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.

Main conclusions and recommendations
[pages 767 - 776]

1. Introduction

1.1 This report is concerned primarily to change behaviour and attitudes. They need to change throughout Britain, and, while the education system must not be expected to carry the whole burden of that change, schools in particular are uniquely well placed to take a lead role. Britain has evolved, over many centuries, institutions and traditions which, whatever their shortcomings, have been taken as models by many nations, and were indeed an important part of the attraction of this country to the ethnic minorities who are the essential concern of our report. It is because we believe that everyone in Britain has a direct interest in ensuring that those institutions and the attitudes which inform them, change to take full account of the pluralism which is now a marked feature of British life, that we make our recommendations. While we recognise that society and its institutions seldom change rapidly, nevertheless we cannot emphasise too strongly the urgency of the need for change where attitudes to the ethnic minorities are concerned.

1.2 We draw together in this part of the report some of the main conclusions and recommendations which we have reached. Other, more detailed, recommendations will be found elsewhere in the report. Much of the argument upon which our philosophy of what we have termed 'Education for All' is based, is however, contained in chapters which do not advance specific recommendations and it is important that all of the chapters are studied in depth.

1.3 Although it has not been possible to prepare any detailed costings for our recommendations it is clear that a number will carry resource implications and we would urge the government to demonstrate its commitment to the development of 'Education for All' by ensuring that the necessary additional resources are made available. But as we explained in our interim report, in order to bring about the degree of change of attitude that is needed, we believe that the cost in 'psychological terms' will in many instances be far greater than any direct financial outlay.

2. Achievement and underachievement - Chapter Three

2.1 West Indian children, on average, are underachieving at school (Section 2). Asian children, by contrast, show, on average, a pattern of achievement which resembles that of White children, though there is some evidence of variation between different sub-groups (Section 3). Bangladeshis in particular are seriously underachieving (Annex C). Such evidence as there is suggests that of the smaller ethnic minorities, some are underachieving and some are not (Part IV). Averages, of course, conceal much variation; there are West Indian children who do well, as well as Asian children who are underachieving. We discuss possible causes for the difference in average achievement between Asian and West Indian children in Section 6.

2.2 Low average IQ has often been suggested as a cause of underachievement, particularly in the case of West Indians. This has long been disputed, and our own investigations leave us in no doubt that IQ is not a significant factor in underachievement (Paragraphs 4.10-4.14 and Annex D).

2.3 School performance has long been known to show a close correlation with socio-economic status and social class, in the case of all children. The ethnic minorities, however, are particularly disadvantaged in social and economic terms, and there can no longer be any doubt that this extra deprivation is the result of racial prejudice and discrimination, especially in the areas of employment and housing. The resulting deprivation, over and above that of disadvantaged Whites, leads in many instances to an extra element of underachievement. A substantial part of ethnic minority underachievement, where it occurs, is thus the result of racial prejudice and discrimination on the part of society at large, bearing on ethnic minority homes and families, and hence, indirectly, on children (Paragraphs 4.15-4.22).

2.4 Not all of underachievement, where it occurs, is to be accounted for in these terms, and the rest, we believe, is due in large measure to prejudice and discrimination bearing directly on children, within the educational system, as well as outside it. We have received much oral and written evidence on this score, referring in particular to stereotyped attitudes amongst teachers, as well as other factors, and these we discussed in our interim report. See also Chapter Two and Annex A.

2.5 We have examined the research evidence about racial prejudice and discrimination in the educational system and their effects on ethnic minority children. We can only say that the findings are inconclusive when it comes to deciding which factors may be important (Paragraphs 4.23-4.31). We are left in no doubt, however, that the issues involved are complex and ill-understood, and that much more research is needed if we are to understand the problems. We include a section on future research at Annex E.

2.6 It will be evident that society is faced with a dual problem: eradicating the discriminatory attitudes of the white majority on the one hand, and on the other, evolving an educational system which ensures that all pupils achieve their full potential.

