People in teaching jobs in London's state schools have been accused of letting their pupils down.

Young people who attend state schools in the capital are failing to get into Oxbridge universities because lessons are not "setting their intellect on fire", according to the head of a new academy, which has been set up by a top private school.

The new Harris Westminster Sixth Form will open next year and it is aimed at bright teenagers from poorer backgrounds who want to go to elite universities. Head and founder James Handscombe believes there is a role for his new school because thousands of children are leaving education at the earliest possible opportunity as schools are not "showing students that learning is amazing".

Harris Westminster Sixth Form will work alongside the £30,000-a-year Westminster School and although it aims to be academically selective, it pledges to interview all applicants to allow teachers to spot pupils with a passion for their subject that may not be apparent from their GCSE grades.

Mr Handscombe told the Evening Standard: "A lot of London schools are not lighting the touch paper.

"That's what they need to get into those top universities. A lot fail to get in, not because they are not bright or haven't learnt the syllabus, but because they have not had their intellect set on fire by the desire to know more."

"They see learning as something you do to pass exams rather than the reason we are here."

Westminster School currently sends around 90 pupils a year to Oxford and Cambridge - more than any other school and the new academy wants to learn from the private school, so specialist teachers from Westminster are designing the new sixth form's curriculum. 

Do London's state schools let pupils down? Are teachers not doing the best they can under tough circumstances? Is the new academy a good idea?

Let us know your views on the matter.