Read: Comment on the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report

A government review has this week concluded that Britain has become a more open society and that the social class of individuals is the key driver of poor social mobility. 

A new report published by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities goes on to point out that white working class boys are among the worst performing groups in education, while Black African, Indian and Bangladeshi pupils perform better than their white counterparts. However this too often does not translate into careers. 

The commission, formed last July after the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement, found social class and family background had a greater impact on how people's lives turned out. 

The report has sparked real debate. In his foreword chairman Tony Sewell argued that: “The evidence shows that geography, family influence, socio-economic background, culture and religion have more significant impact on life chances than the existence of racism”.

We welcome the emphasis on the complex nature of social mobility and the need for a common language when tackling it. Inequalities develop at different stages of life and present barriers to a range of people based on their class, background, ethnicity, gender and other factors. 

That’s why we developed the Levelling Up Goals to provide a common architecture to tackle the UK’s levelling up challenge. The 14 Goals cover key life stages such as education and careers, as well as tackling other barriers like health, housing and infrastructure that hinder everyone fulfilling their potential. A number of organisations are now using these to analyse the impact they are having on leveling up. 

The report stated that education was “the most emphatic success story”, with pupils from Indian, Bangladeshi and black African backgrounds in England scoring better on average across eight GCSEs than white British children. While this is encouraging, it highlights that inequalities in school years are often down to class backgrounds with those from disadvantaged white communities performing worse.

Looking at the makeup of top roles within the public and private sectors, the commission recognised that disparities still exist on the basis of ethnicity and concluded that Britain was not a “post-racial” society. 

What we must not overlook is that social mobility and levelling up is not just about education and the economy. The agenda is often framed in this way, so it was encouraging to see the report looking at disparities in health as well. To truly level up we must look at all the inequalities that exist within society alongside each other and have a plan to tackle them. 

Levelling up is a multifaceted issue at community level and there is no one-size-fits all approach. 

Now is the time for us all - policy makers, businesses, universities, public sector organisations and communities - to work together to make levelling up a reality.