’Enduring social networks and better jobs’

It shows that as well as gaining good qualifications and jobs, the Assisted Place holders felt their schools helped them develop strong personal attributes, such as self-discipline and self-reliance, as well as enduring social networks. Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, said that the results of this new research reinforced the Trust's case for an Open Access scheme that would provide needs blind admissions to leading independent day schools, enabling able children from low and middle income families to attend those schools based on ability rather than ability to pay. Earlier surveys of this group, which compared the performance of children of similar high ability and similar less advantaged backgrounds attending state schools with those taking an assisted place at an independent school, found that Assisted Place holders gained better qualifications and went to more prestigious universities than those who attended comprehensive schools. The new survey suggests that Assisted Place Holders, who are now in their forties, continue to reap the benefits of their independent education. Virtually all have continued to gain promotion in well-paid professional and managerial occupations. Over 40% are earning more than £90,000 a year and over two thirds said the economic crisis had not affected their standard of living. Three quarters of respondents expected to be even better off in ten years' time.