{
  "id": 19418160,
  "title": "High-achieving disadvantaged students are far less likely to take and pass entrance exams for selective schools",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/high-achieving-disadvantaged-students-are-far-less-likely-to-take-and",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-11-11T00:10:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-11-high-disadvantaged-students-entrance-exams.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A significant study published in the British Journal of Sociology of Education reveals that high-achieving disadvantaged students are far less likely to take and pass entrance exams for selective schools in England. Lead author Dr. Binwei Lu from Zhejiang University and Durham University highlighted that even among pupils with strong Key Stage 2 SATs scores, 84% of non-Free School Meal (FSM) students took the 11+ exam, compared to just 56% of FSM pupils. The disadvantaged students who do attempt the exam are also less likely to succeed in securing a place at a selective grammar school. The researchers emphasized that addressing socioeconomic differences is crucial to making selective education more equitable, rather than merely tweaking the exam process.",
  "summary": "Disadvantaged students are less likely than their more advantaged peers with similar attainment to take and pass entrance exams for selective schools, and introducing an opt-out system for the tests would only deliver a small boost.",
  "key_points": [
    "High-achieving disadvantaged students less likely to take 11+ exams",
    "Only 56% of disadvantaged students took 11+ compared to 84% non-FSM",
    "Selective education equity requires addressing socioeconomic gaps"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The persistent gap in exam participation and success suggests that selective school systems require fundamental socioeconomic reforms rather than minor procedural adjustments to achieve true educational equity.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}