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Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Times
Can ‘written-off' white, working-class pupils get back on track?
White working-class pupils in England have been a persistent concern for over two decades, with their educational struggles described as 'nothing less than a ticking time bomb for equality of opportunity in our country'. Speaking before A-level results day on Thursday, Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, called it a 'national disgrace' that so many white working-class pupils were 'written off' and fail to get the grades needed for university. With GCSE results landing a week later on August 21, education experts are renewing urgent calls to tackle inequalities within this demographic. James Toop, the chief executive of Teach First, said that while thousands of students would celebrate this month, too many would 'face closed doors' not because of a lack of ability but because of 'entrenched inequality'. The 1.2 million white British pupils who are eligible for free school meals make up the largest low-performing ethnic group in the country. They represent nearly 60 per cent of all eligible pupils and also have among the worst results at GCSE. Only 18.6 per cent of white British pupils who are eligible for free school meals achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSEs last year, compared with a national average of 45.9 per cent. According to Department for Education (DfE) figures, on average, they scored about a grade and a half lower in each subject than their peers. Attendance plays a crucial role in understanding why some pupils fall behind. National figures for the autumn term of last year showed that although overall and persistent absence fell compared with the previous year, the number of severely absent pupils — those missing more than half of school — had risen. While rates of persistent absence among white British pupils are only slightly above the national average and lower than some other ethnic groups, the Difference, a whole-school inclusion charity, highlights that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, regardless of ethnicity, are far more likely to miss school and suffer from lost learning. Among white working-class pupils, this intersection of deprivation and absence is particularly pronounced — not because of their ethnic background, but because they are disproportionately represented among the country's poorest. Kiran Gill, the charity's chief executive said: 'The data is clear: the experiences of not having a safe and stable home, not having food in your stomach and not feeling sure that your family are well and safe are real causal factors of children losing learning.' Sir Michael Wilshaw, the head of Ofsted between 2012 and 2016, said that the regulator was to blame for the growing attainment gap between white working-class students and their peers. Wilshaw highlighted that Ofsted's role was to report to parliament on national standards, including the achievement levels of particular groups of students. 'It hasn't been reporting as regularly or rigorously as it should,' he said. Wilshaw said schools had achieved good ratings despite attainment levels being below average and 'poor white students performing particularly badly'. He believes Ofsted needs to act and set up a new framework for inspecting academies as 'nothing is wrong with the children in these schools'. Ofsted declined to comment. The low attainment of the white working classes is an issue that has been 'bubbling up for the last 20 years', according to Wilshaw. However, a tipping point has been reached and Wilshaw claims there is a correlation between the poor quality of education received and the social unrest seen in anti-immigration protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers. 'They feel dispossessed, they feel alienated because they are at the bottom of the pile,' Wilshaw said. 'Their kids don't do well in school, they don't go to university and they don't get well-paid jobs. No wonder they turn up in droves to protest against these communities.' Robert Halfon, former chair of the House of Commons education select committee, commissioned a report five years ago on white working-class pupils' underperformance, calling it a longstanding and controversial issue. 'We got called racist, or it was said that we were forgetting about ethnic groups and they had a whole heap of abuse charged on me in certain quarters,' he said. 'There is also this awful assumption of white privilege, which alienates the very parents and families and communities who are, of course, white working class, struggling and trying to get their homes on with no money.' Carl Cullinane, director of research and policy at the Sutton Trust, said the pandemic and the cost of living crisis had contributed to the attainment gap widening even further. 'The attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers is nothing less than a ticking time bomb for equality of opportunity in our country and needs urgent attention,' Cullinane said. 'If the government genuinely wants to break down barriers to opportunity, we need serious investment in education opportunities in the 'left-behind' parts of the UK.' The DfE figures found that white-working class students receiving free school meals in the year 2023/24 were the least likely to progress to higher education compared with their peers — 23.4 per cent of female students and 14.9 per cent of male students continued with the next stage of their education. This compares with 62.6 per cent of female Asian students and 46.5 per cent of male Asian students receiving free school meals and still continuing to university. The rates of attainment and progression of white working-class pupils has drawn renewed political scrutiny from the government, which is due to publish reforms set out in a white paper in the autumn. It is understood that ministers will publish data showing soaring school suspension and exclusion levels among white working-class pupils. The government is also considering expanding its AI-powered attendance tool, launched earlier this year, allowing schools to benchmark how they fare against those with similar demographic make-ups. Meanwhile, efforts are being made to expand early intervention services through the inclusion of family hubs in every local authority. Jo Saxton, chief executive of Ucas, has called on the government to provide more bursaries and maintenance support for young people. Halfon added there needs to be a radical overhaul of the careers guidance system, as he said that it is wrong that schools are 'judged by how many kids they send to Russell Group universities'. 'Careers guidance is still a problem, because most of it is about going to university, when it should be about encouraging people to do vocational apprenticeships.'
