White working class pupils' low achievement is a 'national disgrace', says Bridget Phillipson
The Education Secretary said too many youngsters in this group fail to get the help they need to succeed at school.
Speaking ahead of A-level results day this Thursday, Mrs Phillipson said tackling this 'thorny' issue will be her 'priority' in the coming year.
The Government will set out its plans for the challenge in a schools white paper in the autumn, she added.
Last year, only 18.6 per cent of low-income white British pupils achieved at least a grade 5 –considered a 'strong pass' – in their English and maths GCSEs.
This compares with 45.9 per cent of all state school pupils in England.
Mrs Phillipson said: 'They're not well positioned to carry on with studies, to get an apprenticeship, to go on to university.
'(It) is a national disgrace that so many young people are written off and don't get what they need to achieve and thrive.'
White working class pupils – especially boys – are among the lowest-performing groups in the country. Previous research has blamed a lack of aspiration in communities experiencing high unemployment and scant resources.
Mrs Phillipson told PA Media: 'Far too many young people, particularly white working-class British students, don't get the exam results that they need at GCSE or A-level to allow them to continue onto university.
'My big priority for this year will be how we focus on the really stark picture that we see around attainment and outcomes for children from white working-class backgrounds in places like Sunderland.
'The focus will be how we tackle some of those really thorny and generational challenges – like the gaps that we see around white working-class children and their attainment.
'That's why the schools white paper will have a focus on how we turn that around.'
When asked if the Government is considering bringing back maintenance grants for poorer students, she said: 'We're looking at all of the options.'
And she added that universities have responsibilities 'to make sure students from less well-off backgrounds are given the support that they need'.
'There's still a big challenge there in terms of some of the unacceptably high dropout rates that we see for some students,' she said.
It came as Ucas chief Jo Saxton revealed there had been an increase in youngsters applying for university a year late – aged 19 – due to money issues.
She said: 'I don't think it's the gap year in the sort of traditional Sloaney sense.
'(The) number one concern that we hear from students concerned about the cost of living and they want to work for a bit and raise some funds before they go to study.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
2 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Politics needs to involve more young people', say Suffolk pupils
"If we want politics to be representative of the population, we need a large part of the population, the youth, involved in it."That is the view of Saffeen Yamulki, 20, who is of Kurdish heritage and grew up in studying politics, philosophy and economics at the University of Essex, he is one of 17 young people taking part in a two-week summer school run by Ipswich MP Jack said: "I think this opportunity is brilliant [in getting] young people involved in the political realm, and not make it seem like it's a scary place with men in suits that control the world." Alex Harrison, from Needham Market and another of the summer school cohort, is about to head off to Cambridge to study philosophy, although politics is already a part of life."I work with the I Will Movement, and Ipswich is one of their named towns of social action," said the 19-year-old."One of the things we talk about is the power of young people and the power of youth. "So whilst so many of our ambassadors come into the area from a place of something quite negative, a lot of their social action is based on something they've been through and they're turning that into something positive and making change."I think while we can see social media as a place of doom and gloom, and doom scrolling, we should focus on the amazing things that young people like us are doing to create change and make the world a better place." This is the summer school's first year. It is aimed at 18 to 24-year-olds interested in careers in politics, public service and campaigning. Abbott said he was given his chance in politics through a summer school, and he wants to give the same chance to the next generation.A recent report by the Electoral Commission found that while most young people felt politics did not affect their daily lives, about two-thirds thought it was important to learn more about it, and nearly three-quarters believed politics should be taught more in schools and colleges. Another summer school participant is 19 year-old Hannah Laughlin, from is about to start her second year at Oxford, where she is studying politics, philosophy and economics."There's definitely more work we need to be doing to get young people involved," she said."A lot of the time young people really do care, and they really do have emotional reactions to what's going on – not just in the government but around them and seeing what's happening around the country and elsewhere."But they just don't know how to express how much they care." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
