The education secretary has pledged to tackle what she describes as the “thorny” generational challenge of British white, working-class young people falling behind their peers, making it her “priority” for the year ahead.
Bridget Phillipson said it is a “national disgrace” that so many young people are “written off” and do not get what they need in the education system to thrive after leaving school.
Speaking before A-level results day on Thursday, Ms Phillipson said she would focus on narrowing a “stark” gap in attainment and outcomes between white working-class children and their peers.
The government will set out its plans in a schools White Paper in the autumn, she said.
An independent inquiry into the educational outcomes of white working-class children was commissioned by Sir Hamid Patel, chief executive of the multi-academy trust Star Academies, in June.
White, working-class pupils’ outcomes
Only 18.6 per cent of white British students eligible for free school meals achieved at least a grade 5 - which is considered a “strong pass” - in their English and maths GCSEs in 2023-24.
This compares with 45.9 per cent of all state school students in England, according to Department for Education data.
The education secretary told the PA news agency: “[White, working-class students] are not well positioned to carry on with studies, to get an apprenticeship, to go on to university.
“That is why the schools White Paper we will be publishing in the autumn will set out an ambitious vision for how we can tackle this generational challenge of what many young people experience.”
Ms Phillipson described it as “a national disgrace that so many young people are written off and don’t get what they need to achieve and thrive”.
She added: “Far too many young people, particularly white, working-class British students, don’t get the exam results that they need at GCSE or A level to allow them to continue on to university.”
‘Thorny’ issue
The education secretary said: “My big priority for this year will be how we focus on the really stark picture that we see around attainment and outcomes for children from white, working-class backgrounds in places like Sunderland.”
She added: “The focus will be how we tackle some of those really thorny and generational challenges - like the gaps that we see around white, working-class children and their attainment.
“That’s why both the post-16 White Paper and the schools White Paper will have a focus on how we turn that around, and how we make sure that all children in our country can achieve and thrive.”
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “There is a very evident attainment gap between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers that deserves to be given far greater attention. It’s reassuring that this will be a focus of the upcoming White Paper, but this needs to be backed with widespread investment to support children growing up in poverty and schools serving disadvantaged communities.
“I’m pleased to have been appointed to the board of the inquiry into white working-class educational outcomes. Through this work it is hoped that we can help build an education system that works well for everyone, regardless of background.”
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