Swann (1985)

Notes on the text
Preliminary pages Membership, Contents, Introduction

Part I: Setting the scene
Chapter 1 The nature of society
Chapter 2 Racism: theory and practice
Chapter 3 Achievement and underachievement
Chapter 3 continued

Part II: Education for all
Chapter 4 Ethnic minorities and education: historical perspective
Chapter 5 Multicultural education: further studies
Chapter 5 continued
Chapter 6 'Education for all': a new approach

Part III: Major areas of concern
Chapter 7 Language and language education
Chapter 8 Religion and the role of the school
Chapter 9 Teacher education; employment of ethnic minority teachers
Chapter 9 continued

Part IV: 'Other' ethnic minority groups
Introduction
Chapter 10 Chinese children
Chapter 11 Cypriot children
Chapter 12 Italian children
Chapter 13 Ukranian children
Chapter 14 Vietnamese children
Chapter 15 'Liverpool Blacks'
Chapter 16 Travellers' children
Reflections and conclusions

Part V:
Main conclusions and recommendations

Appendices

Report of the Committee of Enquiry into the Education of Children from Ethnic Minority Groups

Chairman: Lord Swann

Cmnd. 9453

London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office 1985
© Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland.

Preliminary pages

Foreword by the Secretary of State for Education and Science
[page unnumbered]

This report is about a complex and important subject. The response of the education service to ethnic diversity concerns all who have responsibilities in education as well as all parents and their children.

The government is firmly committed to the principle that all children, irrespective of race, colour or ethnic origin, should have a good education which develops their abilities and aptitudes to the full and brings about a true sense of belonging to Britain. The Committee's report explores in detail how this principle may be made good, marshalling in the process a mass of evidence. At my request Lord Swann himself has written a brief guide which draws the reader's attention to the main issues in the report and to its central findings.

We can all be grateful to Lord Swann and his colleagues for their hard work over a long period of time. They have done a great service in drawing the issues affecting ethnic minority pupils to public attention.

Keith Joseph
March 1985

[page unnumbered]

19 February 1985

Dear Secretary of State

I have the honour to present the Final Report of the Committee set up in 1979 to inquire into the Education of Children from Ethnic Minority Groups. I should like to take this opportunity of expressing our warmest thanks to a number of your staff, in particular to our Secretariat: Mr David Halladay, Miss Christina Bienkowska, Mr Peter Connell and Mrs Angela Craig, as well as to our Assessors at various stages, namely Mr Brian Baish, Mr Eric Bolton HMI and Mr John Singh HMI. All of them have been of inestimable help to the Committee and to me, in our long drawn-out endeavours.

Yours sincerely
Michael Swann
(Chairman)

The Rt Hon Sir Keith Joseph Bt MP

The Committee*
[pages iii - v]

*Appointments shown are those held by members at the time of submission of the report to the Secretary of State or at the time of their resignation from the Committee.

Chairman

Mr A Rampton, OBE (until May 1981)
Lord Swann, FRSE (from May 1981)

Members

Mr JP Athisayam Behavioural Scientist.
Mr T Carter Senior Education Liaison Officer, ILEA.
Mrs L Chapman Adviser for the Education of Children in Early Years, Bradford Metropolitan Council.
Ms Y Collymore Freelance Writer.
Mr GL Cooksey (appointed June 1981) Principal, Greenhead College, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.
Mr JP Cornford (appointed August 1981) Director, Nuffield Foundation.
Mrs A Dummett (resigned November 1984) Research Worker, Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants.
Mr CG Duncan Head, Wyke Manor Upper School, Wyke, Bradford.
Mr DB Evans Inspector, ILEA.
Mr JG Evans (appointed June 1981) Director of Education, Derbyshire County Council.
Baroness Faithfull, OBE Formerly Director of Social Services, Oxford City Council.
Mr M Feeley (resigned November 1980) Adviser for Multicultural Education, Coventry Education Authority.
Mrs S Flather, JP Councillor, Windsor and Maidenhead, Commissioner, Commission for Racial Equality.
Dr FS Hashmi, OBE (appointed May 1982) Consultant Psychiatrist, All Saints Hospital, Birmingham. Commissioner, Commission for Racial Equality.
Professor EW Hawkins, CBE (resigned May 1981) Formerly Director of Language Teaching Centre, University of York.
Professor PH Hirst (appointed November 1981) Professor of Education, University of Cambridge.
Father M Hollings (resigned November 1984) Parish Priest, Bayswater, Notting Hill, London.
Mr MA Khan-Cheema (appointed June 1981) General Adviser in Education with special responsibility for Multicultural Education, Bradford Metropolitan Council.
Mrs DE McAuslan SRN; SCM; Health Visitor Certificate, Lecturer in Health Education, Northamptonshire County Council.
Mr PKC Millins, CBE (resigned May 1981) Formerly Director of Edge Hill College of Higher Education, Ormskirk, Lancashire.
Mr PA Newsam (resigned July 1982 on appointment as Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality) Education Officer, Inner London Education Authority.
Mr R Pal (resigned October 1979) Managing Director CTS Leasing Ltd., Reading, Berkshire.
Dr B Parekh (resigned November 1981 to become Vice Chancellor, University of Baroda) Senior Lecturer, Department of Political Studies, University of Hull.
Mr J Phillips, CBE Formerly Chairman, Distributive Industry Training Board.
Mr EJB Rose, CBE (resigned June 1981) Chairman, Penguin Books.
Mr AJB Rowe Member of Parliament for Mid Kent.
Mrs Y Sheikh (resigned January 1981) Peripatetic Teacher of English as a Second Language, London Borough of Croydon.
Dr GK Verma (appointed May 1982) Reader in Education, University of Bradford.
Mr D Wong (appointed June 1981) Research Officer, Special Projects (Ethnic Minorities), Education Department, Manchester City Council.

Assessors

Mr BL Baish Department of Education and Science.
Mr EJ Bolton (until September 1981) Her Majesty's Inspectorate.
Mr P Singh (from October 1981) Her Majesty's Inspectorate.

Secretariat

Mr DG Halladay Department of Education and Science.
Miss CA Bienkowska Department of Education and Science.
Mr PA Connell Department of Education and Science.
Mrs AE Craig Department of Education and Science.