4 minutes ago
- BBC News
Northamptonshire Police hold meeting with Hindu temple leaders
Police bosses have met with Hindu temple leaders with the aim of strengthening community relations and boosting Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) Danielle Stone held the discussions alongside Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet and Deputy Chief Constable Ash was part of a series of meetings with different communities and faiths that the PFCC and the police have Stone said: "The roundtable was essential to building a new strong relationship with the community." The office of the PFCC said the meeting last week focused on the issue of representation and diversity within had questions and suggestions on how Hindu people could be more attracted to the recruitment process and be encouraged to apply for positions in Northamptonshire Police. 'Attracting people from all backgrounds' The Labour PFCC said: "Our workforce must be representative of our communities."I was pleased to hear directly from the community leaders how we can ensure we take the right approach in our recruitment."Our emergency services must be inclusive and shaped by the voices of those they serve." Northamptonshire Police said ethnic diversity representation in the force was just below 5%, which is the highest it has ever been, but added it wanted that to Constable Ivan Balhatchet said: "We are committed to making Northamptonshire Police truly reflective of the communities we serve, and that means attracting, recruiting and retaining people from all backgrounds."Raj Ladwa, a volunteer from BAPS Hindu Temple in Wellingborough, attended the roundtable and said: "It was a highly productive discussion with the commissioner and chief constable, focusing on stronger engagement between the police and the Hindu community and improving representation within the force." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
4 minutes ago
- BBC News
Ex-Debenhams store in King's Lynn could become homes in £20m plan
A town's former Debenhams could be turned into housing, according to the chair of a board developing plans for £20m of this year, the government confirmed King's Lynn, Norfolk, would receive the money to help with Etheridge, who heads the town's "neighbourhood board", said the funding could be spent on a wide range of areas, including health, skills, jobs, cutting crime and possibility was that some of it could be used on feasibility plans for disused, large buildings, such as the former department store which closed in 2020. "They're big and they're empty because they're costly to repurpose. We're not going to get John Lewis or Zara or a massive store taking over," she said."But we could look at turning some into housing, for example, or into other multi uses. Whether that might be leisure, dentists or NHS facilities."The neighbourhood board and King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council have to submit initial plans to the government later this the meantime, they said they were looking for local charities and community groups to help gather views from the wider community on how the investment could be BBC has spoken to some people in King's Lynn to see what they think the town needs. "King's Lynn is now starting to be rundown. It's full of charity shops, coffee shops – very few independent shops left – no markets left," said Robert wanted money to be used to help new local businesses open in the town centre, with facilities in other parts of the town also improved."The Fairstead and places like that – their play areas are looking rundown, so money could be spent on them," he said."Or the North Lynn community centre, that's rundown – I'd like to see money spent on them." Mother and daughter, Sharon and Danielle Bowman, said they "loved" King's Lynn – but Sharon was also disappointed with vacant units in town – blaming parking charges for a downturn in trade."That's a big thing when the shops start closing – I think it's very sad, [having] lived in the town all my life."The pair agreed that better health services were needed."We've got so many more houses being built, but you can't get doctor's appointments like you should be able to," said Danielle. "It was a real loss to King's Lynn when we lost our dental access centre," said former nurse Shaun Claxton."It helped an awful lot of people with their dentistry and was a real loss to the community."That helped people who couldn't get an NHS dentist, people who needed emergency work and it was a very good service."It would be lovely to see it return." Dominika Lukasevic, 20, said it was hard to develop skills locally."Either we're just too ignorant or there's not enough advertisement out there for experiences and opportunities for young [people] who just came out of school.""The big universities are [at least] an hour away," she Roper, who runs a cafe in the town centre, said better bus services could draw more people in."If they put a park and ride in, that'd help the community - use the bus lanes more and get a lot more footfall in," he said."One of the biggest things that people get frustrated about is – why go into town and struggle for parking when you can go to the [retail parks] and have an easier life with free parking?" Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
