TEENAGERS living in North Swindon are among the least likely in England to apply for university.

Around 22.4 per cent of 18-year-olds applied for university to make the January 15 deadline – a figure which is less than half the national average of 55 per cent.

The data released by UCAS say that a youngster’s chances of applying for a degree course depend heavily on where they live and in both North and South Swindon, the numbers of students applying for university has remained well below the national average for the last 10 years.

Justin Tomlinson, MP for North Swindon, said while he initially cast doubts over the data, he hopes that improving the education system in the town may be one step forward to encourage more youngsters to apply for university.

He said: “I think the figures highlight that we need to redouble our efforts to improve our secondary schools as what was recently highlighted in Ofsted’s report.

“I am actively working to support all of these efforts including inviting the schools minister to visit recently.”

A Swindon Borough Council spokesman added: “We are acutely aware of the relatively low number of pupils in North Swindon who are failing to apply for a place at university. This is due to some pupils not wanting to continue their studies and low attainment. However, some pupils decide not to pursue university for financial reasons, while other career avenues such as apprenticeships also play a part.

“To help increase the number of pupils applying for a higher education place, Oxford Brookes University put in a successful bid for more than £1m to the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFC). This means Swindon has been allocated three Higher Education Liaison Officers who will work closely with schools and Further Education Colleges to increase the uptake of young people, targeting 14-19 year olds.

“Schools will also be able to use the funding to benefit from projects aimed at raising the aspirations of young people so they want to progress into higher education.”

“At the same time, we are working hard to drive up attainment in our secondary academies through the Swindon Challenge initiative and by working with a range of good and outstanding schools inside and outside of Swindon.”