THE government has failed to narrow the gap between rich and poor, leaving class divisions as wide as they were 30 years ago, research suggests.
The UK is at the bottom of international league tables for "social mobility", according to a report from the London School of Economics.
By the age of seven, bright children from poor homes will be overtaken academically at school by less gifted
pupils with the wealthiest parents, the report said.
The study, undertaken for the Sutton Trust education charity, warned that today's children face "stark inequalities".
"Parental background continues to exert a significant influence on the academic progress of recent generations of children," the report said.
Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, called for an independent inquiry into how to break down the UK's rigid class barriers.
He said: "Shamefully, Britain remains stuck at the bottom of the international league tables when it comes to social mobility.
"It is appalling that young people's life chances are still so tied to the fortunes of their parents, and that this situation has not improved over the last three decades.
"We need an independent commission to review the underlying causes for our low level of mobility and what can be done to address it.
"This is an issue which requires action on a broad front over a long period - it is too important to be used as a political football."
The report found there was a sharp fall in social mobility between 1958 and 1970.
While the class divide has not deteriorated significantly since then, there was no evidence of any improvement, the researchers said.