Costs of Committee

The estimated cost of the production of the report is £692,618, of which £127,815 represents the estimated cost of printing and publication. £477,000 the cost of administration and research and £87,803 the travelling and other expenses of members.

Terminology
[page vi]

We refer throughout this report to a number of different ethnic minorities as well as to the (white) ethnic majority. Following common usage, and in the interests of brevity, we refer to 'West Indians' and 'Asians' as shorthand for the more accurate, but more cumbersome 'British citizens of West Indian or Asian origin'. It should be borne in mind that virtually all of the 'West Indian' children about whom this report is concerned and the vast majority of 'Asian' children were in fact born in this country. The term 'Asian', unless otherwise specified, is also used as a collective term to cover a range of ethnic minorities whose cultural roots emanate from the Indian sub-continent, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh; although some came to Britain from East Africa and elsewhere. The religious affiliations of these groups include Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and others and their languages include Urdu, Punjabi, Gujerati, Bengali, Pushtu, Sindhi and others.

In addition we refer to the ethnic majority as the 'white' or 'indigenous' majority. None of these terms is wholly satisfactory. There are white minorities within the white majority, while some of the white minorities have lived long enough in Britain to be regarded as indigenous. Nevertheless we think, given these warnings, that our use of the different terms will not cause confusion.

Preface
[pages vii - xi]

Origins of this Committee

1. The origins of this Committee can be traced back to the concern expressed by the West Indian Community during the late 1960s and early 1970s about the academic performance of their children. This concern was recognised by the Select Committee on Race, Relations and Immigration and in their report on the West Indian Community in 1977 (1) they recommended that:

'... as a matter of urgency the government (should) institute a high level and independent inquiry into the causes of the underachievement of children of West Indian origin in maintained schools and the remedial action required'.

2. The then government accepted the need for an inquiry but felt that it should be concerned with the needs of pupils from all ethnic minority groups with priority being given to children of West Indian origin. (2) In consequence this Committee was established in 1979 with the following terms of reference:

'Recognising the contribution of schools in preparing all pupils for life in a society which is both multiracial and culturally diverse, the Committee is required to:

review in relation to schools the educational needs and attainments of children from ethnic minority groups taking account, as necessary, of factors outside the formal education system relevant to school performance, including influences in early childhood and prospects for school leavers;

consider the potential value of instituting arrangements for keeping under review the educational performance of different ethnic minority groups, and what those arrangements might be;

consider the most effective use of resources for these purposes; and to make recommendations.

In carrying out its programme of work, the Committee is to give early and particular attention to the educational needs and attainments of pupils of West Indian origin and to make interim recommendations as soon as possible on action which might be taken in the interests of this group.'

Interim report

3. Our interim report, fulfilling the requirement in our terms of reference to give particular attention to the situation of West Indian children, was submitted to the Secretary of State on 27 February 1981 and was published on 17 June 1981. (3) In that report we concluded that West Indian children as a group were:

'... underachieving in relation to their peers.'

'... no single cause ... but rather a network of widely differing attitudes and expectations on the part of teachers and the education system as a whole, and on the part of West Indian parents, which lead the West Indian child to have particular difficulties and face particular hurdles in achieving his or her full potential.'

Modus operandi

4. Throughout our work we have adopted a structure of specialist sub-committees and sub-groups to consider the range of issues encompassed by our remit. Although our membership covered a wide range of interest and expertise, we felt that we would benefit from the presence on our sub-committees of additional members with particular knowledge and experience. We therefore co-opted a number of individuals to whom we are particularly grateful for their help and advice. Whilst this report owes much to the contributions of our co-opted members, they are not however responsible for the conclusions and recommendations which we put forward here. Details of these co-options are given in Appendix A of this report.

Reviews of Research

5. In order to enable us to make the best possible use of the relevant research evidence available, we commissioned the National foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to prepare a series of evaluative reviews of research. These reviews are or will be available publicly, as follows:

• Caught Between: A review of research into the education of pupils of West Indian origin. Monica J Taylor. NFER-Nelson. 1981;
• The best of both worlds ...?: a review of research into the education of pupils of South Asian origin. Monica J Taylor and Seamus Hegarty (forthcoming); and
• Third review of research (relating to the 'other' minorities considered by the Committee): Monica J Taylor and Seamus Hegarty (forthcoming).

As well as proving particularly helpful to us in our work - and we have indeed drawn on the conclusions of these reviews throughout this report - the NFER reviews provide a wealth of material on the educational experiences of ethnic minority pupils, as well as describing the backgrounds of the various ethnic minority communities in our society, which will, we are sure, be of considerable interest to those working in this field. In the course of our work we have ourselves commissioned a number of studies relating to particular issues or areas of concern. References to the findings of these studies are included in the relevant chapters of this report.

Evidence gathering

6. During our lifetime we have issued two main invitations for evidence - firstly at the start of our work, when we were seeking evidence relating particularly to the situation of pupils of West Indian origin, and then again, after the publication of our interim report, when we invited both comments on that report together with further evidence relating to other ethnic minority groups and to the broader issues encompassed by our remit. On both occasions our invitations for evidence were given a very wide distribution and we also supplemented these general requests for evidence by approaching a range of educational organisations and ethnic minority community organisations, for evidence on their specific concerns. The summary of our interim report's findings and conclusions was also sent to every maintained school and teacher training institution in England, inviting comments and further evidence. In addition to these requests for evidence, our sub-committees have also, on a number of occasions, requested information relating to more specialist matters within their remits. The response to our various invitations for evidence and requests for information has been quite overwhelming; we estimate that we have received almost 1000 submissions of evidence, all of which have proved immensely helpful to us in our work, as well as indicating the amount of interest and, in some cases, concern about the whole field of 'multicultural education'. We also called together representatives of several 'interested organisations' to discuss particular issues in greater depth and organised oral evidence sessions, for both the full Committee and at sub-committee level. Lists of those who submitted evidence to us are included as Appendices to this report.

Forums

7. We decided early on in our work that we wished to extend our consultations beyond the traditional education interest groups and the leading national ethnic minority organisations to involve also parents and young people, particularly from the various ethnic minority communities, who might otherwise have been unlikely to make their voices heard through formal channels. We therefore organised some 30 open meetings or 'forums' around the country, which took place in schools or community centres, in the evening or at weekends, usually under the auspices of local community relations councils, at which we could discuss the major issues of concern to the communities in these areas. These forums provided a very valuable further source of evidence to us and lent added immediacy to our understanding of the communities' concerns, particularly about the influence of racism on their everyday lives. Details of the various forums are given in Appendix E.

