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last mo.

Phillipson Declares White Working-Class Attainment a ‘National Disgrace’

She expects the autumn schools white paper to outline targeted reforms to reverse the widening attainment gap.

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HARLOW, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 5: Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Downs Primary School to outline government plans to extend free school meals to half a million children on June 5, 2025 in Harlow, England. The government announces that any child in England whose parents receive Universal Credit will be able to claim free school meals from September 2026. Currently the criteria is that a household must earn less than £7,400 a year to qualify. The Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the changes to free school meals would save parents £500 a year and "lift 100,000 children out of poverty". (Photo by Isabel Infantes - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Bridget Phillipson called the neglect of the needs of white working-class school children a “national disgrace”

Overview

  • DfE figures show only 18.6% of white British pupils on free school meals secured a strong pass in English and maths GCSEs compared with 45.9% of all state school students.
  • Progression to higher education for this group is the lowest of any cohort, with just 23.4% of females and 14.9% of males continuing to university.
  • The Department for Education will publish fresh data on suspensions and exclusions and is exploring expansions of its AI attendance tool and family hubs.
  • University and sector leaders warn that cost-of-living pressures and inadequate maintenance support are deterring many white working-class students and urge increased bursaries.
  • An independent inquiry commissioned by Star Academies in June is expected to feed its findings into both the schools and post-16 white papers later this year.