The Guardian
13-07-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Teach First job applicants will get in-person interviews after more apply using AI
One of the UK's biggest recruiters is accelerating a plan to switch towards more frequent face-to-face assessments as university graduates become increasingly reliant on using artificial intelligence to apply for jobs. Teach First, a charity which fast-tracks graduates into teaching jobs, said it planned to bring forward a move away from predominantly written assignments – where AI could give applicants hidden help – to setting more assessments where candidates carry out tasks such as giving 'micro lessons' to assessors. The move comes as the number of people using AI for job applications has risen from 38% last year, to 50% this year, according to a study by the graduate employment specialist Bright Network. Patrick Dempsey, the executive director for programme talent at Teach First, said there had been a near-30% increase in applications so far this year on the same period last year, with AI playing a significant role. Dempsey said the surge in demand for jobs was partly due to a softening in the labour market, but the use of automation for applications was allowing graduates to more easily apply for multiple jobs simultaneously. 'The shift from written assessment to task-based assessment is something we feel the need to accelerate,' he said. Dempsey said much of the AI use went undetected but there could be tell-tale signs. 'There are instances where people are leaving the tail end of a ChatGPT message in an application answer, and of course they get rejected,' he said. A leading organisation in graduate recruitment said the proportion of students and university leavers using AI to apply for jobs had risen to five out of 10 applicants. Bright Network, which connects graduates and young professionals to employers, found half of graduates and undergraduates now used AI for their applications. More than a quarter of companies questioned in a survey of 15,000 people will be setting guidelines for AI usage in job applications, in time for the next recruitment season. Kirsten Barnes, head of the digital platform at Bright Network, said employers had noticed a 'surge' in applications. 'AI tools make it easier for candidates of any age – not just graduates – to apply to many, many different roles,' she said. 'Employers have been saying to us that what they're seeing is a huge surge in the volume of applications that they're receiving.' Breakthroughs in AI have coincided with downward pressure on the graduate and junior jobs market. Dartmouth Partners, a recruitment agency specialising in the financial services sector, said it was increasingly seeing applicants using keywords written in white on their CVs. The words are not visible to the human eye, but would instruct a system to push the candidate to the next phase of the recruitment process if a prospective employer was using AI to screen applications. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Vacancies for graduate jobs, apprenticeships, internships and junior jobs with no degree requirement have dropped by 32% since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, according to research released last month by the job search site Adzuna. These entry-level jobs now account for 25% of the market in the UK, down from 28.9% in 2022, it found. Last month, another job search site, Indeed, reported that university graduates were facing the toughest job market since 2018, finding the number of roles advertised for recent graduates had fallen 33% in mid-June compared with the same point last year. The Institute of Student Employers said the graduate and school-leaver market as a whole was not declining as rapidly as reported, however. Its survey of 69 employers showed job vacancies aimed at graduates were down by 7% but school-leaver vacancies were up by 23% – meaning there was an overall increase of 1% in a market earmarked for AI impact. Group GTI, a charity that helps students move into employment, said job postings on UK university careers job boards were up by 8% this year compared with last year. Interviews with graduate recruitment agencies and experts have found that AI has yet to cause severe disruption to the market for school and university leavers – but change is inevitable and new joiners to the white-collar economy must become skilled in AI to stand a chance of progressing. James Reed, the chief executive of the Reed employment agency, said he 'feels sorry' for young people who have racked up debt studying for degrees and are encountering a tough jobs market. 'I think universities should be looking at this and thinking quite carefully about how they prepare young people,' he said. He added that AI would transform the entire job market. 'This change is fundamental and five years from now it's going to look very different – the whole job market,' he said.
