Fears poorer children in Hull will miss out on higher education
A report is warning that children who depend on free school meals could be "left behind"
It's feared children from former industrial and coastal towns like Hull could miss out on going to university in the future.
In a new report, The Office for Students says factors like race, poverty and location can all impact on whether someone goes into higher education.
"Through this work, we have identified that 90% of the students in the lowest-participation quintile using this measure are white British, and have either received free school meals or grown up in a low-participation neighbourhood,'' the OfS said.
"These are the people and places that have been left behind.''
Big impact on children who are on free school meals
The research found that 92% of white children who are on free school meals make up the bottom fifth of those likely to attend university
Chris Millward, who's the organization's director for fair access and participation says: "The expansion of educational opportunities, and the belief that equality of opportunity would flow from this, have not delivered for them."
"So they are less likely to see education as the way to improve their lives.''
The OfS said it will continue considering how the new measure "can improve support for the most underrepresented groups of students'' by working with higher learning institutions.