The UK has free universal eduacation up to 18 (compulsory until 16), there are all sorts of schemes and initiatives to try and help kids get some kind of post-school education or training...<snip>
right, lets take a theoretical example of an average kid from an inner city council estate, and look at all the obstacles s/he must overcome in comparison to a middle class kid in order to get this future they want (and this is hugely simplified).
1. they are likely to go to a rubbish school, with poor GCSE pass rates (
Less than a third of pupils left schools in deprived areas with five good GCSEs, compared to over half of pupils elsewhere, and pupils were twice as likely as those elsewhere to leave without any GCSEs at all.)
2. kids who are able in such schools are often left to do set work (with little extension) as teachers have to deal with more troublesome students- they are not pushed in the classroom in the way that middel class children often are.
3. peer group pressure may discourage a positive attitude towards learning (this also happens in many m.class schools, but other factors within and without the school are likely to negate it).
4. the domestic situation may be a negative factor for a whole range of reasons that are complex- w.class families have less cultural capital, find it harder to engage with the school, are less likely to have books in the house (
an important factor, regardless of whether they're read), are less likely to understand the complex processes involved in getting children into good schools (see also
middle class flight, making point 1. worse) etc. they may not have a quiet place to study.this has nothing to do with poor parents not caring, or focussing on 'bling'
5. lets assume the kid gets 5 GCSEs and wants to continue in education- s/he needs to apply to a college- local ones may not be the best, so they apply to one that has excellent results and gets in. they may then face subtle discrimination or stereotyping from teachers (most teachers in sixth form colleges will be aware of where their students came from) and peers, they may feel alienated and out of place- different language used in lessons, a different 'feel' to the learning environment. in addition, they may not be able to afford trips, extra resources etc that aid learning.
6. friends in their local area who are doing modern apprenticeships, or nothing put (subtle) pressure on the kid, so they may view what they have done in a negative light.
7. the student applies to university. as part of their selection process, universities look at GCSE results (on competitive courses this is the first thing they look at- to get onto a dentistry course, you need nealry all As at GCSE- two or more Bs, and you probably won't get an offer). due to the poor quality school they went to, the students GCSE results do not reflect their ability, or how well they are doing at A level. in many cases, this won't make a difference to the university.
8. the student gets a place at university, but the family baulks at £3000/year tuition fees, plus living costs (believe me, even if the student gets ALL the available grants, they're looking at £10,000 debt minimum)- traditionally, many w/c families are determined not to get into debt, let alone encourage it.
9. the student goes to university but has to work nearly full-time in order to fund their studies (if they go to a 'good' university- they could stay at home and go to the local ex-poly, which isn't very good, but is affordable).
10. after university the student applies for jobs. they won't have the advantage of family/friend connections, they won't be able to do unpaid internships and many firms with local knowldge discriminate against those from certtain postcodes.
in general middle class kids won't face any of those problems (they may work part-time at university)- they don't have to think about them, let alone overcome them.
assuming only poor kids have aspirations to nice cars etc is idiotic- they're just further away from getting them.