Social Scandal in Education

Education should be the key word in social mobility, but sadly it isn’t the case today. The Workers of England campaign team assures you that we will continue to fight on your behalf against tuition fees as we believe they disadvantage less advantaged families.

Families ‘Create Glass Floor’ to Protect Less Academically Gifted Children, Study Says

Wealthy parents create a “glass floor” for their less-gifted children, ensuring they “hoard the best opportunities” and grow up to be rich, a study has suggested.

Children from wealthier backgrounds but with lower academic ability are 35% more likely to become high earners than their more gifted counterparts from poor families, according to findings from the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission.

The study, entitled “Downward mobility, opportunity hoarding and the ‘glass’ floor”, examined the lives of 17,000 people born in Britain in the same week in 1970. It revealed that success potential can even date as far back as the social background of the child’s grandfather.

Key factors influencing later success included parents’ education level, the type of secondary school attended and the highest qualification achieved. Wealthier parents often leverage social networks to secure unpaid internships, offer superior careers guidance and emphasise soft skills like self-confidence and leadership.

By age 42, the report found that “high-attaining children from less advantaged backgrounds are less able to, or at least less successful, at converting this early potential into later labour market success.”

To increase social mobility, the report recommends ending unpaid internships, improving school quality in disadvantaged areas and educating parents to broaden their skills and perspectives.

Dr Abigail McKnight of the London School of Economics commented: “Middle-class families’ success in hoarding the best opportunities is a real barrier to upward social mobility for less advantaged children.”

Commission chairman Alan Milburn described these findings as a “social scandal”:

“It’s a social scandal that all too often demography is still destiny in Britain. The Government should make its core mission the levelling of the playing field so that every child has an equal opportunity to go as far as their abilities can take them.”

Top Firms’ “Poshness Test” Imposes Class Ceiling

Sarah Neville, Public Policy Editor

The UK’s most elite financial services and legal firms operate a “poshness test” that systematically locks talented working-class people out of high-flying jobs, an official report has found. Recruiters favour criteria associated with privilege, such as extensive travel or natural “polish” and confidence.

Last year, 70% of job offers went to graduates from selective state or fee-paying schools, even though they represent only 4% and 7% of the population, respectively. Few firms see a business case for changing their recruitment procedures to crack this “class ceiling”, with one describing a homogeneous workforce as more “efficient”.

The research involved in-depth interviews with selectors and managers at ten leading law and accountancy firms in London, plus three banks and an accountancy firm in Scotland. One recruiter noted: “I can write an obscure comment in the margin and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. There’s not a risk I’ll offend you because we get each other and that’s hugely efficient.”

This emphasis on background explains why under 40% of trainees at leading law firms were educated at fee-paying schools, compared with just 7% in the wider population. One recruiter said: “I’m very interested in people who’ve gone travelling,” while another highlighted “accents” and shared cultural references.

Alan Milburn added that young people from working-class backgrounds are “systematically locked out” of top jobs and urged firms to adopt truly meritocratic recruitment policies.

Louise Ashley of Royal Holloway University of London, who led the research, emphasised that firms must seek applicants from a wider range of educational and socio-economic backgrounds and provide equal support throughout the hiring process.

Recently, the government announced plans to grant apprenticeships equal legal status with degrees under the Enterprise Bill, aiming to prevent misuse of the term and safeguard quality.