National Conference

8. As well as inviting written comments on our interim report, we also convened a one day national conference, in November 1981, to discuss its findings. There were over 250 participants, including representatives of both Houses of Parliament, local authority members and officers, heads and teachers and community representatives from a range of ethnic minority groups, and the conference was opened by the Secretary of State for Education and Science. This conference enabled us to discuss, with representatives of a very wide range of interest groups, the broader implications of the conclusions which we had reached in our interim report, as well as to hear their views on the specific issues to which they felt we should devote attention for this report.

Visits

9. Throughout our work we have endeavoured to visit as many LEAs, schools and other educational institutions, of as many differing types and in as many parts of the country as possible. We have received evidence from nearly one third of LEAs and have investigated in rather more detail the work of 20 of them. Members or representatives of this Committee have visited over 150 schools and other institutions - these are listed in Appendix B. On our visits to primary schools we have made particular efforts to talk to parents about their expectations of schools and their aspirations for their children. In secondary schools we have taken every opportunity to meet and talk with groups of senior pupils, especially but not exclusively from ethnic minority groups, in order to seek their views on the various issues within our remit - bearing in mind that in many ways it is their attitudes, as the citizens and parents of the future, which offer a crucial insight into the future nature of our society.

Acknowledgement

10. We are grateful to all the local authorities, schools, organisations and individuals who took the time and trouble to prepare written evidence for us or to participate in discussions about aspects of our work. We are particularly grateful to those schools which we visited both for their hospitality and the open and frank way in which the teachers and indeed the pupils were prepared to discuss their anxieties and concerns with us.

References

(1) The West Indian Community. Select Committee on Race Relations and Immigration. February 1977. HMSO. HC 180 I.

(2) The West Indian Community. Cmnd 7186. HMSO. April 1978.

(3) West Indian Children in our Schools. Cmnd 8273. HMSO. June 1981.

Plan of the Report
[pages xi - xiii]

We hope that this report will be considered as a whole by all those concerned about the role of education in relation to the changed and changing nature of our society. Although we devote individual chapters to considering various specific issues within our remit, these chapters are invariably interrelated and the conclusions reached within them depend for their proper understanding on the broad context and underlying aims and objectives on which the whole of our work has been based. These chapters are themselves grouped to form several distinct parts of the report, reflecting different aspects of our deliberations.

In Part One of the report - Setting the scene - we set the context for our work by discussing the relationship between the education system and the nature of present day British society. We begin by considering the various ways in which our multiracial society could evolve and then put forward our own view of the role which we believe education can and must play in laying the foundations for a society based on genuinely pluralist principles. We go on to discuss the controversial issue of racism, and its influence on both schools and the wider society, on which so much of our evidence has focused. We consider both the broad concept of prejudice and the particular roots of racism as well as looking at the various ways in which racism, at both individual and institutional level, can manifest itself and, more importantly, can be countered. Finally we return to the issue of the achievement and underachievement of pupils of ethnic minority origin, which was of course central to our interim report.

In Part Two of the report - Education for all - we review the evolution of policies and practice, at both central and local level, in the field of 'multicultural education' from the early days of large scale immigration up to the present day. We reflect in particular on the way in which the aims and objectives of policy making in this field have changed over the years, in relation to changing circumstances and the concerns of ethnic minority communities and educationists. We also draw together here the findings of some of the research studies which we have ourselves commissioned in the course of our work. We then go on to put forward, in chapter six, our own view of the task for education in meeting the needs of ethnic minority pupils and preparing all pupils, both ethnic majority and ethnic minority, for life in a society which is both multiracial and culturally diverse. Having set out the broad principles which we believe should underlie our philosophy of 'Education for All' and considered the practical implications of such an approach for the curriculum, we conclude by putting forward an overall strategy for the management of change needed in order to achieve the objectives we have advocated.

In Part Three of the report - Major areas of concern - we devote chapters to considering those aspects of education which emerged clearly from our evidence as arousing the greatest interest and anxieties amongst both the ethnic minority communities and educationists: language and language education, and religion and the role of the school. In both chapters we put forward specific conclusions and recommendations for progress, reflecting the principles of 'Education for All'. We also devote a chapter to considering the implications of our view of the task facing education, for teacher training at all levels and set out a distinct strategy for change within the teacher training field to complement and support the development of 'Education for All'.

In these three parts of the report we focus primarily, but not exclusively, on the needs and concerns of the two most numerous ethnic communities in this country - the West Indian community, (1) which was the subject of our interim report, and the Asian community. (2) Our terms of reference required us however to consider the needs of children from the whole range of ethnic minority groups. In Part Four of the report - 'Other' ethnic minority groups - we therefore consider the needs and problems of several of the numerically smaller ethnic minority (communities which are also now an integral part of British society, ranging from the Chinese community to the Vietnamese refugees and the Travelling community. Here again we seek to relate our specific findings to the broader debate about the response of the education system to the experiences and aspirations of ethnic minority communities and more broadly to the emergence of an increasingly complex and diverse multiracial society.

In Part Five of the report we draw together, for ease of reference, our Main conclusions and recommendations. It must be recognised however that several of our most important chapters do not in fact contain detailed recommendations of this kind and we would therefore emphasise again that we hope this report will be read in full by educationists and others in positions of responsibility and influence.

Throughout our report, we have sought to draw together, both in the text of the chapters and as annexes, examples of attitude and practice drawn from the wealth of evidence we have received, both in order to illustrate and highlight the overall message which we wish to convey to both policy makers and practitioners.

Footnotes

(1) According to data from the Ethnic Statistics Unit of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, the West Indian population of Great Britain in 1981 (the most recent year for which figures are available - from the 1981 Labour Force Survey) numbered some 604,000.

(2) According to OPCS data the Asian population of Great Britain in 1981 numbered 1,114,000.