2.7 In the short term, the first of these problems is a matter for the law, the government, housing authorities, employers, unions, the Commission for Racial Equality, and many others. But in the long run we believe that it is a matter for schools to bring about this much-needed change in attitudes amongst coming generations.

2.8 The second problem is specifically one for the educational system. A start has been made in recent years, but there is still a long way to go before schools bring out the full potential of all their pupils, and in this context, particularly their ethnic minority pupils.

2.9 This dual approach to one of Britain's most serious social concerns, leads us to the concept that we have called 'Education for AIl' - an attempt simultaneously to change attitudes amongst the white majority, and to develop a pattern of education that enables all pupils to give of their best. The essential argument of 'Education for All' is set out in the next section, and this is followed by our main recommendations.

3. Education for All - Chapter Six

3.1 The essential steps on the argument for our concept of 'Education for All' are as follows:

(a) The fundamental change that is necessary is the recognition that the problem facing the education system is not how to educate children of ethnic minorities, but how to educate all children.

(b) Britain is a multiracial and multicultural society and all pupils must be enabled to understand what this means.

(c) This challenge cannot be left to the separate and independent initiatives of LEAs and schools: only those with experience of substantial numbers of ethnic minority pupils have attempted to tackle it, though the issue affects all schools and all pupils.

(d) Education has to be something more than the reinforcement of the beliefs, values and identity which each child brings to school.

(e) It is necessary to combat racism, to attack inherited myths and stereotypes, and the ways in which they are embodied in institutional practices.

(f) Multicultural understanding has also to permeate all aspects of a school's work. It is not a separate topic that can be welded on to existing practices.

(g) Only in this way can schools begin to offer anything approaching the equality of opportunity for all pupils which it must be the aspiration of the education system to provide.

4.1 The response of schools, both 'multiracial' and 'all white', to cultural diversity has to be seen as a central feature of the current debate on the balance and breadth of the school curriculum. The Secretary of State should focus on this issue when considering responses to DES Circular 8/83 and in any further statements that he may make and any agreements that he may seek about the curriculum;

4.2 All LEAs should declare their commitment to the principles of 'education for all', to the development of a pluralist approach to the curriculum, and to countering the influence of racism;

4.3 Every LEA should have at least one adviser and perhaps a senior officer with responsibility to promote the policies we have put forward, to act as a catalyst to encourage teachers and other advisers to adopt a pluralist perspective in their work;

4.4 HM Inspectorate should give attention to the extent to which the curriculum takes full account of the multiracial nature of society and should highlight in their reports, including reports on individual schools, instances of 'good practice' and areas of concern;

4.5 HM Inspectorate should issue clear guidance on the practical implications of adopting a pluralist approach to the curriculum and on ways of countering the influence of racism on schools;

4.6 The School Curriculum Development Committee should review existing materials which reflect a pluralist approach to the curriculum. The Committee should consider how these materials may be made more widely known and how the production of further such resources may be stimulated;

4.7 Examining Boards should reflect cultural diversity in the syllabuses they offer and in their working practices;

4.8 The Secondary Examinations Council should cooperate with The School Curriculum Development Committee to ensure that initiatives to broaden the school curriculum are reflected by paralleled developments within the examinations system;

4.9 All LEAs should expect their schools to produce clear policy statements on 'Education for All' and monitor their practical implementation;

4.10 All schools whether multiracial or 'all white' should review their work in the light of the principles which we have put forward. In secondary schools it may be necessary to establish departmental working parties to appraise provision in different subject areas;

4.11 All schools should adopt clear policies to combat racism;

4.12 The DES should organise a series of regional conferences for elected members of LEAs, teachers and other educationalists to discuss the implications of this Report. The conclusions of these conferences might subsequently be drawn to the attention of a wider audience in a conference report;

4.13 The government should revise the provisions of Section 11 of the Local government Act 1966 to make it more appropriate to the needs of the ethnic minority communities;

4.14 The Secretary of State should include a growing number of initiatives and pilot projects designed to develop a broader, pluralist approach to the curriculum within arrangements for education support grants;

4.15 The DES should implement the recommendations of our Interim Report relating to the collection of ethnically-based statistics within education.

