ONLY one in eight youngsters in an area of Nottingham go to university – the lowest rate in the country.
Just 13 per cent of 18-year-olds from Bulwell, Aspley, Bilborough, Broxtowe Estate, Basford and Bestwood end up studying for a degree or an alternative higher education course, compared to a national average of 34 per cent.
And, although this is an increase from eight per cent in 2006, the constituency remains at the bottom of the Higher Education Funding Council for England statistics.
Graham Allen, MP for Nottingham North, said he was glad to see an increase but that more needed to be done.
He said: "Given the right start, our kids can achieve just as much as kids anywhere else.
"Our city should plan to meet the aspiration that not one in eight but one in three of our kids in Nottingham North enjoys the life-changing benefits of further education.
"People in Nottingham especially parents, teachers and all who support them, are working really hard to improve the life chances for our young people.
"Recent improvements are very welcome, but they need to continue to feed through to the top of the educational food chain – the numbers going on to university and further education."
Research was conducted by Dr Peter Gates at the University of Nottingham into the issue of university participation in Nottingham North in 2007.
He said: "Attending university isn't the be all and end all – if I want someone to fix my boiler, it doesn't matter whether they have gone to university or not.
"We also have two fantastic further education colleges in Nottingham that encourage further educational attainment."
Four Notts constituencies were among the bottom fifth for participation in university – the rate in Ashfield was 21.4 per cent, Mansfield 22.4 per cent and Nottingham East 25.3 per cent.
Nottingham South was 201st out of the 650 constituencies at 29.5 per cent, Gedling was 263rd with 31.8 per cent, Broxtowe 384th on 36.7 per cent and Newark 387th on 36.8 per cent.
The area with the highest participation in higher education was Rushcliffe, which had 49.3 per cent of youngsters heading to university, 593rd in the country.
