Pupils from hundreds of private schools may have their access to Cambridge University boosted by a scheme set up to help deprived pupils.
Candidates from schools that have sent fewer than five pupils to Oxbridge in the past five years are flagged on the university’s “widening participation” system.
An investigation has revealed that such schools include Gordonstoun, the King’s alma mater, and an online school set up by Harrow.
Almost 300 fee-charging schools were flagged for “low participation in Oxbridge”, according to data obtained by the Varsity student newspaper under freedom of information laws.
The university uses contextual data before inviting applicants to interview, which includes whether they have spent time in care, been eligible for free school meals or live in a deprived area.
