White British students have emerged as a minority group in UK grammar schools, following a growing population of ethnic minority pupils.
The Telegraph reported that the number of white British students in grammar schools have fallen by roughly 21.6% over the past decade. Specifically, their numbers have fallen from 108,220 to 85,815 from 2016 till date.
As such, they now represent 46% in the schools falling from a 66.8% record in 2016. This comes despite white British children accounting for 67.3% of the English population aged 10-15 in the 2021 Census.
Particularly, the inquiry revealed that white working-class children were some of the most disadvantaged and underachieving in English schools. The report suggested that the education system was not set up to serve white working-class children and families.
However, several commentators have described this argument as false. They argue that the declining population may be due to parents’ lack of interest alongside students’ low educational abilities.
One Facebook user, James Kay argued that;
The truth is – in general – asian parents support their children’s education better. Grammar schools admit children on test scores. I’ve worked in schools for 30 years & I’ve seen it.
William Donnelly added that;
And the reason is quite simple. Entrance to grammar school is based on the ability to pass the entrance exam and the ability and will to pay for tuition to do so by parents who prioritise education.
Similarly, Shaffick Hamuth noted that;
My son ranked first in Mauritius and even then he couldnt secure a seat at Oxford or LSE because competition is tough. It’s all on merit and high grades not ethnicity. 25 years ago, even I ranked first in Economics in Mauritius but this wasnt enough to secure a top UK admission. Tough competition.
Overall, critics argued that the decline in the British white students population isn’t in itself due to DEI measures but to a falling academic excellence.
