The education system in England is failing white working-class children, an independent inquiry has concluded, calling for “once-in-a-generation” reforms to fix a crisis that has persisted for three decades. The year-long review, commissioned by Star Academies and backed by the Department for Education, found that white British pupils on free school meals are the lowest-performing large demographic in the country’s schools.
Baroness Estelle Morris, the inquiry’s co-chair and a former education secretary, said responsibility for the failure “cannot sit with schools alone” and was not because of a lack of aspiration or effort from young people. After speaking to thousands of children, parents and hundreds of teachers, the inquiry discovered a growing belief among white working-class families that the current system does not guarantee future success.
“Independent inquiry finds white working-class children are lowest-performing group, calling for 'once-in-a-generation' reforms.”
“None of the initiatives rolled out in the past 30 years have significantly or sustainably boosted the performance of white working-class children in school,” Baroness Morris said. The inquiry highlighted a disconnect between what families want in terms of careers and what schools can offer. While schools often push for academic routes to university, many families place greater importance on the social experience of school and want better vocational options like local apprenticeships.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, whose own background matches the communities in the report, said generations had been “robbed of opportunity”. “The communities in this report are my communities. I know what they’ve given this country and what this country has failed to give back,” she said.
The inquiry analysed data on 1.25 million young people in England who are white British and receive free school meals. It found that the move to secondary education is a key moment where students can start to disengage – as was the case for Stephen, a 16-year-old who left school three years ago.
To reverse the trend, the inquiry is calling for sweeping changes: more support in early years, improved mental health services, restrictions on smartphone use in schools, and free local public transport for everyone up to age 21. It also wants 30 hours of free childcare extended to all disadvantaged families, not just those in work, and making reading fluency at primary school a national priority for white working-class children. A major expansion of apprenticeships is also proposed so that every young person who wants one can access a high-quality placement locally.
The question now is whether the government will act on the recommendations before another generation slips through the net.