White working-class children promised 'lasting change' by major inquiry

A co-chair of an independent inquiry revealing that the education system fails white working-class children has pledged to turn research into lasting change for young people.

The investigation into educational outcomes for the group launched its second phase on Monday, having found in June that the 1.25 million white British pupils eligible for free school meals in England experience some of the country's weakest outcomes across all education stages.

According to the inquiry, this phase will combine research with direct work inside education organisations to put its recommendations into practice.

In June, the probe concluded that once-in-a-generation reforms would be needed to address why white working-class children remain the lowest-performing large demographic in England’s school system.

Education secretary Lucy Powell said: “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.

“That is why I am backing this independent inquiry to get to the heart of the barriers holding children back – from their first steps into school, through to the opportunities and choices they have as teenagers into further study, training or work.”

The inquiry will look at how to give children a stronger start in primary school and examine their routes through education and into the world of work, as the number of young people not in education, employment or training, so-called Neets, remains just under one million.

Sir Hamid Patel, who co-chairs the inquiry with Baroness Estelle Morris, said the probe, commissioned in summer 2025, marked “the beginning of a sustained effort to improve outcomes for white working class young people”.

“We will undertake further large-scale research into the parts of the system where we need to understand more, while building a national network of organisations committed not just to advocating for change, but to putting it into practice,” Sir Hamid said.

“Our ambition is to turn evidence into action and action into lasting change. The scale of that challenge is considerable, but we are determined to get started.”

Baroness Morris said the report in June highlighted the extent of the challenge white working-class children face in school – and the consequences of failing to do anything about it.

She said: “We can’t stop there. Our next phase of work will be led by experts in the field and will consider what needs to be done.

“This isn’t just the responsibility of schools but calls for action from across society. The partnerships we will bring together can play a powerful role in beginning this work.”