Annex A: West Indian children in our schools

A brief guide to the interim report of the Committee of Inquiry into the Education of Children from Ethnic Minority Groups
[pages xv - xxv]

Background

1. The Committee of Inquiry into the Education of Children from Ethnic Minority Groups was established by the then government in March 1979 as part of its response to the report of the Select Committee on Race Relations and Immigration on 'The West Indian Community' (1) which highlighted concern about the academic performance of West Indian children. The present government confirmed the Committee's establishment and completed the appointment of members. The Committee was asked to look at the educational needs and attainments of children from the whole range of ethnic minority groups bearing in mind factors relating to pre-school experiences and prospects for school leavers. As a first step, however, the Committee was required to prepare an interim report on the particular needs and attainments of West Indian children. 2. The Committee's interim report 'West Indian Children in our Schools' was published on 17 June 1981. (2) This leaflet sets out the main findings of the report and summarises the recommendations offered in it.

Introduction

3. In the absence of any nationally agreed definition of 'West Indian' the Committee has dealt in its report with 'children who are black, whose families came originally from the group of islands known as the West Indies, and who are generally speaking regarded as West Indian by teachers and the community at large'. The report stresses that virtually all these children are British-born.

4. In preparing its interim report, the Committee received written and oral evidence from a wide range of individuals and organisations including many representatives of the West Indian community and between January and July 1980 members spent over 100 days visiting schools and other institutions around the country.

5. The report stresses that 'the education of West Indian children cannot be seen in isolation and must be considered as part of the education of all children'. As well as discussing the major issues in the education of West Indian children, the Committee's interim report also therefore considers the much broader question of what schools in general should be attempting to provide for all their pupils in today's 'multiracial and culturally diverse' society.

Chapter 1: The evidence of underachievement

6. The Committee summarises briefly the various studies which over recent years have appeared to show considerable underachievement by West Indian pupils in relation to their white peers. For example in 1966 and 1968 Little's studies of the reading standards of 9 year olds in ILEA showed that West Indian children were performing less well than their contemporaries and the 1980 ILEA Literacy Survey showed that at 15+ this was still the case. In order to obtain some up to date statistical information on the academic performance of West Indian children the DES Statistics Branch included, at the Committee's request, in their School Leavers Survey for 1978/79, for six LEAs (covering approximately half of the school leavers from ethnic minorities) a question on the ethnic origin of the leavers.

7. The results of the School Leavers Survey Exercise show:

• In all CSE and GCE O Level examinations only 3 per cent of West Indians obtained 5 or more higher grades (3) compared with 18 per cent of Asians and 16 per cent of all other leavers in these LEAs;
• In CSE English and GCE O Level English Language only 9 per cent of West Indians obtained higher grades compared with 21 per cent of Asians and 29 per cent of all other leavers in these LEAs;
• In CSE and GCE O Level in Mathematics only 5 per cent of West Indians obtained higher grades compared with 20 per cent of Asians and 19 per cent of all other leavers in these LEAs;
• At GCE A Level only 2 per cent of West Indians gained one or more pass compared with 13 per cent Asians and 12 per cent of all other leavers in these LEAs;
• Only 1 per cent of West Indians went on to university compared with 3 per cent of Asians and 3 per cent of all other leavers in these LEAs; and
• Only 1 per cent of West Indians went on to full time degree courses in further education compared with 5 per cent of Asians and 4 per cent of all other Ieavers in these LEAs.

Chapter 2: The factors contributing to underachievement

9. The report considers in some detail the various factors, both within the education system and outside it, which have been said to lead West Indian children to underachieve:

Racism

Many West Indians who gave evidence to the Committee saw racism as the major reason for their children's underachievement and other people mentioned this as a contributory factor. The Committee believes that only a very small minority of teachers could be said to be racist in the commonly accepted sense. However it claims that a teacher's attitude towards, and expectations of, West Indian pupils may be subconsciously influenced by stereotyped, negative or patronising views of their abilities and potential, which may prove a self-fulfilling prophecy, and can be seen as a form of 'unintentional racism'. The Committee concludes that, whilst racism, whether intentional or unintentional, cannot be said alone to account for the underachievement of West Indian children, it can and does have an important bearing on their performance at school. The report therefore urges teachers to be prepared to examine and reappraise their attitudes and behaviour, to challenge all manifestations of racism and to playa leading role in seeking to change the attitudes of society as a whole towards ethnic minority communities.

Pre-school provision

The Committee feels that the existing provision for the under fives, both in terms of day care and nursery education, is generally inadequate to meet the needs of the population as a whole, and may be particularly ill-suited to the needs of West Indian families. It believes that evidence 'points to the cycle of West Indian underachievement having its roots in the pre-school years and ... that measures relating to primary and secondary education must be accompanied by improvements in the pre-school field'. The report recommends that local authorities should make greater efforts to ensure that West Indian parents are aware of the pre-school facilities available and that LEAs should do more to help parents appreciate the contribution which they can make to the progress of their child, before he enters school. Other recommendations relate to the need for better coordination within local authorities of services for the under-fives, the conversion of former primary school premises for nursery use, the extension of the opening hours of nursery schools and units, the need for those who work with under-fives to be made aware of the particular difficulties faced by West Indian families, and the need for there to be more nursery nurses and health visitors from ethnic minority groups.

Reading and language

Reading The report summarises the findings and conclusions of the 1980 ILEA Literacy Survey on the low reading attainment of West Indian children and discusses briefly the methods and materials used by schools for teaching reading. It focuses on a recent study of the benefits derived by schools from involving parents more directly in helping their children to learn to read and recommends that all LEAs and schools should consider ways of building on this work.

Language The report summarises current views on the nature of the language of West Indian children, the various approaches adopted by schools and teachers to this language and the attitudes of West Indian parents. It concludes that 'for the majority of West lndian children in our schools, who were born and brought up in this country, linguistic factors play (no) part in underachievement'. It feels however that 'the attitudes towards West Indian children's language held by some teachers ... may have an important bearing on their motivation and achievement' and recommends a range of measures designed to encourage teachers' understanding and appreciation of the nature of West Indian language.