5. Language and language education - Chapter Seven

General

5.1 We believe that essential to equality of opportunity, to academic success and, more broadly, to participation on equal terms as a full member of society, is a good command of English and that first priority in language learning by all pupils must therefore be given to the learning of English. (Paragraph 3.16).

English as a second language

5.2 We are wholly in favour of a change from the provision of E2L by withdrawal, whether this has been to language centres or to separate units within schools. (Paragraph 2.10);

5.3 The needs of learners of English as a second language should be met by provision within the mainstream school as part of a comprehensive programme of language education for all children. (Paragraph 2.10);

5.4 For the child from a home where English is not the first language, pre-school provision can be particularly valuable. We therefore restate the recommendations made in our interim report on this important stage of the overall educational experience (Paragraph 2.11);

5.5 All teachers in schools with substantial numbers of pupils for whom English is not their first language have a responsibility to cater for linguistic needs of these pupils and should be given appropriate support and training to discharge it. (Paragraphs 2.12 and 2.14);

Mother tongue provision

5.6 Linguistic diversity in Britain is nothing new, and we regard it as a positive asset, whether it be Welsh, Gaelic, dialects or ethnic minority community languages. All schools should impart an understanding of our multilingual society to all pupils (Paragraph 3.15);

5.7 The linguistic, religious and cultural identities of ethnic minority communities should be fostered but we cannot support the arguments put forward for the introduction of programmes of bilingual education in maintained schools (Paragraph 3.15);

5.8 Mainstream schools should not seek to assume the role of community providers for maintaining ethnic minority community languages (Paragraph 3.18);

5.9 LEAs should offer support for community based language provision, by making school premises available free of charge to community providers, by fostering links between community 'teachers' and the mainstream school, by offering grants for the purchase of books and the development of teaching materials, and by making available to the community their advisory services for short in-service courses (Paragraph 3.18);

5.10 Ethnic minority community languages should be included in the languages curriculum of secondary schools where there is likely to be sufficient demand and all pupils in those schools should be encouraged to consider studying them (Paragraphs 3.19 and 3.20);

5.11 Responsibility for ethnic minority community languages should rest with LEA advisers for modern languages (Paragraph 3.19);

5.12 The careers service and employers should emphasise to all youngsters the importance and relevance of facility in an ethnic minority community language for work in multiracial areas (Paragraph 3.19);

5.13 Care should be taken to ensure the quality of teachers in ethnic minority community languages. They should hold recognised qualifications in the language concerned, have received professional training in this country in the techniques needed to teach a language and must be fully proficient in English (Paragraph 3.21);

5.14 The government should take measures to ensure that potential teachers of ethnic minority community languages receive appropriate training, support and recognition. As a first step we recommend that the DES should commission a further qualitative evaluation of the eight teacher training institutions identified by the Nottingham Study (see paragraph 6 (iii) of Annex F) as potential centres of growth in relation to ethnic minority community languages (Paragraph 3.22);

5.15 More examining boards should consider the need to offer examinations in ethnic minority community languages at all levels. Where examinations are already offered in these languages greater consideration should be given to syllabus content to bring the provision into line with other subjects (Paragraph 3.23).

6. Religion and the role of the school - Chapter Eight

Religious education

6.1 We are in favour of a non denominational and undogmatic approach to religious education as the best and indeed the only means of enabling all pupils, from whatever religious background, to understand the nature of religious belief, the religious dimension of human experience and the plurality of faiths in contemporary Britain; to appreciate the diverse and sometimes conflicting values involved and thus to determine and justify their own religious position (Paragraph 2.11);

6.2 There should be no conflict between the role of the schools in providing religious education and the role of community institutions in providing religious instruction (Paragraph 5.2);

6.3 Given the multiplicity of beliefs now present in society, it is not surprising that we have received much evidence about the difficulties generated by the requirement in the 1944 Act for a daily act of collective worship and the provision of a particular form of religious education. We therefore believe that the government, in consultation with religious and educational bodies, should look afresh at the relevant provisions of the Act to see whether alterations are called for after an interval of 40 years. (Paragraphs 5.3 and 5.5).

