Britain’s education system continues to fail white working class boys, who remain the lowest performing group in schools across England.
Lord Sewell is expected to raise this with Sir Keir Starmer, warning that the issue has been ignored for years despite clear and repeated evidence.
In 2021, following the Black Lives Matter movement, Boris Johnson asked Lord Sewell to lead a major review into racial disparities. Thank you Boris Johnson for leading the charge on this. The report concluded that inequality in Britain is driven more by class, geography, and family stability than by race alone, and it identified white working class children as one of the most disadvantaged groups.
Evidence still pointing the same way
Research from the Centre for Social Justice shows that little has changed. White British boys on free school meals are still more likely to fail GCSE English and maths, more likely to be excluded from school, and less likely to continue in education after 16.
Lord Sewell has said the evidence has only hardened. He criticised what he called the “woke Left and liberal Right” for resisting conclusions about class and family. While he was clear that racism still exists and should be confronted, he emphasised that the main drivers of unequal outcomes are economic background, geography, and family stability.
The numbers underline the point. Around 36 per cent of white British boys on free school meals met expected standards in GCSE English and maths last year, compared with 65 per cent of pupils overall. Other disadvantaged groups performed better across the board.
A debate many see as unbalanced
There is a growing argument that parts of the modern political and cultural debate have become heavily focused on identity and language, while the persistent underachievement of white working class boys receives far less attention. Critics say that, in some settings, these boys are treated primarily through the lens of historical privilege, rather than current disadvantage.
Some argue this has created a situation where white working class boys can feel overlooked, or even unfairly labelled, despite being among those struggling the most in measurable terms. Supporters of this view point to the gap between rhetoric and results, where concern for inequality does not always translate into focus on the groups doing worst.
Family stability and life chances
Family structure appears to play a major role. Only about two in ten poor white children live with married parents, compared with nearly six in ten among poorer children from ethnic minority backgrounds. Analysts argue that growing up in a stable two parent household is strongly linked to better outcomes.
White working class boys are also more likely to face wider challenges. They account for a large majority of permanent school exclusions, and nearly one in four are not in education, employment, or training.
Political consequences
Lord Sewell has linked these long term issues to wider social tensions. Some of the areas highlighted in his earlier report experienced unrest in 2024, which he described as places that had been neglected over time. He noted that while racism played a role in some cases, long standing frustration in overlooked communities created conditions that could be exploited by more extreme groups.
He has also suggested that many people in these areas feel politically unrepresented, adding to a sense of disconnection.
An unresolved issue
Labour say there is now wider recognition of the problem. The Education Secretary has described outcomes for white working class pupils as a “national disgrace” and pledged action. Government initiatives aimed at reducing disadvantage and supporting families have been announced, though their long term impact remains uncertain.
However, a former Conservative MP told the Post: “The problem with this Labour government is that they appear to have lost touch with the very people they once claimed to stand for. The white working class, particularly young boys, no longer see Labour as their champion. Instead, they see a political class more interested in fashionable causes than in tackling the real drivers of disadvantage.
‘Frankly, these results should not come as a surprise. There is a growing perception across the country that if you are from an ethnic minority or female, you are prioritised, while white working class boys are too often overlooked. Many feel they are persistently cast in a negative light, whether in television, film, or advertising, where they are frequently portrayed as the problem rather than part of the solution.
“Rightly or wrongly, that sense of unfairness is becoming deeply ingrained. If we are serious about social mobility and equal opportunity, we cannot afford to ignore it any longer.”
What remains difficult to ignore is the consistency of the evidence. Year after year, the same group remains at the bottom. The question is no longer whether the problem exists, but whether there is the political will to address it directly, rather than allowing it to sit awkwardly alongside more dominant narratives about inequality.
By Jack Lions
Main Image: For illustration purposes only.
