White British pupils living in deprivation are outperformed at GCSE by every other ethnic group in similar circumstances, data reveals.

Only around a third – 36 per cent – of white British pupils on free school meals get at least a grade 4 or above in English and maths.

It means they are the worst performing group in the country after Irish and Roma travellers.

In contrast, 85 per cent of Chinese heritage pupils on free school meals achieve these grades – the highest-performing group in the country.

Meanwhile, among Indian and Bangladeshi pupils it is 68 per cent, among Black African pupils it is 62 per cent and among Black Caribbean it is 42 per cent.

The data is from the ongoing Independent Inquiry into White Working Class Educational Outcomes, which announced its second phase on Monday.

Among its other findings so far is that the rate of persistent absence for white working-class pupils is 38 per cent, compared with 19 per cent overall.

Only 54 per cent of white working-class pupils felt their school helped students to succeed, compared with 72 per cent of their peers.

And only 25 per cent of white working-class sixth formers felt going to university was 'part of being successful', compared with 44 per cent of middle-class white pupils and 54 per cent of middle-class pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds.

The inquiry, which will now look at 'practical solutions' to the problem, is backed by Education Secretary Lucy Powell.

In a blog for LBC Radio she wrote this week: 'These children are being held back by things outside their control, like their postcode, and how much their parents earn. But critically, they don't think education has anything to offer them and they don't enjoy school when they are there.'

The inquiry examined the 1.25million young people in England who are white British and in receipt of free school meals – the Government's official deprivation marker.

It also looked at the demographic known as C2DE, which covers a wider group of people often referred to as 'working class' including those on benefits, casual workers, those in unskilled manual work and those in skilled manual work.

Experts have previously warned that pupils in this demographic may be more likely to be from families which lack aspiration, or may live in rural and coastal areas which have fewer opportunities.

Ms Powell said on Sunday that white working-class pupils are 'falling behind at every stage of their education'.

The data shows 52 per cent do not reach a good level of development by the end of Reception, while 40 per cent do not reach age-related reading expectations by the end of primary school.

More than a quarter – 27 per cent – say they rarely or never enjoy lessons.

The inquiry, which published the findings of its first phase in the summer, was commissioned by the multi-academy trust Star Academies.

It will now focus on how to provide a better transition into primary school and clearer routes into qualifications and jobs for older pupils.

Baroness Morris, inquiry co-chair and former Labour education secretary, said: 'Our report on white working-class educational achievement clearly highlighted the extent of the challenge and the consequences of failing to do anything about it.

'We can't stop there. Our next phase of work will be led by experts in the field and will consider what needs to be done. This isn't just the responsibility of schools but calls for action from across society. The partnerships we will bring together can play a powerful role in beginning this work.'

The inquiry, which was also co-chaired by Sir Hamid Patel, has revealed increasing scepticism among white working-class families about whether education can secure future success.

It found that while many families place greater importance on the social experience of school and call for more importance to be placed on vocational options for students, such as apprenticeships, the education system often emphasised academic progression to higher education.

It said the true scale of white working-class disadvantage is 'likely to be substantially larger', as the education data they looked at did not include those who were on low incomes but did not receive free school meals.

Since then, all families receiving Universal Credit have become eligible for free school meals.

It comes after Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced plans to open up new technical routes from age 14 in England over the summer.

He said he was 'on a mission' to reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training – known as 'Neet'.

Currently, nearly a million young people are classed as Neet.