SIR - The Government should be sitting up and paying attention to the results of a new study tracing the progress of 1.8 million pupils, their social, family and economic backgrounds and the type of schools they attended. The analysis was carried out by Prof. Stephen Gorard, director of the Durham University evidence centre for education.

Among the key findings, the analysis challenges claims that grammar schools and academies are more likely to improve progress. It also found that the most important factor determining school test and exam results is the proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged through poverty, family circumstances or special educational needs. Most crucial is the length of time they have been disadvantaged.

The evidence suggests that instead of experimenting with different types of school, the Government should be directing even more resources to improving the life chances of disadvantaged children.

David Hornsby, West View Avenue, Wrose