Educational experts warned against 'social engineering but some say it will 'level the playing field

'Contextual recruitment' piloted by law firm and to be used by 20 companies

Working-class graduates will be given special consideration for jobs at leading firms above affluent applicants

Working-class graduates will be given special consideration for jobs at leading firms above affluent applicants.

The move aims to improve social mobility in professions dominated by privately educated graduates, such as law and accountancy.

Bosses said the approach, called ‘contextual recruitment’, could revolutionise the search for staff – but education experts have warned against ‘social engineering’.

From next month, employers will be able to see applicants’ GCSE and A-level grades in relation to the overall performance of their school.

They can then spot applicants whose exam scores look average but are outstanding compared to their classmates. Whether candidates had free school meals or were the first person in their family to go to university are also being included on applications.

Recruits from poorer backgrounds can be ‘flagged up’ and normal A-level requirements could be reduced.

Law firms including Ashurst and Baker & McKenzie have piloted the scheme, which will be used by up to 20 companies. It allows them to access exam results of 3,500 schools and 2.5million postcodes.

Raphael Mokades, of recruitment agency Rare, which designed the system, said: ‘Often the most remarkable candidates don’t shine when firms are sifting through thousands of applications.

‘They might not have done relevant work experience, or climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. But they might have got AAA from a school where the average grades are DDE, while working 20 hours a week in Primark.’

Emma Young, of Ashurst, said the data had helped the firm spot exceptional applicants who may previously have fallen in the ‘average middle’.

From next month, employers will be able to see applicants’ GCSE and A-level grades in relation to the overall performance of their school

Sarah Gregory, of Baker & McKenzie, where thousands of graduates apply for 30 positions each year, said: ‘It has the potential to revolutionise the way we recruit. It will introduce a level playing field.’

Education charity The Sutton Trust has previously revealed five elite schools send more pupils to Oxbridge than two-thirds of the entire state sector.

But Alan Smithers, professor of education at Buckingham University, said: ‘There’s an element of social engineering here because they’re responding to pressure from people like The Sutton Trust that has been taken up by politicians.