Sutton Trust
Encyclopedia
The Sutton Trust is an educational charity
in the United Kingdom
which aims to provide educational opportunities to young people from non-privileged backgrounds. The charity was set up by the millionaire philanthropist
Sir Peter Lampl
.
, Nottingham
, St Andrews and Cambridge
.
With other co-sponsors, it has also established an extended version of the summer school scheme at other leading research universities, including: Birmingham
and Manchester
. In 2006 meanwhile it launched with the College of Law the 'Pathways to Law' scheme providing help for law students from non-privileged backgrounds.
University of Birmingham
, University of Bristol
, University of Cambridge
, Durham University
, University of Edinburgh
, Imperial College, London School of Economics
, University of Nottingham
, University of Oxford
, University of St Andrews
, University College London
, University of Warwick
and University of York
.
An Open Access scheme at the Belvedere School in Liverpool which enabled able children to attend a fee-paying day school, regardless of their financial circumstances.
Into University - a centre based in North Kensington offering out-of-school study and support for children aged 7 upwards.
'Room to Play' -- a drop-in centre based in a shopping centre offering support for 'hard to reach' parents during the early years of their child’s development.
According to the Trust's 2006 annual report, the Trust and co-sponsors have committed £21.8 million to its activities since being established in 1997. See http://www.suttontrust.com/ for more details.
Social mobility
A highly influential project funded by the Trust revealed in 2005 that social mobility in Britain is at a very low level and has fallen in recent decades. In other words, it has become harder for a young person from a poor background to climb the social ladder and make it to the top. The researchers from the London School of Economics found that one reason for this trend was that the expansion of higher education in the UK has disproportionately benefited those from better off backgrounds. A follow-up report by the LSE group in 2008 concluded that social mobility had levelled off, with children born in 2000 facing the same mobility prospects as those children born 30 years earlier. The Trust and the Carnegie Corporation of New York organised a joint UK-US summit on social mobility in New York in June 2008.
Educational backgrounds
The Trust has published a series of surveys documenting the school and university backgrounds of leading people in professions in the UK. These have shown that over half of leaders were educated at fee-paying schools, which make up 7% of schools (at age 11).
Annual surveys
The Trust commissions polls of pupils and teachers. These show that a high proportion (70% plus) of 11-16 year olds aspire to go onto higher education, but only one in three actually do so. The surveys also found that nearly half (45%) of teachers in state schools either rarely or never encourage their academically-gifted pupils to apply to Oxford or Cambridge.
came to power in 1997. In 2007, another report was published highlighting the high proportion of Oxford and Cambridge undergraduates who came from "a small cadre of elite 'feeder' [mostly fee-paying] schools"
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
which aims to provide educational opportunities to young people from non-privileged backgrounds. The charity was set up by the millionaire philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
Sir Peter Lampl
Peter Lampl
Sir Peter Lampl, OBE is a British philanthropist and Chairman of the Sutton Trust.- Personal life :His father was a Czech refugee who came to Britain in 1938. Lampl was born in Wakefield and as the family later moved he was educated at Reigate Grammar School and Pate's Grammar School...
.
University projects
It currently runs summer school programmes at four British universities: BristolUniversity of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
, Nottingham
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
, St Andrews and Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
.
With other co-sponsors, it has also established an extended version of the summer school scheme at other leading research universities, including: Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
and Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
. In 2006 meanwhile it launched with the College of Law the 'Pathways to Law' scheme providing help for law students from non-privileged backgrounds.
The "Sutton 13"
The Sutton 13 are a list of UK universities identified by the Sutton Trust as "research-led universities" and "those ranked the highest in an average of published university league tables", for the purposes of monitoring social mobility: (alphabetical order)University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
, University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
, University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, Durham University
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
, University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, Imperial College, London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
, University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
, University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
and University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
.
School projects
Major pre-university projects have included:An Open Access scheme at the Belvedere School in Liverpool which enabled able children to attend a fee-paying day school, regardless of their financial circumstances.
Into University - a centre based in North Kensington offering out-of-school study and support for children aged 7 upwards.
'Room to Play' -- a drop-in centre based in a shopping centre offering support for 'hard to reach' parents during the early years of their child’s development.
According to the Trust's 2006 annual report, the Trust and co-sponsors have committed £21.8 million to its activities since being established in 1997. See http://www.suttontrust.com/ for more details.
Research
The Trust also funds an extensive research programme looking into the issue of educational inequalities.Social mobility
A highly influential project funded by the Trust revealed in 2005 that social mobility in Britain is at a very low level and has fallen in recent decades. In other words, it has become harder for a young person from a poor background to climb the social ladder and make it to the top. The researchers from the London School of Economics found that one reason for this trend was that the expansion of higher education in the UK has disproportionately benefited those from better off backgrounds. A follow-up report by the LSE group in 2008 concluded that social mobility had levelled off, with children born in 2000 facing the same mobility prospects as those children born 30 years earlier. The Trust and the Carnegie Corporation of New York organised a joint UK-US summit on social mobility in New York in June 2008.
Educational backgrounds
The Trust has published a series of surveys documenting the school and university backgrounds of leading people in professions in the UK. These have shown that over half of leaders were educated at fee-paying schools, which make up 7% of schools (at age 11).
Annual surveys
The Trust commissions polls of pupils and teachers. These show that a high proportion (70% plus) of 11-16 year olds aspire to go onto higher education, but only one in three actually do so. The surveys also found that nearly half (45%) of teachers in state schools either rarely or never encourage their academically-gifted pupils to apply to Oxford or Cambridge.
Media coverage
In 2006, the charity published a report showing that the number of 'top jobs' going to pupils from fee-paying schools had increased since the Labour GovernmentLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
came to power in 1997. In 2007, another report was published highlighting the high proportion of Oxford and Cambridge undergraduates who came from "a small cadre of elite 'feeder' [mostly fee-paying] schools"