Curriculum

The report argues strongly that a broadly-based, 'multicultural' approach to the curriculum should be adopted by all schools, both those with ethnic minority pupils and all white schools, and offers some examples, at both primary and secondary level, of what it sees as 'good practice' in this respect. The Committee does not 'believe that education should seek to iron out the differences between cultures, nor attempt to draw everyone into the dominant culture' but rather should 'draw upon the experiences of the many cultures that make up our society and thus broaden the cultural horizons of every child'. The Committee's recommendations to the DES, HM Inspectorate and the Schools Council are designed to encourage a multicultural approach throughout education and within schools, head teachers and teachers, especially those from ethnic minority groups, are seen as having particular roles to play in bringing this about.

Books and teaching materials

The Committee's call for a multicultural approach in education is reiterated in relation to the books and teaching materials used by schools. The Committee felt that some of these still presented an inaccurate and negative picture of ethnic minority groups and of other cultures, and calls upon teachers and librarians, with advice from their LEAs, to examine the books they use and to take account of their appropriateness to today's multiracial society.

Examinations

The Committee feels that 'examinations have a major part to play in complementing and reflecting a multicultural approach to the curriculum in schools and the multiracial nature of today's society'. It believes that the examining boards have shown themselves inflexible and, in some cases, dismissive both of the particular needs which ethnic minority pupils may have, and of the need for their syllabuses and papers to be more relevant to the actual experiences of the pupils in schools today. It therefore recommends that all GCE and CSE boards should review their policies in this respect and, looking towards the restructuring of the examinations system, that the DES should take account of these considerations in any new arrangements.

School pastoral arrangements

The report emphasises that the Committee 'believe(s) that all teachers have a pastoral role in schools and that it cannot be separated from their overall teaching duties' and that 'pastoral care cannot be seen as being solely the concern of those staff expressly designated as having pastoral responsibilities'. It recommends that headteachers should ensure all their staff are aware of their pastoral responsibilities; that LEAs should provide appropriate in-service courses on the particular needs of ethnic minority pupils and that teachers should be encouraged to attend these courses.

Links between schools and the community

The Committee highlights here one of the main themes running throughout its report - the gulf in trust and understanding between schools and West Indian parents. The failure of some schools to understand the particular social and economic pressures which West Indian parents may face, together with the failure of some West Indian parents to appreciate the contribution which they can make to their child's education, are both seen as factors in the underachievement of West Indian children. The Committee urges schools to 'reach out' to parents by, for example, more teachers undertaking home visiting and by making information on the school's policies and on children's progress more easily accessible to parents. In turn West Indian parents and the West Indian community are encouraged to respond positively to approaches from schools and to seek ways of being actively involved in the school's work. The report offers a range of recommendations designed to foster closer links between schools and the community they serve.

Special provision

Much of the concern which originally led to the Committee's establishment centred around West Indians' fears that their children were being wrongly placed in ESN(M) schools. The Committee attempted to ascertain whether West Indian children were disproportionately represented in ESN(M) schools but the absence of ethnically based statistics on the school population meant that they were unable 'to confirm or deny this belief'. The report therefore recommends strongly that the DES should carry out its undertaking (4) to collect statistics on the ethnic mix of ESN(M) schools in order to establish the facts clearly and (in chapter three) recommends that further ethnically based educational statistics should be collected. The committee welcomes the Education Bill 1981 which proposes wide-ranging changes in current arrangements for children with 'special educational needs' and in particular new rights for parents. The report recommends measures designed to ensure that West Indian children are not incorrectly assessed for special education by, for example, asking LEAs to 'take full account of the particular factors, such as cultural differences and the effects of discrimination, which may have a bearing on the educational progress of West Indian pupils'. The report refers briefly to the anxiety frequently voiced by parents about the number of West Indian children who are suspended or excluded from school. It therefore recommends that procedures after a pupil is suspended or excluded should be tightened up. The Committee expresses its concern at the increase in the number of special behavioural or 'disruptive' units established in recent years, especially since West Indians believe that their children are often wrongly referred to these units. Again the absence of statistics meant that it was not possible for the Committee to establish whether West Indians were over-represented although in the units the members visited this did not seem to be the case. The report offers a number of recommendations concerning referral to the units and recommends that the DES should 'consider the legal position of units serving more than one school and which cater on a full-time basis for disruptive pupils'.

Preparation for adult life

The Committee devotes considerable attention to issues relating to the transition from school to work and the particular needs of West Indian pupils since this is an area 'which probably worries West Indians more than any other covered by our remit'. The report points out that unemployment is disproportionately high among young West Indians, not least because discrimination is still widespread in the jobs market. It calls upon those concerned to bring about equality of opportunity for all school leavers. Poor employment prospects, combined with low teacher expectations, are said to have a demotivating effect on West Indian pupils and to discourage them from achieving their full potential. Although many West Indians believe that some careers teachers and careers officers discriminate against West Indian pupils and tend to channel them into certain low-level occupations, the Committee does not accept that in the vast majority of cases this is so. It suggests however that, as with the teaching profession as a whole, there may be instances of 'unintentional racism' resulting from stereotyped views of West Indian children. The report offers a range of recommendations designed to make school careers education and the work of the careers service more effective and responsive to the particular needs of West Indian youngsters by, for example, suggesting that training courses for careers officers should include reference to their needs and that more West Indians and people from other ethnic minority groups should be involved in careers work. It also recommends that schools should monitor on an ethnic basis the destination of their leavers to 'allow schools to identify any worrying patterns in the achievement or lack of achievement of any ethnic minority group'.

Chapter 3: Support for schools and teachers

10. In this chapter the Committee considers the support available for schools and teachers through teacher education, LEA advisory services, statistics and funding:

Teacher education

Throughout its report the Committee has emphasised the key role which it sees teachers and head teachers playing in making the education system, and particularly the curriculum, more responsive to the needs of ethnic minority pupils and genuinely multicultural in character. In the field of inital training the Committee concludes that no teacher training institution 'appears to have succeeded in providing a satisfactory grounding in multicultural education for all of its students' and that 'the great majority of students are thus entering teaching having received little or no guidance on how to adopt a broadly-based approach to education 'which takes full account of the presence of ethnic minorities in our society'. It recommends that all teacher training institutions should review their policies in this respect. The Committee also urges LEAs and schools to establish effective induction programmes. Whilst developments in the field of in-service education are seen as more positive especially in terms of school-based work, the report recommends various ways in which provision relating to the needs of ethnic minority pupils and the theory and practice of a multicultural approach to education should be extended and encouraged. The Committee attaches considerable importance to developments in in-service education as 'the most effective means of directly affecting teaching in our schools in the immediate future'. The Committee reiterates its call for there to be more West Indian teachers and professionals at all levels in the education service and presses for there to be more 'special access' courses designed to enable ethnic minority people and others to train for teaching.

