Inquiry finds schools failing white working-class pupils

An independent inquiry has concluded that England's education system is failing white working-class children and requires once-in-a-generation reforms to address their status as the lowest-performing large demographic in the country's schools. The findings, published on Monday, June 29, 2026, were welcomed by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who said generations had been robbed of opportunity.

The Independent Inquiry into White Working-Class Educational Outcomes, commissioned by the Star Academies multi-academy trust and supported by the Department for Education, found the challenges cannot be solved by schools alone. Co-chaired by former Labour education secretary Baroness Estelle Morris and Star Academies chief executive Sir Hamid Patel, the report states the issues cannot be explained away by low aspiration or lack of effort. The inquiry was based on interviews with thousands of young people and parents, hundreds of teachers, and an analysis of education data focusing on the 1.25 million young people in England who are white British and receive free school meals.

The report identified a stark disadvantage gap. In 2025, just 36% of white British pupils on free school...