Poverty

There’s a lot of noise at the moment about white working‑class children being “failed” by the UK education system. And while there is some truth in that, the reality is a bit more complex than the headlines suggest. Yes, the data shows that disadvantaged white pupils — often measured by eligibility for free school meals — tend to have some of the lowest academic outcomes. For instance, only around 36% achieve expected GCSE passes in English and Maths, compared to about 72% of