WHITE British boys are doing worse at school than their peers from other ethnic groups, according to new research.
A study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation reveals that white males make up nearly half of youngsters leaving education with few or no qualifications.
White pupils are more likely to do persistently badly than other ethnic groups from the same economic background.
The report singles out Manchester as one of 13 urban local authorities with the worst rates of educational attainment.
Almost 15 per cent of pupils from the city left school without a single GCSE in 2003, the most recent year with figures available to the authors.
Nationally, about five per cent of state school children achieve no passes at all in GCSEs or GNVQs, while around a quarter obtain nothing better than a D grade.
The research, aimed at identifying the reasons why tens of thousands of students in England leave school each year with few or no qualifications at 16, says most low achievers come from disadvantaged urban areas and attend lower-performing schools.
They are at risk of unemployment or falling into low-level crime.
Chinese and Indian pupils are the most successful at avoiding low achievement.
Afro-Caribbean students are the least successful, though their results have been improving more quickly than the national average and they do no worse than white British pupils from similar economic backgrounds.
But not speaking English at home is only a short-term handicap, with African and Asian students commonly recovering from the problems it poses by secondary school.
Lead author Professor Robert Cassen says the pattern of achievement between ethnic groups is similar nationwide.
"Nearly half of low achievers are white British boys," he says. "In a way, that is to be expected because ethnic groups are a small part of the population.
"But what we have found is that these white students are persistent low achievers throughout their education, from pre-school to GCSE.
"If we look at white British boys on free school meals, 60 per cent are doing badly at school. Of Afro-Caribbean boys on free meals, 40 per cent are low achievers.
"We need to find out why they are doing badly and what we can do to improve the situation."
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Well this is beacuse it's a crime to be white and fly the George Cross flag, this makes them alienated, confused and a stranger in there own country, just look at why the England football and cricket teams play the way they do, they havn't got a country to play for, no passion, the answer is to put pollitical correctness in the bin and send into outer space.
Oh don't give us all that rubbish. Perople don't need to fly flags to show patriotism.
The americans are famously patriotic, but you won't see them wearing the Stars and Stripes on underwear.
'Political Correctness' the scurge term of the 21st Century.
Yes Mike and do you go around checking all 280 million Americans underwear, you've gone completeley of subject, just another one having a go with no substance to his argument, so if its not PC, or loving the country you live in to make it a better place, and a place worth fighting for then it must be that they are all on DRUGS!
white British boiys have always been slackers. so whats new?
It clearly explains your sloppy spelling, Mr W!