Poor white boys deserves scholarship charity

Sir Bryan Thwaites, a 96-year-old educationalist professor whose £1.2m scholarship scheme for poor white boys was backed by state-school head teachers, the scheme was rejected by elite schools amid fear of racial discrimination.

Sir Bryan offered to leave the money in his will so that children could follow in his footsteps with scholarships to Dulwich College and Winchester, which was rejected in the light of anti-discrimination laws.

The rejection of the money prompted fresh debate about the educational failure blighting the lives of White men in Britain.

Thwaites intended to give £400, 000 to Dulwich College and £800, 000 to Winchester College. Day pupil fees are £21, 000 a year at Dulwich College and £ 40, 000 a year at Winchester.

Ethnic difference in education was tackled by Stormzy, 26, who offered to pay education fees and living costs for four black students at Cambridge.

Leon Wilson , executive principal of the Hurlingham Academy in London, said some institutions accepted bequests to improve diversity. “You have lots of philanthropists who give away money for different ethnic groups such as black Caribbean boys. I can’t see why it should be a problem for white boy It’s clear that white working-class boys are not doing well in every index: exclusion, attainment, they are lagging behind. We need to unpick why they are not aspirational what is going on? It is important to improve across the board”