White working class children in Newcastle have the worst life opportunities in England, according to new research by the Sutton Trust. Newcastle Central and West ranks bottom out of 543 constituencies in England for outcomes among White British young people eligible for free school meals (FSM).
Grim Findings for Newcastle Central and West
The charity's Opportunity Index, published a year ago, also ranked the constituency last for social mobility based on exam results, higher education access, employment, and earnings of FSM-eligible secondary school pupils. The latest report focuses specifically on White British pupils, with similarly distressing results.
Only 35% of white FSM pupils in Newcastle Central and West are in sustained employment, apprenticeship, or education after age 16—47 percentage points lower than the top-performing area. A child growing up in Kensington and Bayswater, London, has over 75% higher attainment and earns over 50% more annually by age 28 than one from Newcastle Central and West.
The average annual earnings for a white FSM pupil from Newcastle Central and West by age 28 is just £13,734, and only 6% complete a degree by age 22. Neighbouring Newcastle East and Wallsend also ranks in the bottom 20 constituencies. However, the North East as a whole is the top region for white working class attainment.
MP Responds to Report
Dame Chi Onwurah, Labour MP for Newcastle Central and West, called the report “very distressing.” She said, “I grew up in Newcastle, on a council estate, in a single parent family on benefits and thanks to the opportunities I had, I became an engineer and an MP. But years of Tory austerity and neglect have reduced those opportunities and when over 40% of children in Newcastle are growing up in poverty, it affects their life chances.”
She highlighted government measures to restore social mobility, including scrapping the two-child benefit cap, 30 hours of free childcare, and school breakfast clubs. She added, “Labour has strengthened workers' rights to drive more stable, secure employment and I am working with the Government to attract investment and new industries to our region, such as in the North East AI Growth Zone, so that there are more opportunities for good jobs.”
The Government's Jobs Guarantee for young people will impact 2,500 young people in the region. “Young people in Newcastle have enormous talent and potential, the same as those in London. Our job is to make sure they have the opportunities to match,” she said.
Ethnic and Gender Disparities
The Sutton Trust research also found major differences in social mobility among ethnicities. Only 8% of White British and Black Caribbean adults who had been eligible for free school meals become top earners, compared to 19% of Indian and 20% of other Asian people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Those from Bangladeshi backgrounds attain 5% above average at GCSE level but earn 12% below the national average. Significant gender disparities exist: White British FSM boys perform 40% below the average pupil in school but earn 15% below, while White British girls attain 30% below the school average and earn 41% below the national average later in life.
White working class men earn 17% less than working class Indian men, but that figure jumps to 35% when comparing women.
Call for Action
The Sutton Trust is calling on the Government to boost funding for schools in deprived areas and tackle persistent school absences, especially among the most disadvantaged students. Nick Harrison, CEO of the Sutton Trust, said, “White working class young people continue to face some of the biggest barriers to education success in England, with many falling behind long before they leave school. And for too many young people hard work and academic success are still no guarantee of equal opportunity.”
“Some disadvantaged groups, particularly working class girls, and many ethnic minorities, dramatically outperform at school, only to see those gains disappear in the labour market. That should concern anyone who believes Britain is a meritocracy.”
“Talent exists in every community, but the routes to success are massively uneven. We need to start by doubling down on focusing education support in the most left-behind communities, targeting those most in need. And we also need to look long and hard at biases in the labour market which are still blocking success for many of those who beat the odds and do well at school.”
