Sweeping changes are needed across the education system to stop white working class children in England being failed, according to a year-long inquiry reported by the BBC. The findings have put a renewed spotlight on a group of pupils that, the inquiry warns, too often slips through the cracks of the school system.
At the heart of the inquiry's conclusions is a sense that, for many white working class families, education no longer offers a clear route to success. The report describes a disconnect between what these communities want for their children and what they believe schools are actually giving them.
Those communities, the inquiry stresses, are far from indifferent. According to the findings, the families are ambitious and aspirational, wanting their children to have good jobs and happy, fulfilling lives. The problem identified is the gap between those hopes and the reality that families feel the school system delivers.
That gap can show up as disengagement, with some young people drifting away from education or falling behind at key transition points, such as the move into secondary school. The inquiry frames these moments as crucial junctures where pupils can either be kept on track or lost from the system altogether.
To address the problem, the inquiry calls for changes that run the length of a child's education. Its recommendations stretch from more support for preschool children right through to ensuring that every young person leaves school with a clear destination, rather than an uncertain future.
Among the specific proposals is a push to expand courses in areas such as engineering and hospitality, giving students a direct route into local jobs and apprenticeships. The report points to schools such as Beacon Hill Academy in Dudley, which try to keep pupils engaged from the moment they arrive in the morning and tailor their curriculum to the needs of the local community while keeping aspirations high.
Responding to the findings, the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said the inquiry laid bare the scale of the challenge facing these children and families. She said she was changing things for them, framing the report as a spur to action rather than simply a description of a long-standing problem.