Educational outcomes of Black pupils and students

At GCSE level, young people from the Black major ethnic group[1], on average, have the lowest combined English and maths pass rate of any major ethnic group. However, pupils from this group, on average, fare better on the main progress measure, known as Progress 8. Black African pupils generally fare better than Black Caribbean pupils, and Black pupils eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) also attain better on some key measures than White pupils eligible for FSM.

In England, young people from Black ethnic groups are more likely to go on to higher education than average, but less likely to obtain high grades, enter ‘prestigious’ universities, end up in a ‘highly-skilled’ job, study further or have career satisfaction.

There are marked differences in higher education entry rates between people from different Black ethnic groups, and between men and women, although available data isn’t always further broken down by socio-economic status.