The advisory services

The Committee believes that all LEA advisers 'have a role to play in increasing awareness and understanding of the needs of ethnic minority pupils and in fostering the development of a curriculum relevant to the needs of society today'. Where LEAs have advisers with specific responsibility for multicultural education - and the Commitee recommends that all LEAs with substantial ethnic minority populations should consider making such an appointment - the report stresses that the person concerned 'needs to have a genuine understanding of ethnic minority pupils and a knowledge of the minority communities' cultures and concerns'.

Statistics

The Committee points out that its task in preparing its report has been continually hampered by the absence of ethnically-based educational statistics and goes further to say that 'the absence of ethnically-based statistics throughout the education system has contributed to the lack of positive action at both national and local level to identify and seek to remedy the underachievement of West Indian children'. It declares itself 'wholly in favour of the collection of educational statistics on an ethnic basis where they are to be used in establishing facts about how members of the ethnic minorities are faring in the education system' and therefore recommends a range of statistics should be recorded and collected with effect from 1 September 1982. In recognition of the concerns which have been voiced in the past about the use of ethnic classifications and the confidentiality of the information obtained, it recommends that as a first step the DES should consult the local authority associations, the teacher unions, the Society of Education Officers and representatives of the ethnic minority communities.

Funding

The Committee acknowledges that it has received evidence about the possibility of establishing a Central Fund to meet the educational needs of ethnic minority children but defers consideration on this until its main report. The Committee discusses the various criticisms which have been voiced about the current arrangements for the provision of funds to local authorities under Section 11 of the Local government Act 1966. It concludes that 'Section 11 provides a valuable source of funding to local authorities' but there is a 'need for the government to revise its provisions to make it more appropriate to the needs of the ethnic minority communities in our society'. It recommends therefore that the government should undertake a review of the provisions and operation of Section 11.

Chapter 4: Programme for action

11. In the final chapter of its report the Committee summarises briefly the various factors which it has discussed relating to the underachievement of West Indian children. It reiterates that West Indian children are indeed underachieving and that 'urgent action is needed to remedy this'. As far as the reasons for this underachievement are concerned the Committee says it has identified 'no single cause ... but rather a network of widely differing attitudes and expectations on the part of teachers and the education system as a whole, and on the part of West Indian parents, which lead the West Indian child to have particular difficulties and face particular hurdles in achieving his or her full potential'.

12. The Committee then considers in some detail the part which various 'agencies of change' can play in bringing about the overall changes for which the report calls. It discusses the roles of central government (particularly the DES), local government (particularly LEAs), and a range of interested organisations and institutions including teacher unions, examining boards and the CRE and local CRCs.

13. The Committee then considers the cost implications of its recommendations. It emphasises that the majority call for no additional funds but rather 'a reordering of the priorities under which resources are at present allocated so as to bring about a fundamental change in attitude towards the ethnic minorities in our society and in particular towards ethnic minority pupils in our schools'. It recognises however that there will be some additional costs for example associated with staff time in establishing links between schools and parents and reviewing the curriculum. Some of the recommendations which call for schools to review the extent to which they take account of the multiracial nature of society will have 'psychological' rather than 'financial' costs since 'all concerned - teachers, pupils and parents - will need to be prepared to reappraise in some cases long-accepted views of the "British education system" and of their roles within it'.

14. Having listed all the specific recommendations it has offered, the Committee then summarises a number of issues which have been raised in the report which, in the time available, it has not yet considered fully or which affect all ethnic minority groups and will therefore be considered in the main report. The Committee concludes with a call for comments on this report and further evidence for its main report.

References

(1) House of Commons HC 180 I-III February 1977.

(2) Cmnd. 8273 HMSO June 1981 Price £5.30.

(3) Grades A-C at O Level and Grade 1 CSE.

(4) Home Office White Paper 'The West Indian Community.' Cmnd. 7186 April 1978.

Table of contents
[pages xxvii - xliv]

Chapter 1 The nature of society

Education and the nature of society
'Ethnic identity'
Assimilation or separatism
The concept of pluralism
Variance with reality
Diversity within unity
Influence of racism

Chapter 2 Racism: theory and practice

1. Introduction

The changing climate of the debate
Reactions to our interim report
Our approach to racism

The mechanism of prejudice
The task for education
Negative prejudice

Ethnic minorities as outsiders
Stereotyping of ethnic minorities
Influence of the media

Reasons for migration
Expectations of this country
The myth of an alternative
The myth of return
The myth of belonging

Research
'Colour blindness'
A 'white British' problem?
Institutional racism
Climate of racism
Immigration and nationality
Racial attacks
Relationship with the police
Impact on schools
Influence on ethnic minority pupils
The role of the school
Racist name calling
'All-white' schools

Annex A: The role of the media: a background paper by Dr GK Verma.

Annex B: Multi-ethnic teaching and the pupils; self-concepts: a paper by Peter A Green.

Chapter 3 Achievement and underachievement

1. Introduction

2. The achievement of West Indian pupils

3. The achievement of Asian pupils

4. Factors Involved in school performance

Our Interim Report
The range of factors involved in achievement and underachievement
The IQ question
The interrelationship of racial discrimination, socio-economic status, social class and region
Educational and other factors

6. Our conclusions - Asians

7. The implications of our findings

8. Summary of main conclusions

9. References

Annex A: Achievement and underachievement: evidence from young people of Afro-Caribbean and Asian origin.

Annex B: Results from the School Leavers Survey 1981/82: a paper by DES Statistics Branch.

Annex C: The education of Bangladeshi children in Tower Hamlets: a background paper by The Education Officer, Inner London Education Authority.

Annex D: The IQ question: a paper by Professor NJ Mackintosh and Dr CGN Mascie-Taylor.

Annex E: Revised research proposed on 'Academically successful black pupils', submitted by the Research and Statistics Branch of the Inner London Education Authority.

Annex F: Summary of main findings of a longitudinal study by Dr GK Verma.

Annex G: A note on research: a paper by Mr J Cornford.

