White working-class pupils are missing school lessons at twice the national average, according to newly released data from the Independent Inquiry into White Working-Class Educational Outcomes. While the average pupil misses seven per cent of lessons, white working-class pupils are absent 13 per cent of the time. The same group is also two and a half times more likely to demonstrate severe, repeat absences, meaning they miss more than half of their schooling.
Absence rates point to deeper disengagement
Department for Education data for the 2022-23 school year shows that the overall absence rate in England stood at 7.4 per cent. Among White British pupils the figure was 7.5 per cent, rising sharply once family background and free school meal eligibility are taken into account. More recent figures for the autumn and spring terms of 2024-25 indicate a slight improvement in overall absence to 6.63 per cent, but severe absence — defined as missing 50 per cent or more of sessions — has increased to 2.26 per cent. Pupils eligible for free school meals and those with special educational needs consistently record the highest absence rates, a pattern that reinforces the findings on white working-class children.
The SEND and attainment gap
The inquiry also found that white working-class pupils are far more likely to have special educational needs. Thirty-four per cent of them are classified under SEND, compared with just 19 per cent for other groups. This disparity is reflected in early years development: fewer than half (47.5 per cent) of white working-class children achieve the expected level of development, the lowest rate of any ethnic group. At GCSE level, the gap is stark. Among white British boys receiving free school meals, only 36 per cent achieved the expected standard in maths and English during the 2024/25 academic year, against a national average of 65 per cent. Broader data from 2023/24 shows that fewer than a fifth (18.6 per cent) of white British pupils eligible for free school meals achieved a grade 5 or above in both subjects, compared with 45.9 per cent of all state school pupils.
Why transitions matter
Professor Lindsay Macmillan, Professor of Economics at University College London and founding director of the Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, has identified the transition from primary to secondary school as a critical juncture where white working-class boys, in particular, become disengaged from education. She described it as a “key area” that requires urgent attention, arguing that the government must also improve post-16 pathways. “There needs to be a clear line of sight from the education system to the labour market,” she said, citing a failure of support in the current equity-based approach. Macmillan, who also sits on the panel of the Inquiry into white working-class pupils’ education outcomes, denied that levelling the playing field was impossible but accepted it would be tough. “You’ve got to start somewhere, and diagnosing the problem so clearly across the system is a really important start.”
The inquiry’s polling has highlighted how early disengagement sets in. White working-class students are less likely to enjoy school, and their parents often feel disillusioned with the system by Year 11. A quarter of white working-class boys reportedly do not read any books, magazines or comics weekly. Macmillan said ministers should consider improving early years education as a foundational step, adding that the transition from primary to secondary is the moment when many pupils “fall off the radar.” Without a direct link between what they learn and the jobs available to them, she warned, white working-class boys remain the “forgotten demographic” in schooling overall — a status that persists even five years after the landmark Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report found they were being failed.
Government response and regional missions
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson described the attainment gap as a “generational injustice” and a “national disgrace.” Asked how she could support white working-class boys, she said the numbers show it is a “necessary task.” “It is right that we set out the challenge and the data is really clear that white working-class kids get amongst the worst outcomes in the education system,” she said. She added that tackling child poverty is a big priority, noting that class background and family income are among the biggest indicators of educational outcomes.
The government has announced plans for “Mission North East” and “Mission Coastal” — area-based programmes modelled on the successful London Challenge initiative from 2003. These schemes aim to bring expert practitioners into classrooms, foster collaboration between schools in local clusters, and create partnerships with employers, sports clubs, faith groups and youth organisations to provide mentoring and careers support. The stated goal is to identify effective strategies that can be replicated nationally. Alongside these missions, the Schools White Paper, “Every Child Achieving and Thriving,” published in February 2026, outlines reforms to the SEND system and a target to halve the disadvantage gap. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act has already introduced free breakfast clubs in all primary schools and limits on branded school uniform costs.
Lord Tony Sewell, who chaired the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, warned that his report’s conclusions on class and family have been ignored. “Five years ago, we were told by the woke left and liberal right that the evidence on class and family was uncomfortable. Since then, this evidence has only hardened,” he said. Phillipson acknowledged the scale of the challenge but cautioned against promising immediate solutions. “We do have some big ideas about things we want to do to make this work better,” she said. “But if we had all the answers, we would have solved it by now.” The Inquiry into White Working-Class Educational Outcomes continues its research programme until March 2026, with its final report due in Summer 2026.
