This surprised me from the BBC - goes against the White Privilege argument somewhat (in this country, at least). Who'd have thought....:

Figures from the Department for Education last year reported that "male white British free school meal pupils are the least likely of all the main ethnic groups to progress to higher education".

Across all pupils eligible for free meals 26% went on to university by the age of 19, but for white pupils on free meals the figure was 16% - and only 13% for boys.

In comparison, 59% of youngsters from black African families on free meals went to university and 32% of black Caribbean youngsters eligible for free meals.
Among youngsters from Indian families on free meals, 57% went to university and 47% among pakistani youngsters on free meals.

Although they have a lower entry rate, white students are by far the biggest group, representing more than 70% of students in England.

In 2019, across all groups, the proportion of people going to university by the age of 30 crossed 50% for the first time.

[Link]

Living down here does have some advantages. At least you can see them cry.

You see it all the time.

People who live in a bubble with others who think like them can never get their heads around different worlds.

They either romanticize them or believe they are just like them but in difficult circumstances. This does happen but it's the minority.

They don't get it and if you trouble them with a reality that differs from their sensibilities you get the old, 'see no evil, hear no evil' game.

They don't really want to know, they just want to be seen in what they consider the right way in their own circles.

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

Exactly my friend was not impressed with the Baroness. Poor kids need self belief, that unlike their parents they can achieve greater things.

She spent a year in a poor underachieving school. The deputy head was the only good thing the Head was weak and many of the teachers going through the motions.

One thing she noticed in a "good" home kids are taught structure early on e.g. time for bed or now we sit down to eat etc. Many of the poor families she met don't have that discipline so when the kid starts school he doesn't understand that the school day has a structure and he can't play when he feels like it. This lack of early learning then impacts the rest of their school life.

They need male role models and some "can do attitude" I know this is easier said than done but stop telling them to expect failure and that they are victims, downtrodden and so on.

All of this is common sense of course.

One more point

All common sense, essentially what you are talking about are old traditional values and methods.

For them to work the school system would have to have considerably more power and backing than it has, and would also need the right type of teachers to carry it out.

Unfortunately the system moved towards taking power away from schools and.....if I'm honest, I wouldn't want the typical teacher that exists now having that power anyway.....hashtag not all.

In terms of turning out the working classes fit for self sufficiency the state education system was always hamstrung...but it wasn't always its own fault. However, as its politics went to the left it became little more than a holding pen with ever decreasing returns for the last fifty years.

Edited by Stirlingsays (26 Jan 2021 3.56pm)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

"In 2013 a tribunal ruled that ‘no reasonable person’ would interpret the use of the three wise monkeys image in a union dispute as ‘racist’."

The most racist bit of this are the "academics" who see racism in monkeys, even though they are, er, monkeys. And the tribunal in 2013 agreed.

They should be sacked.

Living down here does have some advantages. At least you can see them cry.

Without wishing to be rude - is this a case of positive discrimination at work?
Making sure that BAME are looked after at the expense of others.
Really - I have no interest in stirring up a row - it is a serious question.
I read the article earlier and sadly that was my first thought.