House of Commons · Westminster Hall
12 February 2020 · 5 other contributors · 5,346 words
Opened by Ben Bradley Con Mansfield
Responding minister: Nick Gibb
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Ben Bradley raised concerns about education and attainment of white working-class boys in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key points
Key requests to Government
The Government should focus on early intervention in education for disadvantaged boys, promote vocational and technical training options, encourage community involvement in schools, address issues of exclusion and discipline, and provide incentives for skilled teachers to work in challenging schools.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
White working-class boys in disadvantaged backgrounds are underperforming compared to their peers from other races and ethnicities. By age five, they are already behind; only around a third pass GCSEs; they are less likely to attend university; and there is an issue with parental engagement and school support.
There is sadness over multiple generations of boys in Nottingham having a perception that school does not matter, leading to wasted talent. Vocational and technical education should be given the same emphasis as higher education.
If the issue of white working-class boys' underachievement is not addressed, it could lead to disaffected youth, consequences for local communities, and a loss of potential talent in the workforce.
The issue is relevant in Northern Ireland, with working-class Protestant boys having lower educational attainment than Catholic boys. Investment in education and skill training across the UK is needed to address this imbalance.
He noted that secondary school league table data confirms boys have worse exam results than girls for 30 years. Among deprived children, the gender gap is widest, with free school meals background girls being 52% more likely to go to university than their male equivalents. He mentioned specific GCSE and university acceptance statistics showing a widening gap. However, he highlighted positive efforts by Star Academies in coastal areas and encouraged universities to tailor approaches for under-represented groups.
Disparities in education exist across all communities. There is a need to address intergenerational literacy problems, as highlighted by an event on the issue last year.
Government Response
Nick GibbIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir George. I pay tribute to my hon. Friends the Members for Mansfield (Ben Bradley) and for Lincoln (Karl McCartney) for their passionate commitment to improving education outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, particularly white working-class boys. Since 2010, closing the attainment gap between disadvantaged students and their more advantaged peers has driven our policies on early reading skills, phonics teaching, mathematics instruction, and cultural literacy. The Government's reforms have led to significant improvements in standards and a reduction in the attainment gap by 13% in primary and 9% in secondary since 2011. Schools like Michaela Community School and Dixons Trinity Academy demonstrate successful outcomes for disadvantaged students through rigorous curricula. We bolstered teachers' powers to manage unruly pupils and introduced T-levels and apprenticeships to provide world-class technical education options. The Government's plans, including the £3 billion national skills fund, aim to further improve educational opportunities.