Top schools should take more white working class pupils says report praised by Bridget Phillipson

By ELEANOR HARDING, EDUCATION EDITOR Published: 16:06, 29 June 2026 | Updated: 16:07, 29 June 2026 Top state schools should be encouraged to admit more disadvantaged pupils to boost their life chances, an independent report has found.  The Inquiry into White Working Class Educational Outcomes, published today, said more 'deliberate action' was needed to get deprived children into the best-performing schools. It said there should be 'stronger expectations' for heads to 'contribute to inclusion' and 'clearer guidance' to help them 'prioritise disadvantaged pupils'. The report, which was co-led by former education secretary Baroness Morris of Yardley, said that 'too often' top schools have intakes which are 'significantly less disadvantaged than the communities around them'. It echoes a similar proposal in the Government's white paper, published in February, which suggested schools could be 'encouraged' to adopt more 'inclusive admission arrangements.' Welcoming the report today, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson reiterated that she wanted to see 'fair admissions policies and practices' but said action by schools would not be 'mandated'. 'White working class children are amongst the lowest achievers in academic terms in our school system,' she told Times Radio. 'This isn't just about high performing schools doing a bit more, although I welcome that. Top state schools should be encouraged to admit more disadvantaged pupils to boost their life chances, an independent report has found (pictured: Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who welcomed the report) 'It's about that approach both in school and beyond the school gate that is necessary to deliver the step-change. 'That inequality starts very early. Often by the time children have arrived at school, those gaps have opened up.' Mrs Phillipson's white paper said that access to high performing local schools should not be dependent on 'local house prices'. Prioritising poorer children in school admissions is already allowed under current rules, brought in by the Tories in 2014. Today's wide-ranging report said only half of white working-class five-year-olds were at the expected standard of development compared with three quarters of middle-class children. By 16 just one third achieved at least a pass in English and maths GCSEs. White working-class pupils had the weakest educational results of any major ethnic group in England and tackling years of underachievement needed structural change, the report found. It called for free transport for under-21s, a crackdown on screen use and more white working-class teachers. The inquiry's panel included Sir Kevan Collins, who advised the Government after the pandemic, and the former education secretary Baroness Morgan of Cotes. It was commissioned by Star Academies, a multi-academy trust, and co-chaired by its chief executive, Sir Hamid Patel, alongside Morris. Tonight, speaking at a launch event for the report, Mrs Phillipson will say lifting a 'lucky few' from poverty has been used to rationalise the writing-off of whole communities. She will say: 'The distant dream of social mobility has failed a whole new generation. 'The presence of opportunity for the few can never justify the absence of opportunity for the many. Social justice is what we need.' The inquiry used written evidence, focus groups, large-scale polling with white working-class communities, round tables with teachers and heads and analysis of national data. It found many parents did not make the link between schooling and success later in life, but that the problem could not only be explained by a lack of aspiration. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.