Inquiry on White Working-Class Pupils Moves to Early Years and 14-19
An independent inquiry into how white working-class children fare at school is entering a second phase. It will focus on the youngest pupils and on teenagers aged 14 to 19.
Who is behind the inquiry
The Independent Inquiry into White Working Class Educational Outcomes was commissioned by the multi-academy trust Star Academies. The Department for Education supports it. Co-chair Baroness Morris, a former education secretary, said the next phase will consider what needs to be done, and that the answer is not only for schools to deliver. She called for action "from across society".
The first report came out this summer. It called for once-in-a-generation reforms and said the system was "not serving the interests of white working-class children".
Over the year, the review heard from thousands of young people, their parents and hundreds of teachers. It also analysed figures for the 1.25 million white British young people in England who receive free school meals.
What the second phase will cover
The team will write practical recommendations. They are aimed at government, schools, colleges and other bodies that deal with white working-class communities.
For teenagers, a research programme will study the routes they take between 14 and 19. It will examine ways for schools and communities to open clearer routes into further study and work. For younger children, the aim is a stronger start at primary school, and the inquiry will look at how the move from primary to secondary builds firm foundations.
A gap in the data
In the summer the inquiry said the true scale of disadvantage was likely to be substantially larger than its figures showed. The reason is that the data left out families on low incomes who did not receive free school meals. Since then, every family on Universal Credit has become eligible for free school meals.
Where it fits in government plans
Education Secretary Lucy Powell said she is backing the inquiry to get to the heart of what holds children back, from their first days in school to the choices they face as teenagers. She said too many white working-class children fall behind at every stage.
The work follows Prime Minister Andy Burnham's summer announcement of plans for new technical routes from age 14 in England. He has said he is on a mission to cut the number of young people not in education, employment or training, known as Neet. Nearly a million are currently classed that way.
Alan Milburn's interim report found that a child who is not ready for school at four or five is nearly three times as likely to be Neet at 16 to 17. His final report, setting out recommendations, is expected in the coming weeks.
Source: BBC News