Education: Why are white working-class children not achieving their potential?

Over the last decade, there's been growing concerns that working class white British school children aren't achieving their potential and are lagging behind their peers. 

New research adds to the growing evidence base.

The Inquiry into White Working-Class Educational Outcomes, commissioned by Star Academies and led by Public First examined: 

• What factors drive underperformance among white working-class pupils?
• Why have previous reports, reforms and recommendations failed to close the gap?
• What does the evidence reveal about successful interventions?
• What practical steps can schools, colleges, policymakers and the wider sector take to improve outcomes? 

Definitions matter: who is white working class? 

One of the Inquiry’s first challenges was defining its target group. The research team acknowledges that ‘white working class’ is a contested term and that no perfect measure exists within national education datasets. 

For statistical purposes, it primarily uses White British pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) as a proxy for socioeconomic disadvantage. However, it also recognises that FSM eligibility alone does not tell the whole story - particularly given the relatively low income threshold for qualification. 

It believes that that the scale of disadvantage may be considerably larger than national attainment figures suggest. 

How big is the attainment gap?

The educational data examined by the Inquiry presents a stark picture. White British pupils eligible for FSM experience some of the weakest educational outcomes of any major ethnic group in England. The disparities emerge early and continue throughout a child's educational journey.

At primary level, only 63% of White British FSM pupils achieved the expected standard in the Phonics Screening Check, compared with 83% of non-FSM pupils. By the end of Key Stage 2, only 43% met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with 62% of their non-FSM peers. 

The gap widens further at secondary level. The Inquiry found that only 36% of White British FSM pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and mathematics GCSEs, compared with 72% of non-FSM pupils. In practical terms, this means that almost two-thirds leave compulsory education without qualifications that often serve as a gateway to further education, training and employment opportunities. 

Importantly, these trends are not recent developments. The Inquiry concluded that the attainment gap has remained remarkably consistent over time, despite substantial policy interventions and educational reforms across the last decade. 

What causes it?  

While poverty remains one of the strongest predictors of educational disadvantage, the research suggests that economic deprivation alone does not fully explain the educational outcomes experienced by white working-class pupils. Its analysis points towards a more complex interaction between socioeconomic circumstances, geography, community identity, culture and educational experience. 

It identified several recurring themes. White British working-class pupils were found to be less likely to enjoy school, feel successful and feel a sense of belonging within the educational environment. The research also suggested that many parents remain ambitious for their children but may have fewer resources, opportunities or mechanisms through which to support them.  

Key recommendations

The inquiry makes five recommendations, which it believes, will improve outcomes for white working-class pupils: 

1. Stop relying mainly on free school meal eligibility as a measure of disadvantage. It wants the government to use a broader range of factors, such as family income, parental education, housing circumstances and local deprivation, to identify which children need extra support. 

2. Make sure children with special educational needs and disabilities can access the help they need wherever they live, and provide support earlier before problems become more severe.

3. Increase mental health support for children and tackle the negative effects of excessive smartphone and social media use.

4. Help schools and parents work more closely together and give parents a greater voice in their children's education.

5. Ensure every child has access to activities outside the classroom - not just those whose families can afford them by introducing a  properly funded national enrichment entitlement, giving all children access to sport, arts, culture, volunteering and employer engagement opportunities. 

These recommendations largely align with the government policy. It has recently announced plans to ban social media use by under-16s, expand the enrichment opportunities through the ‘Every Child Can’ programme, and introduce a package of SEND reforms designed to improve early intervention, inclusion and consistency of support. 

Whilst it's important to identify the right solutions, the real challenge lies in ensuring these reforms are targeted, funded and sustained. If that happens they stand a really good chance of improving the education outcomes for thousands of disadvantaged children. 

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