Inquiry into white working-class pupils says whole society must act
The independent inquiry into white working-class educational outcomes launched its second phase on Monday, turning to early years and 14-to-19 education after its first report found the system “not serving the interests of white working-class children” and called for “once-in-a-generation reforms”. Its chair, Baroness Morris, said: “This isn’t just the responsibility of schools but calls for action from across society.” Lucy Powell, the education secretary, said she was “backing this independent inquiry”.
Some 1.25 million young people in England are white British and on free school meals, and the inquiry believes the group falling behind is “likely to be substantially larger”. Commissioned in summer 2025 by the Star Academies trust with the Department for Education’s support, and co-chaired by Sir Hamid Patel, it reported in June that these pupils trail at every stage; Ms Powell said “too many white working-class children are falling behind at every stage of their education” and that “a child’s background should never mean opportunity belongs to someone else”. Sir Hamid called the new phase “the beginning of a sustained effort” whose ambition is “to turn evidence into action and action into lasting change”. The work lands as the government confronts nearly a million young people not in education, employment or training; Alan Milburn’s review, due this week, has already found that children who start school unready are nearly three times as likely to be Neet at 16 to 17. The TUC’s Paul Nowak says fixing youth unemployment is a “once in a generation chance” with no solution that is “cost-free”. Watch whether Milburn’s report adopts the inquiry’s framing or treats class as a proxy for poverty generally.