Gatsby Benchmarks
1
2
3 4 5 6
7 8
Helping white
working-class boys
to flourish
Every young person has something to offer society but how can schools
and business work together to unlock the potential of those from
disadvantaged backgrounds? asks Sarah Wild
B
eing a white male in the
UK is rarely considered
a disadvantage.
However, research
shows that white working-class boys
are the most under-represented
group in higher education, have the
lowest GCSE results, and are more
likely than most other social groups
to end up in low-paid and insecure
jobs after leaving education.
T h e s e s t a r k f a c t s w e re
brought to life in 2018’s art-house
documentary H is for Harry, a tale of
intergenerational poverty and
ingrained illiteracy, featuring a
charismatic 11-year-old boy who
starts secondary school in south
London unable to read or write.
T h e y a l s o s p u r re d t h e
development of a pioneering
initiative – ‘to create meaningful
change through employability
intervention’ – by Barclays, in
collaboration with education charity
The Transformation Trust, as part of
the bank’s LifeSkills programme. The
results have been impressive,
generating a blueprint for other
organisations to use.
“Everyone has something they’re
amazing at; they just have to find out
what it is,” says Transformation Trust
CEO Amy Leonard. “But students
from tougher backgrounds won’t
necessarily have the full range of
opportunities, and won’t find it as
12 // EMPLOYABILITY