meant the poorest students now have £1,200 less per year in real terms since 2021 – a fall of around 10 per cent.”

Overall, researchers found that the progression rate for disadvantaged pupils fell for the first time in at least a decade.

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And the DfE data shows concerning signs for other historically disadvantaged groups in England.

The proportion of black pupils entering the sector in 2022-23 declined by 1.1 per cent – the largest fall on record and the only ethnic group to see a drop this year.

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There was no change in the proportion of white students – the group with the lowest participation rate – from the year before, and slight increases for Asian students and those of mixed race.

“The decline in participation for black students shows that we need to move away from a preoccupation with white working-class students and their progression to HE,” said Professor Atherton.

“There are different challenges that all ethnic groups face in terms of higher education progression, and this needs to be recognised.”

A spokesperson for the Russell Group said the data shows that there are still many challenges in widening participation.

“The sector needs to continue to be ambitious in ensuring that talented students from all backgrounds have the opportunity to access high-quality higher education,” the group said.

“Our universities have committed to doing so and have put bold access and participation strategies in place to make progress.”

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patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com