White working-class children in England are being failed at every stage of their education, from their first days at school through to their search for work, Education Secretary Lucy Powell has warned, as an independent inquiry launches its next phase of work.

The inquiry into white working-class educational outcomes, co-chaired by former education secretary Baroness Estelle Morris and Sir Hamid Patel, chief executive of Star Academies, published its first findings in June. It found that white working-class pupils achieve the weakest educational results of any major ethnic group in England, and called for once-in-a-generation reforms.

What the inquiry found

The June report drew on interviews with thousands of young people and parents, alongside hundreds of teachers, and analysed data covering about 1.25 million white British pupils receiving free school meals in England.

Its starkest finding was the gap at GCSE. In 2025, only 36% of white British pupils on free school meals achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, compared with 72% of pupils not on free school meals. The report concluded that the education system was not set up to serve white working-class children and families, and set out 24 recommendations.

Those recommendations included more early-years support, stronger reading teaching in primary school, better mental health provision, restrictions on smartphone use in schools, wider access to free childcare for disadvantaged families, free local transport for young people up to 21, and a major expansion of apprenticeships.

The next phase

The inquiry's next stage, launched on Monday, will focus on the two points where underachievement takes root: the start of primary school, and the transition at ages 14 to 19 into further study and employment. A new research programme will look at the routes taken by young people in that age group, and how schools can work with communities to offer clearer paths into further study and work.

An Impact Partnerships programme will run alongside the research, aiming to turn the inquiry's recommendations into measurable changes in classrooms. Baroness Morris said reversing decades of disadvantage needed a broader civic effort, not just action from schools. "Our report on white working-class educational achievement clearly highlighted the extent of the challenge and the consequences of failing to do anything about it," she said.

Ms Powell said a child's background should never decide who gets opportunity. "A child's background should never mean opportunity belongs to someone else, but right now, too many white working-class children are falling behind at every stage of their education," she said.

Part of a wider curriculum reset

The inquiry's next phase arrives alongside the government's wider reset of schooling in England, including plans to stop secondary schools teaching GCSE content to pupils in Year 9 or earlier, and to restore Key Stage 3 as a distinct three-year phase. Ministers have also pointed to plans, announced over the summer, to open new technical routes from age 14.

The inquiry is commissioned by Star Academies and supported by the Department for Education. Its new research will be delivered by PF Global, a research and policy agency. Sources: BBC News and The Times.