Daily Mirror
08-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Keir Starmer unveils plan to help one million schoolkids in major tech drive
The Prime Minister will announce plans to help around one million school-age children gain skills in technology under a new TechFirst scheme to help them learn AI and computing skills Youngsters will be able to access more job opportunities in tech under a major drive to skill up Britain. The PM will announce plans to help around one million school-age children gain skills in technology under a new TechFirst scheme. It will help to prepare kids should they want to become AI engineers, computer scientists or data analysts in the future. TechFirst, whose name is inspired by the teaching training programme Teach First, will be backed by £187million of government money. Some £24million will go to school-aged children, while just over £90m will pay for 1,000 undergraduate and masters scholarships to university. It means some young people will have the opportunity to attend university for free for courses including AI, cybersecurity and computer science. Nearly £50million will go towards PhD students. Mr Starmer said: 'We are putting the power of AI into the hands of the next generation – so they can shape the future, not be shaped by it. 'This training programme will unlock opportunity in every classroom – and lays the foundations for a new era of growth. Too many children from working families like the one I grew up in are written off. I am determined to end that. " Under TechFirst, school kids will likely go on trips to universities or tech companies, where they can learn technical skills such as programming robots. Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, who has previously described feeling embarrassed at school due to his dyslexia, said opening up doors for kids by helping them gain the skills they need is 'personal for me'. Speaking on a visit to a cyber training scheme for kids in Manchester, he told The Mirror: 'As somebody who has a neurological barrier to learning, I can see how many of the young people who I'm meeting today are flourishing in this new environment. 'They're embracing the technology which is helping them succeed academically, but also finding those personal characteristics which in traditional times gone past have been suppressed, ignored or looked down on. 'They are now finding a way to be rewarded and celebrated. For me, that is actually quite emotional to see.' Mr Kyle said the economy is 'shifting towards a demand for digitally-enabled skills'. He said technology is no longer a subject of its own but is embraced by all areas, such as being a tool to help kids learn maths or using AI to analyse sports performance in PE lessons. He said his aim wasn't for all kids to work in tech but for technology to be able to 'unlock' opportunities for young people. I want one thing for young people to believe, and that's whatever their potential is, they can achieve it,' he said. 'I think the thing I hope most for young people is that they discover and have the opportunity to figure out what that is.' As part of the Government's drive to skill up the country, big tech companies have agreed to make their internal training resources publicly available for free. The firms involved include Microsoft, Google, BA Systems and Barclays. It is hoped the move will give 7.5million workers - a fifth of the working-age population - the tech skills they need by 2030. The Government is understood to believe it has 'talked the talk' long enough on tech and now must deliver in skilling up the nation in areas such as coding or cybersecurity. It is hoped this will help to fill gaping skills in the workforce, including engineers and data scientists.
Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Chess prodigies who don't attend school shouldn't be flagged to authorities, peer says
Child chess prodigies who don't attend school don't need to be flagged to the authorities because they have clearly received a 'sufficient education', a Tory peer has said. Lord Wei, a social entrepreneur and former government adviser, is seeking to water down new rules for parents who want to take their children out of school by creating an exemption for chess grandmasters. It is one of a string of changes the peer has put forward to limit the reach of Labour's proposed new register of 'children not in school', which aims to prevent vulnerable pupils falling through the cracks. Under the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which is going through the Lords, local authorities will have to keep a record of children in their area who are not attending school full-time. Parents will have to let their council know if they want to take their child out of school to teach them at home, or if they will be persistently absent from the classroom, and provide details of their arrangements. The change, first proposed by the Tories, is intended to build a clearer picture for the authorities following a rise in home education and concerns over 'ghost children' – those who have disappeared from the school system – during the Covid pandemic. But it has proved controversial with the home schooling community, with some fearing it could lead to more state interference. Lord Wei, who is also a co-founder of Teach First, has tabled a series of amendments designed to rein in the register and prevent councils harassing parents who home-school their children. They include an exemption for chess prodigies, based on the assumption these children are already receiving a 'sufficient education'. The amendment says: 'A child who has achieved chess grandmaster status shall be considered to be receiving a suitable education and shall be exempt from registration under section 436B.' The accompanying explanation says: 'This amendment recognises that children who attain chess grandmaster status demonstrate exceptional intellectual achievement. It automatically treats them as receiving a sufficient education.' Lord Wei also wants to exempt certain families from the registration requirements, including those who have successfully home-schooled their children before, and to forbid councils from badgering parents for information more than once per year. One of his other amendments would allow an 'educational portfolio' as an alternative to registration, offering 'a less intrusive way for parents to demonstrate their child is receiving suitable education'. It is unlikely that Lord Wei's amendment on chess prodigies will pass, but even if it were added to the statute books, it would only affect a tiny minority of children. Last year, Shreyas Royal, then 15 years old, became the youngest grandmaster in the UK. To achieve the prestigious title, players have to win a series of games, typically across several tournaments. Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, was a champion, if not a grandmaster, as a child, having caught the 'chess bug' aged seven. Rishi Sunak, the former prime minister, was also keen to promote the game when he was in No 10, calling it a 'great skill' that is 'really good for helping you think'.
Evening Standard
12-05-2025
- Business
- Evening Standard
How to Build the Mindset of Success: A masterclass with leadership expert Jo Owen
Jo Owen is an award-winning author, leadership expert and social entrepreneur. He co-founded Teach First, the UK's largest graduate recruiter, and has launched multiple NGOs focused on education and reoffending. He's the only person to have won the Chartered Management Institute Gold Award four times, and his books – including How to Lead, Tribal Business School and Global Teams – have been published in over 100 editions worldwide. The third edition of his bestselling Mindset of Success is out this June.
