James Evans MS has called on the Welsh Labour Government to do more to support working-class boys, warning that young, white boys from deprived communities are being failed by the education system and ignored by the very institutions meant to support them.
Speaking in the Senedd, James highlighted that just 15% of white boys on free school meals in Wales progress to higher education, with only Gypsy and Traveller children achieving lower results. He stressed that these boys are not privileged, as they are often portrayed, but are instead facing real hardship, including poverty, fatherlessness, poor mental health and a lack of opportunity.
The Centre for Social Justice report concludes by stating “young men and boys in the UK are struggling…from family life and education to employment and their lives online, to the criminal justice system and worsening health outcomes, the current situation is stark”.
James called for practical investment in apprenticeships, mental health services and employment opportunities, and urged the Welsh Government to stop relying on pilot schemes and empty strategies.
James Evans MS said:
“Young, white, working-class boys in Wales are not privileged, they’re being left behind, and this Labour Government knows it.
“In some of our poorest areas, these lads are struggling with poverty, broken families, and mental health problems. They are not the problem. It is the system that is failing them.
“We need to stop blaming our boys and start supporting them with real action: more apprenticeships, proper mental health services, and pathways into real jobs. These young men built this country, they deserve better than to be abandoned and blamed by government.”
