YOUNG adults in Penhill are among the least likely in the country to attend university, according to newly released figures.

Only 7.6 per cent of 18- to 25-year-olds in the Swindon ward go on to attend university, less than a quarter of the national average of around 38 per cent.

Figures were provided by education charity Teach First and the Credit Suisse EMEA Foundation.

The numbers form part of a national trend showing that children who grow up in poorer postcodes are much less likely to pursue further education than their more affluent counterparts.

Mark Dempsey, a Labour councillor for the Penhill and Upper Stratton ward, said: “These figures are very worrying, and I feel for the young people who have the talent but are not going on to fulfil their full potential.

"From talking to residents, I know the cost is a big issue and the trebling of tuition fees by the Tories has massively increased the cost of going to university, hitting people from poorer backgrounds hard.

“It is why Labour have promised to abolish tuition fees.”

The proportion of people in Penhill attending university is less than 10 per cent of those in Buckinghamshire’s Gerrard Cross North, who see 87.2 per cent of their 18- to 25-year-olds go on to further education. The lowest rate nationally was in Shirebrook North West in Derbyshire, where only 4.8 per cent of school students go on to university.

Mr Dempsey also highlighted the lack of a university in Swindon as a deterrent to further study.

He said: “I also know some residents worry about the long travel distances and that is why I continue to campaign for a university for Swindon. This would provide greater access to higher education, increase aspiration, and ensure more young people in Penhill and across Swindon get the chance to go to university and unleash their full potential.”

“I think that not having a university here in Swindon creates a limit in terms of aspiration and opportunity.”

The news comes after Swindon’s schools were accused of failing children across the board last year in a damning letter from Ofsted. In it, Bradley Simmons, the south west regional director for the organisation, said: “In 2016, Swindon’s children were failed by its schools at every key stage.”

Only 44 per cent of 11-year-olds reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics at Key Stage 2, one of the lowest rates in the country.

A report also showed last week that secondary pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds were falling behind their peers.

A study conducted by the Education Policy Institute showed that the gap in education attainment in the town’s secondary schools stood at 22.2 months.

For primary pupils, the gap was 8.6 months, and for early years 3.9 months.

Mr Dempsey highlighted this need for a wider attention to be paid to the ward, saying that Penhill required investment, and this was likely to be a contributing factor to the low university rates.

“We are acutely aware of the relatively low number of pupils in Penhill, and across North Swindon, who are failing to apply for a place at university,” he said.

“This is due in part to a mixture of some pupils not wanting to continue their studies and low attainment.

“In order 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) and this means Swindon has been allocated three higher education liaison officers who will work closely with schools and further education colleges to help increase the uptake of young people going into higher education.

“This is targeting the age group from 14-19. Schools will also be able to use the funding to benefit from various projects which are 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.”