An independent inquiry said English white working-class education in England is not serving the interests of white working-class children. Baroness Estelle Morris, the inquiry co-chair, said the problem cannot sit with schools alone.
The review looked at 1.25 million young people in England who are white British and in receipt of free school meals. It spoke to thousands of young people and their parents, along with hundreds of teachers, before concluding that the system has not matched what many families need.
Baroness Estelle Morris
Morris said the problem was not due to a lack of aspiration or effort from young people. She also said none of the initiatives rolled out over the past 30 years had significantly or sustainably boosted performance. That leaves the question of reform focused on more than classroom teaching alone.
The Independent Inquiry into White Working Class Educational Outcomes was commissioned by Star Academies and supported by the Department for Education. It was set up last summer to examine why white working-class children are the lowest-performing large demographic in the school system in England.
Stephen and secondary school
The inquiry’s findings were put alongside Stephen’s experience. He is 16 now and left school three years ago, then spent the next three years out of education. The review said the move to secondary education is a key moment where students can start to disengage with school.
It also found a disconnect between what children and their parents want in careers and what schools can offer. Many families want more high-quality vocational options like apprenticeships in their local area, while many place greater importance on the social experience of school than on academic progression to higher education.
Bridget Phillipson
Bridget Phillipson said generations had been robbed of opportunity. She also said, “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,” linking the inquiry’s findings to the lived experience of the families it studied.
The inquiry called for more support in the early years, improved mental health support, restrictions on smartphone use in schools, free access to local public transport for all young people up to the age of 21, and extending 30 hours of free childcare to all disadvantaged families, not just those in work.
It also called for making reading fluency at primary school a national priority for white working class children and for a major expansion of apprenticeships so that all young people who want one can access a high-quality apprenticeship local to them.
