Inquiry finds white working-class children failed by education system

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleEducation Secretary Bridget Phillipson (PA)Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said that white working-class children in Britain require "exceptional" talent or "luck" to achieve success, criticising social mobility as a "distant dream" that has failed this demographic. Her remarks followed an independent inquiry which concluded that "once-in-a-generation reforms" are urgently needed to address the persistently low attainment of white working-class pupils, identified as England's worst-performing large demographic. The inquiry highlighted that 1.25 million white British pupils eligible for free school meals consistently show the weakest educational outcomes across all stages. Phillipson argued that the social contract promising success for hard work has been broken, contributing to young men turning to "online hate" and lacking aspiration for home ownership or employment. Recommendations from the inquiry include extending 30 hours of free childcare to all disadvantaged families, prioritising reading fluency for white working-class children, reducing financial risks for further study, and providing free public transport for all under-21s. In fullWhite working-class children have to be exceptional or exceptionally lucky to succeed, Phillipson saysThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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