Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Indian pupils widen attainment gap with white British peers

Indians were 8.8 months ahead of their white British peers by the end of primary school in 2022, compared to 7.4 months ahead in 2019

Indian pupils widen attainment gap with white British peers

INDIAN and several other ethnic groups improved their position relative to white British pupils in England since the pandemic in terms of attainment.

According to the Education Policy Institute’s latest annual report, pupils of Indian ethnicity were 8.8 months ahead of their white British classmates by the end of primary school in 2022, compared to 7.4 months ahead in 2019.

However, the Chinese pupils fared better than the Indian group. They were ahead of their white classmates by 10.7 months last year, compared to 11.8 months in 2019, the attainment gap slightly narrowing between the two groups over the three years.

Significantly, Pakistani pupils whose attainment was 1.2 months behind their white peers in 2019, pulled ahead of them marginally (0.2 months) in 2022. Bangladeshi pupils widened their positive attainment gap with their white British counterparts from 2.6 months to 4.1 months during the period.

Also in the case of pupils aged five, Indian and Chinese groups continued to pull ahead of their white British classmates.

The report said white pupils have fallen behind their classmates since the pandemic.

“Attainment varies significantly between ethnic groups and many ethnic groups improve their position relative to white British pupils - the largest ethnic group- as they progress through schooling,” the report said.

“Between 2019 and 2022, higher-attaining ethnic groups have generally pulled further away from white British pupils across education phases, whilst pupils from lower-attaining ethnic groups have generally narrowed the gap - with the exception of white and black Caribbean pupils.”

It noted that pupils’ attainment outcomes continued to be affected after the pandemic, and disproportionately so for poorer pupils, with wider disadvantage gaps in 2022 than in 2019.

Even before the pandemic struck, the sustained long-term progress in closing gaps for disadvantaged pupils had begun to stall.

The institute warned that it may take at least another decade to return to even 2019 levels without a more concerted policy effort.

Persistently disadvantaged pupils - those eligible for free school meals for at least 80 per cent of their time at school - are at an even higher risk of sustained levels of low attainment, it said.

Emily Hunt, associate director for social mobility and vulnerable learners at the institute, told the Guardian: “Our research reveals a troubling picture of the stark inequalities in the English education system, years after the initial disruption of the pandemic.”

“It is particularly worrying to see these gaps widening even for the youngest children in reception year, highlighting the critical role of out-of-school factors and supporting children during the earliest years of life.”

More For You

Trump

Trump said the suspect had been arrested earlier for 'terrible crimes,' including child sex abuse, grand theft auto and false imprisonment, but was released under the Biden administration because Cuba refused to take him back.

Getty Images

Trump says accused in Dallas motel beheading will face first-degree murder charge

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has described Chandra Mouli “Bob” Nagamallaiah, the Indian-origin motel manager killed in Dallas, as a “well-respected person” and said the accused will face a first-degree murder charge.

Nagamallaiah, 50, was killed last week at the Downtown Suites motel by co-worker Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, a 37-year-old undocumented Cuban immigrant with a criminal history.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer Mandelson

Starmer talks with Mandelson during a welcome reception at the ambassador's residence on February 26, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Getty

Starmer under pressure from party MPs after Mandelson dismissal

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer is facing questions within the Labour party after the sacking of US ambassador Peter Mandelson.

Mandelson was removed last week after Bloomberg published emails showing messages of support he sent following Jeffrey Epstein’s conviction for sex offences. The dismissal comes just ahead of US president Donald Trump’s state visit.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nepal’s new leader pledges to act on Gen Z calls to end corruption

Officials greet newly-elected Prime Minister of Nepal's interim government Sushila Karki (R) as she arrives at the prime minister's office in Kathmandu on September 14, 2025. (Photo by PRABIN RANABHAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Nepal’s new leader pledges to act on Gen Z calls to end corruption

NEPAL’s new interim prime minister Sushila Karki on Sunday (14) pledged to act on protesters’ calls to end corruption and restore trust in government, as the country struggles with the aftermath of its worst political unrest in decades.

“We have to work according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation,” Karki said in her first address to the nation since taking office on Friday (12). “What this group is demanding is the end of corruption, good governance and economic equality. We will not stay here more than six months in any situation. We will complete our responsibilities and hand over to the next parliament and ministers.”

Keep ReadingShow less
UK secures £1.25bn US investment ahead of Trump’s visit

US president Donald Trump and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer arrive at Trump International Golf Links on July 28, 2025 in Balmedie, Scotland. (Photo by Jane Barlow-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

UK secures £1.25bn US investment ahead of Trump’s visit

THE British government has announced over £1.25 billion ($1.69bn) in fresh investment from major US financial firms, including PayPal, Bank of America, Citigroup and S&P Global, ahead of a state visit by president Donald Trump.

The investment is expected to create 1,800 jobs across London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Manchester, and deepen transatlantic financial ties, the Department for Business and Trade said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nearly 150,000 join anti-migrant protest in London as clashes erupt

Protesters wave Union Jack and St George's England flags during the "Unite The Kingdom" rally on Westminster Bridge by the Houses of Parliament on September 13, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Nearly 150,000 join anti-migrant protest in London as clashes erupt

MORE THAN 100,000 protesters marched through central London on Saturday (13), carrying flags of England and Britain and scuffling with police in one of the UK's biggest right-wing demonstrations of modern times.

London's Metropolitan Police said the "Unite the Kingdom" march, organised by anti-immigrant activist Tommy Robinson, was attended by nearly 150,000 people, who were kept apart from a "Stand Up to Racism" counter-protest attended by around 5,000.

Keep ReadingShow less