White pupils improve as much as ethnic minorities

Nationally, 58.1 per cent of black pupils achieved the benchmark of five A* to C grade passes at GCSE – up 8.8 per cent since 2010 (Getty)

A claim that standards in London schools only soared as a result of the capital’s ethnic mix is dismissed in research released today.

Analysis of the dramatic rise in exam passes shows white pupils’ performance improved just as much as any other ethnic group’s.

The report, by the CfBT Education Trust, shows that a decade ago white pupils in inner London performed over four points worse that the rest of England. Now they are performing better by almost the same amount. Earlier analysis from Bristol University had concluded that lots of pupils from ethnic-minority groups was key to a successful school.