Parents choose a private education for their children because they believe that there are benefits outside the state system, however eye-watering some of the fees. Yet one traditional benefit of a private education appears to have depreciated in value: the chance of securing a place at a top university. The proportion of private school entrants to Oxford, Cambridge and other high-status universities has declined in the past few years. Leading independent schools are, as a result, sending more of their pupils to other Russell group universities or to colleges overseas, especially in the United States.
If Oxbridge entrance is opening up to a wider range of young talent, then it is due to improvements in state education. There are of course other benefits to a
