White working class pupils’ underachievement in exams due to being ‘written off’ is a ‘national disgrace’, Bridget Phillipson has said.
The Education Secretary said too many youngsters in this group fail to get the help they need to succeed at school.
Speaking ahead of A-level results day this Thursday, Mrs Phillipson said tackling this ‘thorny’ issue will be her ‘priority’ in the coming year.
The Government will set out its plans for the challenge in a schools white paper in the autumn, she added.
Last year, only 18.6 per cent of low-income white British pupils achieved at least a grade 5 –considered a ‘strong pass’ – in their English and maths GCSEs.
This compares with 45.9 per cent of all state school pupils in England.
Mrs Phillipson said: ‘They’re not well positioned to carry on with studies, to get an apprenticeship, to go on to university.
‘(It) is a national disgrace that so many young people are written off and don’t get what they need to achieve and thrive.’
White working class pupils – especially boys – are among the lowest-performing groups in the country. Previous research has blamed a lack of aspiration in communities experiencing high unemployment and scant resources.
Mrs Phillipson told PA Media: ‘Far too many young people, particularly white working-class British students, don’t get the exam results that they need at GCSE or A-level to allow them to continue onto university.
‘My big priority for this year will be how we focus on the really stark picture that we see around attainment and outcomes for children from white working-class backgrounds in places like Sunderland.
‘The focus will be how we tackle some of those really thorny and generational challenges – like the gaps that we see around white working-class children and their attainment.
‘That’s why the schools white paper will have a focus on how we turn that around.’
When asked if the Government is considering bringing back maintenance grants for poorer students, she said: ‘We’re looking at all of the options.’
And she added that universities have responsibilities ‘to make sure students from less well-off backgrounds are given the support that they need’.
‘There’s still a big challenge there in terms of some of the unacceptably high dropout rates that we see for some students,’ she said.
It came as Ucas chief Jo Saxton revealed there had been an increase in youngsters applying for university a year late – aged 19 – due to money issues.
She said: ‘I don’t think it’s the gap year in the sort of traditional Sloaney sense.
‘(The) number one concern that we hear from students concerned about the cost of living and they want to work for a bit and raise some funds before they go to study.’