奇速英语

白人学生数量将少于其他肤色的学生

White British children will be outnumbered in state school classrooms in England within 23 years, research reveals. Population trends since 2004 have seen ethnic minorities rise by 61 per cent in primary and secondary schools as the number of white Britons dropped by 12 per cent.

The findings suggest increased immigration and falling birth rates will see classroom statistics shift remarkably by 2037. White British pupils aged five to 18 are already a minority in many on the UK's major cities. The native population has dropped from 5.4 million pupils to 4.8 million in just ten years - with the most notable changes seen in schools in London and Birmingham.

The biggest ethnic-minority group in English schools is of Asian-origin with just under 670,000 pupils. Black British and white non-British are the next biggest group, with almost 360,000. And there are 320,000 mixed race children in English classrooms.

The figures come a month after a study revealed white teenagers are the least likely group to apply to university after being overtaken by black pupils. Rising numbers from all ethnic groups are setting their sights on a higher education but white teenagers are less likely to apply than black, Asian or Chinese pupils. The statistics also show that pupils on free school meals due to family poverty are half as likely to seek a place as their more privileged peers. Just one in seven schoolboys on free meals is aiming for university.

The report compares the figures with those from 2006 and finds that demand among black teenagers has overtaken the proportion of white pupils applying. While the application rate of white teenagers rose from 25 to 31 per cent, black pupils increased their applications more rapidly, from 24 per cent to 39 per cent.

‘Application rates for all groups are higher in 2014 than in 2006 with the largest increase being for the black ethnic group,’ the report said. The findings will focus fresh attention on under-achievement among white working-class pupils, who are fast falling to the bottom of the educational population.