The GLA commissioned this research because attainment among London’s most disadvantaged young people lags an average of 12 months behind their more advantaged peers, having an adverse effect on these young Londoners’ life chances.
Unconscious prejudices affect the way they are disciplined at school, how their work is assessed, and the academic ability set that they are put in, the study found.
It said black Caribbean boys’ attainment in London is 17 percentage points behind the London average for expected standards in reading, writing and maths by the end of primary school.
White male pupils eligible for free school meals are the lowest-attaining of the main ethnic groups in the capital — and the attainment gap widens as they move through secondary school.
The report, which includes interviews with experts, teachers and pupils, calls for teachers and school leaders to be given the training to help minimise the impact of unconscious bias.
Two of the largest groups at risk of educational underperformance in London are black Caribbean and free school meal-eligible white boys.