Poor kids are falling behind their rich peers before they have even left primary school as a result of a “class ceiling,” education campaigners said yesterday.

A report released today from the Fair Education Alliance shows that children from poorer areas are twice as likely to leave primary school without basic literacy and numeracy skills.

Pupils who are still trailing behind the toffs at 16 face being locked out of further education and trapped in a “cycle of poverty.”

The alliance, made up of charities, bosses’ body the CBI and the National Association of Head Teachers but no other teaching unions, warned that the state will pay twice if it fails to close the divide — once for a child’s schooling and again to fix the fallout of failure.

“Students from poorer communities are held back by a “class ceiling” where they are less likely to access academic institutions leading to better paid jobs,” the report says.

The analysis shows that just 83 of the 1,000 secondary schools serving poorer areas have average GCSE grades of a B or above.

Tory Education Secretary Nicky Morgan insisted the government’s “plan for education is working.”

She said: “Our plan for education is designed to ensure every child, regardless of their back