Next week sees the release of the latest data from the Youth Cohort Study, tracking the experience of British teenagers. It will show:
* A big jump since 1989 in the number of children of manual workers with five good GCSEs - but still well behind children of professionals who at A-level are three times likelier to have two passes.
* Truancy among 16-year-olds is down since 1998, but 4 per cent still truant persistently.
* Pakistani, Bangladeshi and black children are improving, but at 16 and 18 they remain less qualified than white pupils. Indians and “other” Asians outstrip white children.
