White working-class pupils in UK primary schools are at the bottom of the class, a new report shows. Data from the think tank Institute for Government (IfG) shows that councils in the bottom fifth for performance are “disproportionately likely” to have a larger share of students from white, poorer backgrounds. The new analysis reveals that that certain demographic often has “particularly poor educational outcomes” compared to other pupils.
The report published on Wednesday comes after Education minister Bridget Phillipson spoke of the “national disgrace” of under-performance among white working-class children, warning that “far too many” are failing to get the necessary exam results. She added that they risked being “written off” by society.
The IfG’s analysis focused on pupil performance at Key Stage 2 when children are in their final year of primary school. The think-tank has claimed that inequality in the education sector has “grown wider and more pronounced” since the pandemic.
Disparities are most pronounced among the poorest of children, the report shows, as they were less likely to have access to electronic devices such as laptops. This has resulted in only 46% of disadvantaged children meeting the expected standards in reading, writing and maths for Key Stage 2 in 2024.
In regions made up predominantly of white working-class children, only 41% met the required standards for 11-year-olds last year.
On the other end of the spectrum, the highest performing regions at the same level were in London.
In the IfG’s report, they referenced historic research by the Commons education committee which revealed that white British children’s performance may be vulnerable to disadvantage.
This is due to the large groups of the demographic living in rural or coastal areas which have been subject to “lower funding”, as well as “higher teacher vacancies, longer travel times and worse digital infrastructure”.
Pupils from mixed white or black Caribbean backgrounds also had attainment rates lower than the national average, the report shows. However, nearly 60% of disadvantaged black pupils and disadvantaged Asian pupils met the required standards for 11-year-olds.