The new study shows white British pupils lagging behind ten other ethnic groups when judged against new benchmarks based on eight subjects to promote a broad and balanced curriculum at the end of secondary school.

Official figures had shown that EAL students were outperforming native speakers in core subjects -English, maths, science, a language and either history or geography.

But this is the first time it has been shown §white British pupils are falling behind more ethnic groups in a wider number of subjects.

The study also showed Chinese pupils have almost reached the 2030 benchmark fifteen years earlier with 73 per cent achieving 50 or more points in so-called attainment 8, which measures average achievement across eight subjects.

However, the new study by Centre Forum, an independent think tank, showed only 60 per cent of white British students will reach the benchmark by 2030, falling behind world standards.

Experts said ethnic groups, like Chinese and Indian, are better at translating aspirations into actual behaviour with parents being more hands-on when it comes to homework and extracurricular activities.