Working-class boys and the myth of white privilege

Does white privilege exist? For many white working-class pupils, in particular boys, it doesn’t. For years, it has been clear that these youngsters are struggling. Now for poor white kids, things are arguably worse than ever.

Among poor white children, only 24 per cent of boys and 32 per cent of girls achieve five good GCSEs. As many as 73 per cent of children at Pupil Referral Units are white British. Only 13 per cent of white British boys on free school meals go to university. The attainment gap between white pupils who qualify for free school meals and more affluent white children is the widest of any ethnic group.

These dire statistics might sound horrifying, yet they are hardly surprising; the warnings have been there for a while. Back in 2008, a report found ‘disproportionately low attainment amongst white British pupils’. A 2013 Ofsted report concluded that white British boys have ‘stubbornly low outcomes that show little sign of improvement.’