White working class boys remain near the bottom of the class five years after a landmark report sounded the alert. Lord Sewell's Commission on Race and ethnic Disparities warned in March 2021 that across a host of areas "white working class children trail behind their peers in almost all ethnic minority groups". This week he will state: "White working class boys from the poorest homes are still stuck at the bottom of the class. Our warnings were not listened to."

The Sewell Commission found that white children on free school meals were the "least likely to progress to university" with boys performing "badly in the education system everywhere". Half a decade on, the Centre for Social Justice reports, "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".

It found just 36% of white British boys on free school meals reached the expected standard in GCSE maths and English last year in contrast with 65% of all pupils. They were outperformed by other boys on free school meals with 58% of those from a Black African background and 82% of those of Chinese heritage getting a grade four or above.

Mercy Muroki, who served on the Commission, 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."

Researchers argue family stability plays a "woefully under-appreciated" role in shaping children's life chances. The CSJ claims "just two in 10 poor white children live with married parents today, compared to almost six in ten among poor children in nonwhite families".

At an event on Tuesday to mark the fifth anniversary of his report, Lord Sewell will 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."

Adamant that a new approach is needed, he will say: "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 recent Lost Boys report found boys underperformed in a swathe of areas, with lower grades at school, higher rates of being not in education, employment or training (NEET), and accounting for 83% of permanent exclusions.

The think tank accuses ministers of failing to tackle factors which damage the life chances of disadvantaged pupils, including "family breakdown and weak local economies in the areas where white workingclass boys are most likely to fall behind".

It wants a "renewed focus on family policy, backing stable relationships, and directing the best teaching and tutoring towards the lowestperforming boys".

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has said it is a "national disgrace" that many white working class pupils are "written off" and do not get the grades needed to go to university.

Shadow education minister Saqib Bhatti said: "White working-class boys continue to be left behind, and Labour's Schools Bill will only make things worse by embedding lower standards."

He added: "Wales should serve as a warning of what happens when Labour are in charge: education quality plummets."

Reform UK education spokeswoman Suella Braverman said: "This report confirms what's been obvious for years: white working-class boys are being failed by an education system that has lost sight of fairness. It's time to raise standards, restore discipline, and ensure no child is left behind simply because they don't fit the narrative."

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "It's this Government's mission to cut the link between background and success, halving the disadvantage gap for this generation, so that every child has the opportunity to achieve and thrive - the reforms laid out in the Schools White Paper will do just this.

"We are launching Mission North East and Mission Coastal toimprove outcomes forwhite working-class children anddisadvantaged communities, and we are radically reforming the way disadvantage funding is given to schools to make sure the system delivers better for children.

"More widely, this government is easing the pressure on families by lifting the two-child benefit cap, putting a family hub in every local council and providing 30 hours of early years education are all critical to giving every child the best start in life."