Recommendation 6

Disadvantaged White pupils fall behind their peers at every stage of education. Every year, thousands of disadvantaged White pupils leave school without strong passes in English and Maths GCSE. We recognise the efforts that the Government has made to close this gap, but the Department has fallen victim to muddled thinking, and has shown little interest in exploring why disadvantaged White pupils underachieve relative to similarly deprived peers. As a result, the Department has not been able to target support and tackle specific barriers facing these groups. The Department must acknowledge that its reforms are not producing results, particularly for disadvantaged White pupils. A knowledge-rich curriculum is essential, but with progress on closing the disadvantage gap stalling, it is time to invest in a more targeted approach. (Paragaph 40)