The 'separate' schools debate

6.4 The right of ethnic minority communities to seek to establish their own voluntary aided schools is firmly enshrined in law (Paragraph 1.2);

6.5 We believe that the demand to exercise this right would be much diminished if the policies for 'Education for All' which we have advocated in this report are adopted (Paragraph 2.11);

6.6 We do not believe that a situation in which groups of children are taught exclusively by teachers of the same ethnic group is desirable from the point of view of the children, the minority community or society as a whole. We are not therefore convinced that 'separate' schools can be supported on these grounds (Paragraph 2.12);

6.7 The establishment of 'separate' schools would fail to tackle many of the underlying concerns of the communities and might exacerbate the very feelings of rejection which they are seeking to overcome (Paragraph 2.12);

6.8 Where there is parental concern about the education of girls, existing coeducational schools with multiracial pupil populations could do more to ensure that in certain specific areas separate provision is offered on a single sex basis as appropriate in the schools activities (Paragraph 2.15);

6.9 For some ethnic minority parents the demise of single sex provision may mean that there is no acceptable environment for the education of their daughters'. We hope that LEAs with multiracial pupil populations will consider carefully the value of retaining an option of single sex education as part of their secondary school provision and that the Secretary of State will also be sensitive to the wider ramifications of any decisions he may make on proposals which lead to the loss of single sex provision in multiracial areas. In cases where an LEA either no longer provides for single sex education at all, or make only limited provision, we hope that the possibility of establishing or re-establishing single sex schools will be given serious consideration (Paragraph 2.15);

6.10 Far more can and should be done by schools to respond to the 'pastoral' needs of Muslim pupils, to ensure that there is a real respect and understanding by both teachers and parents of each others concerns and that the demands of the school place no child in fundamental conflict with the requirements of his faith (Paragraph 2.16);

6.11 As we have observed earlier, the right of communities to seek to establish their own voluntary aided schools is firmly enshrined in the law. At the same time we do not believe that such 'separate' schools would be in the long term interest of the ethnic minorities communities. This dilemma leads us to recommend (but see note of dissent on page 361[*]) that the government, in consultation with religious and educational bodies, should consider the relevant provisions of the 1944 Act, to see whether or not alterations are required in a society that is now very different. (Paragraph 2.19);

[*There is no note of dissent on page 361. This presumably refers to Chapter 8, Reference 43, which appears on page 515.]

6.12 Although we fully understand the reasons underlying the desire for separate 'Black' schools we believe that, in the long term they are unlikely to offer the best way forward for individual West Indian pupils or indeed for the West Indian community as a whole. On the contrary we believe that if the recommendations of this Report are acted upon, most of the concerns of the West Indian community which lie behind the calls for 'Black' schools will be allayed (Paragraph 3.5).

7. Teacher education and the employment of ethnic minority teachers - Chapter Nine

Teacher education

7.1 Consideration should be given to pluralist issues within the central and compulsory 'core' of all initial training courses, both PGCE and BEd (Paragraph 2.16);

7.2 Specialist optional courses relating to pluralist issues should continue to be offered within both PGCE and BEd courses (Paragraph 2.21);

7.3 Efforts should be made by all teacher training institutions to ensure that all their students, whether on BEd or PGCE courses, have an opportunity of gaining some practical experience in a multiracial school (Paragraph 2.22);

7.4 We urge the Secretary of State to ask the new Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education to pay particular attention to the need to incorporate a pluralist perspective in all initial teacher training courses in their forthcoming review of provision (Paragraph 2.24);