Chapter 4 Ethnic minorities and education: a historical perspective

1. Introduction

2. Early educational responses to immigration

Assimilation
Language needs and 'culture shock'
Dispersal
Form 7(i) and Section 11

Integration
Our view

Widely varying interpretations
Two distinct themes

The educational needs of ethnic minority children

The changing nature of the debate
The 'failure' of assimilation
Communities' concerns
Curriculum content
'Black studies'
West Indian teachers
'Supplementary' schools
Concerns of the Asian community
Mother tongue
Pastoral matters
'Separate' schools
Criticisms of multicultural education
Concern about racism
The role of teachers

Policies of central government
General policies relating to immigration and nationality
Educational policies
DES Survey 13
Influence of racism
Perception of ethnic minorities as 'disadvantaged'
'Inner city' dimension
SCORRI Report 1972-1973
Government White Paper 1974
Establishment of EDU and CED
Ethnically based statistics
SCORRI Report 1976-1977
Establishment of this Committee
Closure of CED
Our Interim Report and the government's response
Home Affairs Committee Report 1981
Broad conclusions on central government policy

LEA and school policies
Varying approaches to multicultural education
Conclusions of main research studies

Government approach
Research

1. Introduction

2. Project A: The development of multicultural education

Policy in four local education authority areas

Curriculum content
Religious education
English
History and Geography
Racism
Influence on pupils' attitudes
Teachers

Annex B: 'All-white' schools project: outline.

Annex C: A report of visits to schools with few or no ethnic minority pupils by Arnold Matthews.

Annex D: A report of visits to schools with few or no ethnic minority pupils by Laurie Fallows.

Chapter 6 'Education For All': a new approach

1. Introduction

2. The principles of 'Education For All'

A 'good' education
Need to challenge racism
Not 'teaching culture' or 'cultural preservation'
Not 'separate' provision or 'tokenism'
Appreciation of diversity
Educational needs of ethnic minority pupils
Language needs
'Pastoral' needs

Evaluating the curriculum
Developments in the Humanities
Books and teaching materials
Relevance to other curriculum areas
Political education
The 'hidden' curriculum

Review of the curriculum
LEA policy statements
Multicultural advisers
Work of HMI
The role of the School Curriculum Development Committee
Examinations
Response by schools
School policies on racism
Influence of our report
Regional conferences
Resources
Section 11
Other sources of funding
Ethnically-based statistics
Teacher education
Government's response to this report
The concept of 'Education for All'
Strategy for implementation

Annex B: Examples of anti-racist policy statements adopted by two multiracial secondary schools.

Chapter 7 Language and language education

1. Introduction

Linguistic diversity
The task for education
'Linguistic prejudice'
This chapter

Changing attitudes
Forms of provision
Confusion with English as a foreign language
Language Centres
Withdrawal within schools
Status of E2L
Arguments against 'separate provision'
Our view
Pre-school provision
Primary level
Secondary level
'Team teaching' approach
Mainstream attitudes
'Second-stage' needs
Teacher education

Range of 'mother tongues'
What is 'mother tongue'?
Different forms of mother tongue provision
Making the case
Aims of mother tongue provision
Bullock Committee's view
EC Directive on the Education of Children of Migrant Workers
Research evidence
The Welsh experience
Parental attitudes
Community based provision
Our view
Concern about 'separate' provision
Bilingual resource
Enhanced support for community based provision
Mother tongue teaching
Attitudes of pupils
Teachers of ethnic minority community languages
Survey of capacity for training teachers of community languages
Resources and examinations

Bullock Report
Ethnic minority dimension
'Cultural' context of language
Our view
The role of a 'language coordinator'

Needs for attitude change
Different forms of language
The linguistic needs of West Indian pupils
Various approaches adopted by schools
Implications for schools
Examples of practice
Monolingual schools
Effect on ethnic minority pupils
LEA support
Teacher education

Annex A: Extract from evidence submitted by a multi-racial secondary school we visited describing their approach to cooperative teaching.

Annex B: Extract from evidence submitted to us by a head of English and an E2L Teacher describing how their school moved from E2L teaching on a withdrawal basis to provision within the mainstream curriculum.

Annex C: RSA Diploma in the Teaching of English as a Second Language in Multicultural Schools: Syllabus (Autumn 1983).

Annex D: Extract from Linguistic minorities in England: a report from the Linguistic Minorities Project (LMP) - July 1983.

Annex E: EC Directive on Education of Children of Migrant Workers.

Annex F: Training of teachers of ethnic minority community languages - a summary of a research project conducted by Professor M Craft and Dr M Atkins of the University of Nottingham.

Annex G: West Indian Language: implications of the repertoire position for practice.

Annex H: Extract from 'Modern languages in the curriculum' by Professor Eric Hawkins.

Annex I : Extracts from 'The languages book', ILEA 1981.

Chapter 8 Religion and the role of the school: religious education and the 'separate' schools debate

I. Religious education

1. Introduction

Religious diversity
Central element in 'ethnic identity'
Religious prejudice and racism
This chapter

A contradiction in terms?
Opposition to religious education in schools
The 'case' for religious education
Educational grounds
Contribution to intercultural and international understanding
Key to moral rducation
Various approaches to religious education
Distinction between 'religious' and 'educational' aspects
The place of Christianity
Views of ethnic minority communities
Our view

The legal position
Provisions ofthe 1944 Act

The act of collective worship
Origins and Intentions
Variety of approaches to assemblies
Our own findings
Right of withdrawal
Distinction between assemblies and acts of worship

The provision of religious instruction
The 'case' for Agreed Syllabuses
The content of Agreed Syllabuses
Our evidence gathering
Teaching materials and resources
Practice in schools
Primary level
Religious education coordinator
Secondary level
The 'All-White' Dimension

Early developments
Findings of the HMI Secondary Survey
Broader view of religious education

II. The 'separate' schools debate

1. Background

Voluntary aided schools
Contrast with existing multiracial schools

Religious context
The case for 'separate' schools
Balance of the curriculum
Ethnic minority teachers
Response to racism
'External' pressures
Particular concerns of the Muslim community
Influence of Islam
Educational aspirations
Single sex schools
Decline in single sex provision
Our conclusions
Arguments against 'separate' provision
Retaining the option of single sex schooling
Attitudes to girls' education
'Pastoral' concerns
Future developments
Wider implications

Calls for 'black' schools
Main objectives
Our concems

Annex A: Extracts from the Education Act 1944.

