- “Our warnings were not listened to” says Lord Sewell five
years on from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities
report
- White working‑class boys “the forgotten demographic” as new
research uncovers terrible school outcomes compared to other
groups
- Westminster panel event to debate long-term implications of
the report for Britain in 2026
White working‑class boys are stuck at the bottom of the class, a
new analysis warns, published to mark the fifth anniversary of
the Sewell Commission on Race and Ethnic
Disparities.
The pupils the Commission highlighted as being “left behind” in
2021 remain among the worst‑performing in England according to
the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), despite years of debate
about race and gender equality.
Disadvantaged white British boys continue to record some of the
lowest results in key exams, even as many poorer pupils from
ethnic minority backgrounds now pull ahead.
Just 36 per cent of white British boys on free school meals
reached the expected standard in GCSE maths and English last
year, analysis of the latest Department for Education figures
finds.
This compares to 65 per cent of all pupils, 39 per cent of Black
Caribbean boys on free school meals, and 82 per cent of Chinese
boys on free school meals. Among Black African boys on free
school meals the figure rises to 58 per cent, for Bangladeshi
boys 68 per cent.
Researchers argue that family stability is playing a “woefully
underappreciated” role shaping children's life chances.
Just two in ten poor white children live with married parents
today, compared to almost six in ten among poor children in
non‑white families, analysts found looking at official data.
Growing up in a stable two‑parent home is a stronger predictor of
positive outcomes than many of the characteristics that dominate
official equalities discussions, the think tank says, such as
sexuality or ethnic group.
At an event on Tuesday [24 March] to mark the fifth anniversary
of the report, Lord Sewell is expected to say:
“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.
“Our report set out clearly that racism still persists, and we
should confront it wherever it is found. But we also said
something else: the main drivers of unequal outcomes are class,
geography and family stability, not race alone.
“White working-class boys from the poorest homes are still stuck
at the bottom of the class. Our warnings were not listened
to.
“If we are serious about opportunity, we have to stop arguing
about language and start delivering change in the places that
need it most.”
The CSJ's Lost Boys report found boys underperforming
across the system, with lower grades at school, higher rates of
being not in education, employment or training (NEET), and
accounting for 83 per cent of permanent exclusions.
White working-class boys on free school meals are among the least
likely to remain in education after 16.
The CSJ says ministers have failed to tackle the root causes of
poor outcomes for disadvantaged pupils including family breakdown
and weak local economies in the areas where white working‑class
boys are most likely to fall behind.
It is calling for a renewed focus on family policy, backing
stable relationships, and directing the best teaching and
tutoring towards the lowest‑performing boys.
Mercy Muroki, former Commissioner for the report and Development
Director at the CSJ, said:
“Family stability, class, and aspiration matter far more for
children's life chances than many of the issues that dominated
identity politics culture wars in 2020.
Five years on from Sewell's report, the evidence is clear:
family breakdown, deprivation and low expectations for young
people, not ethnicity, are the main drivers of disadvantage in
Britain.”
The research comes after Education Secretary called the outcomes of
white working class pupils a “national disgrace”.
ENDS
Methodology:
The CSJ analysed Department for Education figures (DfE, 2026) for the
academic year 2024-24 to produce up to date comparisons of GCSE
performance among poorer pupils by ethnic background, as well as
the latest Family Resource Survey (DWP, 2026) data to
compare the family backgrounds of children in different ethnic
groups.
