GETTY By 16, the achievement of British teens plunged

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At the age of five, white British pupils are among the top three highest achievers in their classes. But by the time they reach 16, the same pupils have slipped down the rankings - with ten other ethnic groups achieving higher grades by the time they sit their GCSE's. The worrying trend has now renewed concern over the "staggeringly low" under-achievement of white working class pupils. Researchers from think tank CentreForum have claimed that pupils who learnt English as a second language have made faster progress.

GETTY The Duchess of Cambridge visiting a school, as thinktank warns some children are falling behind

These students have shot to the top of the achievement table as teachers put more time in helping them catch up, while their families are believed to be more supportive. Now education experts say white working-class children from British families are being "let down" by the school system and by parents who do not fully support their education. Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at Buckingham University, says parents and teachers need to improve their support of pupils. He said: "On the face of it, the education system is letting down white British children and we must examine the reasons with great urgency.

CENTREFORUM British children aged five are among the top achievers

CENTREFORUM But by 16, ten other ethnic groups have soared past them

"The children of immigrants are improving much faster. "In part this is because the parents and children are very keen to make use of the educational opportunities which are readily available to them. "But also, the extra attention they receive may inadvertently be diverting attention from the needs of the poor white British pupils." Mr Smithers added: "Too often, parents in low-income homes have been turned off by having to attend school and those attitudes are passed on to their children."

"The education system is letting down white British children and we must examine the reasons with great urgency." Professor Alan Smithers

The think tank, chaired by former schools ministers, analysed last year's GCSE results, working out the number of teens who gained a 'good pass' in all eight subjects. The data was then compared to the pupils previous test results in primary schools. At the age of five, white British children were narrowly beaten on assessments by only two other ethnic groups: Indian and mixed (white and Asian). But they soon start to fall behind and by the time they reach Key Stage Four, they have been overtaken by ten other ethnic groups, including Chinese, Bangladeshi and black African pupils.

GETTY Parents and teachers have been blamed for their lack of support

Some 40.2 per cent of students who do not have English as a first language achieved eight good passes at GCSE, compared to 37.6 per cent of native speakers. Jo Hutchinson, associate director of education data and statistics at CentreForum, said previous research showed that ‘higher educational aspirations’ were associated with certain ethnic minority groups. She said: "What’s bigger than aspirations is parental engagement, so we’re talking about things like parents attending parents’ evenings at school, talking to their children about subject options, supervising homework, ensuring that the family eats together and has regular meal and bedtimes.

GETTY Experts say the school system is letting down british teens