Nearly half of all GCSEs taken by private school pupils in England (48.1%) resulted in a grade of 7, 8 or 9 this year, more than double the figure for state schools, where just over one in five (20.7%) of all entries achieved a 7 or higher, The Star has reported.

Almost 9 out of 10 (89.6%) of GCSEs taken by independently schooled pupils achieved at least a 4, compared to about two-thirds of all entries (66.5%) by state school pupils.

However, the gaps have closed slightly since last year when the proportion of private school entries earning top grades was 27.7 percentage points higher than state school entries, which fell by 0.3 to a 27.4 percentage point difference, with the number of private entries getting top grades falling slightly, while state school entries rose. There was a similar pattern for those achieving 4 and above.

Public policy think tank the Social Market Foundation’s research director Dr Rebecca Montacute said: “This shows the stark inequalities in our education system, which exist both between state and private schools, and within the state sector.

“Talent and potential exist in every school, but those in private schools have access to far greater resources and support than their state school counterparts. Action is needed at every part of the education system, from pre-school through to post GCSE opportunities, to level the playing field and make the most of the potential of all students.”

She added: “We need to see much more from government, including greater efforts to reduce child poverty, and improvements in every part of the education system, from the early years through to opportunities post-GCSE”.