With the co-chair of an inquiry declaring that society must act to improve the educational outcomes of white working-class pupils, what can be done to help raise levels of academic attainment among this left-behind group?
Manchester-born Baroness (Estelle) Morris, who served as a Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley for thirteen years before being made a life peer, said that strengthening educational outcomes among white working-class children wasn’t only the responsibility of schools, but needed involvement across wider society.
Morris has been backed by current education secretary Lucy Powell, who said that, as it stands, “too many white working-class children are falling behind at every stage of education”.
Years ago, I raised the alarm over the amount of white-British working-class children – especially boys, who were being left on the scrap heap.
These are young people who tend to live in parts of the country which are not only materially deprived, but also geographically isolated and culturally marginalised.
In terms of local civic assets of social value, these places are largely barren. The brutal winds of globalisation have not been kind to such parts of the country, which have suffered severe industrial decline and a fundamental loss of community spirit.
These economic stresses and cultural changes have contributed towards family fragility.
In cases where parents are present, they often pass down their negative orientations towards the education system, perhaps due to their own perceived experiences of institutional neglect.
While the challenge of lifting levels of educational attainment among white British working-class children is a serious one, it is not an impossible task.
Firstly, there needs to be a significant improvement in early-years provision and assistance for families in the formative stage of young children’s personal development.
Reaching a good level of development by the age of five years can provide a solid foundation for future progress.
This transition phase leading into primary school is critical.
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There should also be targeted regional initiatives, with a particular focus on how to channel educational resources in left-behind parts of the country facing acute geographical and socio-economic barriers.
Investing in the regeneration of such communities will also encourage younger, gifted, dynamic, and passionate teachers to stay or even move into such areas.
With persistent absence being a particular issue, greater pastoral and family support is needed – bonds of trust between schools and communities must be rebuilt over time.
Most of all, we need an education system which is better designed to increase young people’s employability, partnering with families, businesses, healthcare trusts, care homes, charities, youth workers, career advisers and further education providers.
This includes shaping pathways for young working-class people who have practical ‘hands-on’ skills which means they have the potential to thrive and prosper in more vocational professions.
The unhealthy culture of snobbery surrounding such jobs must be reversed. Multi-agency approaches like this one are the future of education, directly integrating real-world experience, tailored support, and cultural opportunities in the learning environment.
To boost white working-class educational outcomes in left-behind communities, many need to play their part.
This goes far beyond the relationship between schools and families.
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