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Every year, exam results show that white working-class children are among the lowest-achieving groups in England’s schools. Too often, the debate stops at the statistics. At the Fischer Family Foundation, we believe the conversation must go further – to evidence and to solutions.

That is why we have analysed constituency-level data on child poverty and Key Stage 2 reading outcomes. Our analysis highlights the parts of England where white working-class communities face the sharpest literacy challenges.

• In constituencies with deep industrial roots and high levels of child poverty, early literacy outcomes are consistently well below the national average.
• In places such as Leeds South, Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, Burnley, Peterborough, and Newcastle Central and West, as many as one in three children leave primary school unable to read at the expected level.

We have published the full dataset here. It shows:

• The proportion of children living in poverty in each parliamentary constituency.
• The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in Key Stage 2 reading.
• How these figures compare with the England average.