Geographical lottery for social mobility

London is like ‘a different country’, according to a report into opportunities for those from a deprived background in England. But forget the cliché of the North South divide – the Social Mobility Commission says pockets all over the country are failing, particularly in rural, coastal and former industrial areas outside the capital. Opportunities for school leavers are lowest in the East Midlands and North East. Fatima Manji has been to an academy in Newcastle that’s trying to buck the trend.