7.5 The CNAA and universities responsible for initial teacher training should continue to support and encourage the development of a pluralist perspective throughout teacher education (Paragraph 2.26);

7.6 We believe that there is an urgent need for a major expansion in provision for induction training. All induction training in multiracial areas should incorporate the background information and skills needed to respond positively and sensitively to the particular educational needs which ethnic minority pupils may have and to utilise the opportunities offered by a multiracial classroom (Paragraph 3.5);

7.7 All in-service courses should reflect the multiplicity of cultures, faiths and languages in present day society. All providers of in-service training should ensure that the courses they offer have this pluralist perspective and embody the essential principles of 'Education for All'. (Paragraph 3.12);

7.8 We recommend the development of a number of teacher training institutions as 'centres of specialism' for work concerned with the needs of ethnic minority pupils and the implications of cultural diversity for 'all White' schools. (Paragraphs 3.15 and 3.19);

7.9 We recommend that the DES should fund an independent evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the various Racism Awareness Training programmes which are currently available (Paragraph 3.17);

7.10 We recommend that the In-Service Teacher Training Grants Scheme should be extended to allow for grants to be available to authorities in respect of the release of serving school teachers for training on courses relating to aspects of 'Education for All' (Paragraph 3.20);

7.11 The DES should consider initiating the development of a centrally-funded scheme to facilitate teacher exchanges, possibly organised through the Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges, within this country, especially between multiracial schools and 'all White' schools, to foster greater understanding and appreciation of the various dimensions of our multiracial society (Paragraph 3.24);

The employment of ethnic minority teachers

7.12 We reiterate our interim report recommendations that:

'The DES should ask all teacher training institutions to collect statistics on the ethnic origin of all students training to be teachers including students seeking to enter teaching through special access courses.

The DES should record and publish statistics on the ethnic origin of all teachers in employment ...'

7.13 We regard the underrepresentation of ethnic minorities in the teaching profession as a matter of great concern, which calls for urgent attention. We believe that ethnic minority teachers (and would-be teachers) have been and are still subject to racial prejudice and discrimination, both in gaining employment and in advancing their careers. While we do not support positive discrimination e.g. quotas and do not wish to see any diminution of standards, we urge both the CRE and those involved within LEAs and the schools in making appointments, to devote far greater efforts to identifying and overcoming racist obstacles to the employment and advancement of ethnic minority teachers. (Paragraphs 2.1, 2.3, 2.6);

7.14 We welcome the efforts made by some LEAs to establish themselves as 'equal opportunity employers' and we urge all LEAs to follow this lead and adopt similar 'equal opportunities' policies (Paragraph 2.3);

7.15 We recommend that the DES should clarify the arrangements for granting qualified teacher status to members of ethnic minority communities who possess overseas qualifications, with a view to encouraging them to enter the teaching profession, as long as this involves no diminution of standards (Paragraph 3.2);

7.16 Access courses make an important and valuable contribution not only by offering a 'second chance' for access to Higher Education to ethnic minority students and others but also by contributing to the number of teachers of ethnic minority origin in our schools. We hope to see an expansion of access-style provision to the whole range of Higher Education in the future (Paragraph 3.3);

7.17 We recommend that the DES commission a research project to examine the experience of former access students in obtaining teaching posts and in fulfilling their responsibilities in schools (Paragraph 3.3);

7.18 We remain firmly convinced that in order for access courses to cater fully for the needs of all those mature students from both ethnic minority groups and the ethnic majority community, who could benefit from them, these courses must come within the scope of mandatory awards. We therefore reiterate our interim report recommendation that:

'The DES should find ways in which mandatory awards can be given to students on special access courses'

7.19 In' our view the most important potential source of ethnic minority teachers in the future is the ethnic minority pupils currently in school. Careers teachers and careers officers, with the strong support of DES and HMI, should encourage ethnic minority youngsters to consider the possibility of entering teaching. (Paragraph 3.5).