Annex B: Extract from Religious heritage and personal quest - guidelines for religious education Berkshire LEA 1982.

Annex C: Extract from evidence from a primary school setting out its aims of religious education and describing a number of projects which had been undertaken.

Annex D: Extracts from evidence submitted by multiracial secondary schools setting out their aims and objectives of religious education.

Annex E: The establishment of voluntary aided schools - background explanatory notes by the DES.

Chapter 9 Teacher education and the employment of ethnic minority teachers

This chapter

I. Teacher education

1. Introduction

Organisation of teacher education
Changing nature of the teaching force
Academic standards

Overall context
Assimilation
Integration
Development of multicultural education
CRC/ATCDE Report
Research reports
Dual themes
The task for teacher education
Different forms of provision
Permeation
Core studies
Needs of ethnic minority pupils
Optional courses
Practical experience
Our view
Role of CATE
Selection of students and Qualified Teacher Status validation

Induction training
Background
Current situation
General conclusions
The multiracial dimension

Other in-service training
Early provision
Research studies
Our spproach
Permeation of in-service provision
Training of heads and senior staff
Specialised in-service provision
Award-bearing courses
Centres of specialism
Short courses
Racism awareness training
'All-white' dimension
Financial support
School based activities
In-service policy statements and their implementation
Training the trainers

1. Background

Absence of statistical data

Equality of opportunity in employment
Educational arguments for more ethnic minority teachers
The multiracial context
Potential contribution to an 'all-white' school
Recruitment

Teachers with overseas qualifications
'Special access' courses
Attitudes of ethnic minority youngsters
Relationship with underachievement

Annex A: Paper by Derek Cherrington and Ray Giles summarising the findings of a national survey of multicultural aspects of teacher training.

Annex B: Paper by HMI Ivor Ambrose summarising the findings of an inspection exercise to investigate the coverage of multicultural education in initial and in-service teacher training courses.

Annex C: Extracts from Evidence received from two teacher training institutions reflecting the underlying principles of permeation.

Annex D: Extracts from evidence illustrating the ways in which multicultural issues have been incorporated in the core studies of various teacher training institutions.

Annex E : Extracts from evidence relating to optional courses offered by various teacher training institutions.

Annex F : Extract from evidence describing the work undertaken in a PGCE option course in multicultural education at a university department of education.

Annex G: Council for National Academic Awards - Multicultural education: discussion paper.

Annex H: Data from Little and Willey's research report 'Studies in the multi-ethnic curriculum' relating to in-service training.

Annex I : National programme of 'Training the trainers' courses.

Annex J : Admissions of ethnic minorities to teacher education studies from access courses.

Introduction
The range of ethnic minority groups
Communities considered
Evidence gathering
This part of the report

Chapter 10 The educational needs of children of Chinese origin

Background

Immigration
Settlement
Ethnic identity
Culture and religion

Language
Curriculum content
'Late arrivals'
Teachers' attitudes
Parental attitudes
Home environment
'Mother tongue' and community-based provision
Achievement
Careers

Conclusion

Annex: Extracts from 'Community education: the unknown perspective - Chinese mother tongue classes'. Ming Tsow.

Chapter 11 The educational needs of children of Cypriot origin

Background

Size of the community
Immigration
Reasons for migration
Patterns of settlement
Socio-economic status
Religious and cultural background
Cypriot identity
Visits 'home'
'Myth of return'

Parental attitudes
Aspirations
Expectations of boys and girls
Language: E2L
Language: 'mother tongue'
Community-based provision
Curriculum content
Teachers
Achievement
Reasons for underachievement
School to work

Conclusion

Chapter 12 The educational needs of children of Italian origin

Background

Immigration
Settlement
Ethnic identity
Home background
Socio-economic status

Home/school conflict
Achievement
The teaching of English
'Mother tongue' provision
Italian government support
EC sponsored 'Mother tongue and culture' pilot project

Conclusion

Annex: Outline of the EC sponsored project 'Mother tongue and culture in Bedfordshire'.

Chapter 13 The educational needs of children of Ukranian origin

Background

Size and settlement of the community
Religious and linguistic background
Ukranian identity

Achievement
Educational concerns

  English Teaching (E2L)

  Teachers' background knowledge
'Mother tongue teaching'
Possible LEA support

Chapter 14 The educational needs of Vietnamese children

Background

Size and nature of the community
Particular problems
'Refugee trauma'
Reception
Resettlement
Dispersal

Language needs
Effects of dispersal
Scale of E2L need
Parental attitudes to education
Teachers' attitudes
Achievement
'Late arrivals'
Vietnamese teachers

Conclusion

Annex A: Language - An Extract from 'Vietnamese children in Derby'.

Annex B: Article taken from The Times 12 March 1983.

Chapter 15 The educational needs of 'Liverpool Blacks'

Background

Definition of 'Liverpool Blacks'
Location of group

Conclusion

Chapter 16 The educational needs of Travellers' children

An Ethnic Minority Group?

Background

Size of the community
Site provision
'Designation'

School attendance
Parental attitudes
Non-attendance
Expectations
LEA responsibilities
LEA policies
'Open door' policy
On-site provision
Provision within schools
Particular educational needs of Travellers' children
Teaching materials
Record keeping
Secondary provision
Teachers of Travellers
Role of the DES and HMI

Conclusion

Annex: Extract from The education of Travellers' children. An HMI discussion document. DES. 1983.

Reflections and conclusions

Common 'ethnic minority experience'
'Ethnic identity'
Influence of racism
Educational concerns

1. Introduction

2. Achievement and underachievement

3. Education for All

4. A strategy for change

5. Language and language education

General
English as a second language
Mother tongue provision

Religious education
The 'separate' schools debate

Teacher education
The employment of ethnic minority teachers

Appendix A Co-opted members to sub-committees.

Appendix B List of educational institutions which have submitted evidence to the Committee.

Appendix C List of LEAs and organisations which have submitted evidence to the Committee.

Appendix D List of individuals who have submitted evidence to the Committee.

Appendix E List of open meetings or 'forums' arranged to hear the views of parents and young people.