White working-class 'disadvantage gap' needs education shake-up to fix, inquiry says

Education reforms are needed as the system is "not set up to serve white working class children and families", an inquiry has found.

The Independent Inquiry into White Working Class Educational Outcomes determined once-in-a-generation reforms were needed to tackle academic underachievement in the demographic.

The inquiry, commissioned last summer by the multi-academy trust Star Academies, set out 24 recommendations aimed at addressing why white working-class children are the lowest-performing large demographic in England's school system.

Inquiry co-chairs Baroness Estelle Morris and Sir Hamid Patel said the issues identified in the report "cannot be explained away by low aspiration or lack of effort" and cannot be "solved by schools alone".

Thousands of young people and their parents, as well as hundreds of teachers, were interviewed for the inquiry, which was supported by the Department for Education.

It also analysed education data about white working-class pupils, looking at the 1.25 million young people in England who are white British and receiving free school meals.

The report found there was a "white working-class disadvantage gap", revealing that, as of 2025, just 36% of white British pupils on free school meals achieve a Grade 4 or above in English and Maths GCSE, compared with 72% of non-free school meal pupils.

Read more from Sky News:
The £6bn black hole that could change children's lives
What is Keir Starmer’s economic legacy?

The inquiry calls for more early-years support, improved mental health support, and restrictions on smartphone use in schools.

It also says improvements are needed in how the system defines and prioritises white working-class educational outcomes, and urges an extension of 30 hours' free childcare to all disadvantaged families not currently eligible.

In addition, it calls for a massive expansion in apprenticeship opportunities in white working-class communities.

Baroness Morris and Sir Hamid said addressing these issues "will require sustained national effort over many years".

They said: "The challenge set out in this report is significant. But so too is the opportunity.

"Every child in this country deserves to feel that education is for them, that their future matters, and that success is achievable regardless of where they come from."

(c) Sky News 2026: White working-class 'disadvantage gap' needs education shake-up to fix, inquiry says