Poor white pupils' low test scores exposed amid fears they've been 'written off' in 'national disgrace'

Daily Mail​

a day ago

Areas where poor pupils perform the worst are disproportionately white, a report has found.
A study from the Institute for Government (IfG) suggests ethnicity may be a factor in how badly poverty impacts on educational attainment.
The think tank said disadvantaged white pupils have 'particularly poor educational outcomes' in terms of attainment in Year 6 Sats.
It comes after official data showed only 3 per cent of British white pupils from low income families attend a top university – one of the least successful groups.
Last week, Bridget Phillipson said it was a 'national disgrace' that so many white working class children were 'written off' and failed to achieve their potential.
The IfG report referenced previous research which found this demographic is overrepresented in rural and coastal areas where there is 'lower funding… higher teacher vacancies, longer travel times and worse digital infrastructure'.
The report adds: 'Factors from children's home environments, such as varying aspirations among parents from different ethnic backgrounds, also likely play a role.'
The IfG analysis found that for some ethnicities, such as Chinese, disadvantaged children performed almost the same as their more advantaged peers in the Year 6 Sats.
There was just a 1 percentage point gap between them in terms of proportions meeting the 'expected level' in the tests.
However, for white British children, there was a 26 percentage point difference between disadvantaged and more advantaged – and neither group performed as well as the Chinese students.
The report examined the councils in England and identified the 'bottom fifth' for performance of disadvantaged pupils.
It found the vast majority of these had 'above average shares' of white children within their population of disadvantaged pupils.
On average nationally, 67 per cent of disadvantaged primary school pupils are white.
The think tank has said tackling high absence rates – particularly among disadvantaged pupils – 'will be key' to narrowing educational inequalities.
Report author Amber Dellar said: 'The pandemic has undone much of the last decade's progress in tackling educational inequalities, leaving some areas and groups of children far behind.
'Any serious plan must focus on helping schools share what works in supporting disadvantaged pupils and reducing their high rates of absence.'
Separate data shows only 18.6 per cent of deprived white British pupils achieved at least a grade 5 –considered a 'strong pass' – in their English and maths GCSEs in 2023-24, compared to 45.9 per cent of all pupils.
A Department for Education spokesman said: 'Tackling the baked-in inequalities in our education system will take time, but through our Plan for Change this government is taking action against the root causes that we know are holding young people back.
'We are driving high and rising standards for every child through the expert-led Curriculum and Assessment Review, new RISE teams and strengthened school accountability.
'This comes alongside work to tackle disadvantage including expanding free school meals, rolling out free breakfast clubs and revitalising family services in every local authority.
'But we know there is more to do, which is why we will bring about the reforms needed through our Schools White Paper later this year to create an education system where every child can thrive, regardless of their background.'