Third of disadvantaged white pupils in England leave primary school without being able to read properly

Pupils who leave primary school without adequate reading fluency struggle to keep up at secondary, which can lead to disengagement and absence. Photograph: Sydney Bourne/Getty Images/Image Source

A third of disadvantaged white pupils in England leave their primary school unable to read well enough to access the secondary curriculum, leading to disengagement and school absence, according to new research.

The findings were published days after an independent inquiry into white working-class educational outcomes concluded the current education system was “not set up to serve white working-class children and families”.