White British boys from disadvantaged backgrounds are falling behind their peers in Worcestershire schools.
The issue was discussed at a Worcestershire County Council scrutiny meeting on Monday, May 11.
Jane Howard, the council’s lead for school improvement services, said: “Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are a national focus but in shire counties it is something we see as a particular area of challenge.
“For Worcestershire it sits in white British boys. A number of our white British boys are underperforming.”
She explained that educational gaps start early and widen as children progress through school.
On entry into early years, disadvantaged children are already 4.7 months behind their peers, she said.
By Key Stage 2, the gap increases to 10 months, and by GCSE level, it widens to 19 months.
Ms Howard said: “Children from backgrounds that are deemed to be disadvantaged, low income, non-working families, tend to come with what’s known as a vocab deficit – so if you are a five-year-old entering Reception you will have heard 30 million fewer words compared to your cohort.
“You will have been exposed to so much less language development as a child.
“This means when you enter the learning space you don’t have the vocabulary to understand and explore and comprehend. That then grows into your ability to read.”
Councillor Matt Jenkins said it sounds like some pupils are trying to catch up from the very start of their education and asked what support could be offered early on.
Councillors heard that government funding is being used by the council’s public health team to support families through Family Hubs.
Cllr Anthony Upton questioned at what point ‘disadvantaged’ becomes a lack of aspiration, particularly among white boys.
Ms Howard said some children are from “fourth generation non-working families so the impetus and understanding of aspiration can be limited.”
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She said that careers advice and aspiration-building are now part of secondary education.
Councillor Justin Bowen, cabinet member for children and families, said: “The key to working with these children, in schools, comes down to a very simple principle of you assess their needs, you plan, and then you intervene.
“There’s a lack of consistency across schools in terms of how that’s done.”
Cllr Dan Boatright-Greene said the number of white, British boys making it to Sixth Form is “incredibly low as well”
