Working Class white British children rank at the bottom of education outcomes.

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White working-class pupils miss nearly twice as much school, 13 per cent of sessions, as the overall average of 7 per cent. They are also two-and-a-half times more likely to be severely absent, missing more than half of their schooling.

Only 52 per cent expect to go to university, against 82 per cent of their peers.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson acknowledged that generations of young people from these backgrounds had been “robbed of opportunity” and said the findings would inform government policy. “The communities in this report are my communities,” she said. “I know what they’ve given this country and what this country has failed to give back.”

The DfE supported the inquiry, signalling official recognition of the issue, which has been documented for years but often overshadowed by focus on other ethnic groups.

White British FSM pupils have consistently ranked near the bottom in official attainment tables when broken down by ethnicity and disadvantage.

The inquiry highlights how this group, often in post-industrial areas with high deprivation, faces unique cultural and structural barriers.

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“Throughout this Inquiry, we were struck by the pride, aspiration, resilience and strong sense of solidarity within many white working class communities. Parents want better lives for their children and place a high value on success. The problem is not a lack of ambition but a combination of embedded barriers, opportunity gaps, distrust and differing experiences of the education system.

“Too often, conversations about socio-economic inequality focus only on deficit and decline. The task ahead is not to diminish the communities who are at the heart of this Inquiry or their identity; it is to build an education system that better recognises, values and builds upon the strengths already within them.

“Closing the gap will not be easy, and will require long-term commitment, sustained political focus, and collective national effort. At the Inquiry, we plan to continue our work by translating evidence into action, and invite communities, families and partners across society to work with us to create positive change.”
Sir Hamid Patel CBE, Inquiry Co-Chair

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A 2021 House of Commons Education Committee report, The forgotten: how White working-class pupils have been let down, argued that divisive terminology such as “white privilege” had contributed to the neglect of disadvantaged white communities.

Reform UK’s education spokeswoman, Suella Braverman, said the system was “failing white working class children” and blamed “the death of technical and vocational education”, calling for radical reform.

The report emphasises that addressing white working-class underachievement does not detract from efforts to support other disadvantaged groups but is essential for overall social mobility and national cohesion.

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