New figures show only one in 1,000 children who claim free school meals go on to study at Oxbridge.

The analysis, revealed by the Department for Education, showed 0.1 per cent of Year 11 pupils who claimed them, then took A Levels or level 3 qualifications, made it to Oxford or Cambridge universities.

It compares to four per cent of the same age group who continued in post-16 education attending one of the Russell Group universities, which is made up of 24 establishments, also including universities such as Bristol, Birmingham, Southampton, Manchester and Glasgow.