SCHOOL students on free school meals have been abandoned by the Tories, Labour said today, as the exams watchdog revealed a growing “attainment gap.”

As data released by Ofqual showed that the poorest pupils were less than half as likely to get top GCSE grades, opposition leaders blasted ministers for presiding over year-on-year growth in inequality.

Just under 14 per cent of grades for students on free meals were at Level 7 or above — equivalent to an old A grade — compared with 31 per cent of the rest, a gap that has grown by 17 per cent in four years.

The data also show that students at private schools have again received better grades than state school pupils, including the biggest absolute increase for the highest grades compared with others — up by 4 per cent.

Privately educated students got grades at Level 7 or above 62 per cent of the time, compared to 28 per cent at comprehensives — a gap that has increased by nearly a fifth over the last four years, according to Labour.

Those with special educational needs and disabilities have also seen a widening attainment gap, seeing fewer than 10 per cent of their grades reach Level 7 and just over half (51 per cent) of grades being Level 4 or above, compared to 83 per cent among their peers.

Labour shadow education secretary Kate Green MP condemned the Tories’ “failed approach to education.”

She said: “Children on free school meals have been abandoned by this government and students in state schools are again being outstripped by their more advantaged private-school peers.  

“The government has been warned that without action the Covid legacy will be one of widening inequalities, yet their recovery plan is woefully insufficient.”

Ms Green urged ministers to adopt Labour’s children’s recovery plan, which includes resources for small-group tutoring for all who need it, breakfast clubs and activities for every child, mental health support for children in every school and continued professional development for teachers to support pupils to catch up on lost learning.

Skills Minister Gillian Keegan told BBC radio’s World at One that private schools had performed better “because they are selective schools.”

But Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that Education Secretary Gavin Williamson and the government had scored a “U” on tackling inequality.

“What we have seen today is baked-in inequality — the gap between those going to private schools and going to state schools has got bigger, rather than smaller,” he said.

Sutton Trust chairman Sir Peter Lampl said: “The attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers has also increased due to the effects of the pandemic, which have impacted disadvantaged students most keenly.

“As these students have faced the most obstacles in their learning this year, it’s crucial that there is support for their learning as they enter post-16 education.

“Specifically, we’d like to see pupil-premium funding extended to 16-19-year-old learners.”

Teaching unions also urged the government to learn the positive lessons from teacher-led assessment of students’ work — and warned ministers must put contingency plans in place for next year’s exams.

National Education Union joint general secretary Dr Mary Bousted said: “The workload that was thrust upon students and teachers alike, to ensure grades arrived today, cannot be ignored.

“Information about how to award grades in the absence of exams came to them far too late and, before that, there was a shameful refusal by government to offer any kind of Plan B.

“This negligence is continuing into 2022 with no hint from government of a contingency plan, when one is surely needed.

“We demand Gavin Williamson urgently lays out plans for grading next summer, to avoid a repeat of the unacceptable chaos and workload caused by him this year.”

NASUWT general secretary Dr Patrick Roach said that teachers had faced huge challenges in drawing up centre-assessed grades, “not least due to the delays and failure of ministers to put in place timely contingency plans, despite the chaos which ensued over grading last summer.”