Bridget Phillipson, the Minister for Women and Equalities, is expected to announce the establishment of a dedicated 'Class Unit' this week. The new unit will operate within the Office for Equality and Opportunity, working alongside existing teams focused on gender, sexuality, and disability.
The initiative aims to address class inequality, with Phillipson reportedly seeking to place social class on a par with race, sex, and disability. An independent inquiry into white working-class educational outcomes found that white British pupils on free school meals (FSM) experienced the poorest educational outcomes among major ethnic groups in England. In the 2024-25 academic year, 36 per cent of these pupils achieved a Grade 4 or above in English and Maths GCSE, compared to 72 per cent of non-FSM pupils.
The Sutton Trust has also reported that white British FSM men attained 40 per cent below the average student and earned 15 per cent less. Their female counterparts attained 30 per cent below the average but earned 41 per cent less.