More pupils taught in mostly non-white classes
PRIMARY schools in Oldham remain among the most segregated in the
country nearly nine years after the town’s race riots.
And the number of pupils being educated in mostly non-white classrooms
has increased.
The figures from a study by Bristol University found that segregation
in schools overall was either constant or declining.
But Professor Simon Burgess, who conducted the research, said places remain where segregation is
high, particularly in Oldham, Bradford and Blackburn.
The information is on the newly-launched website www.measuringdiversity.org.uk,
which outlines the ethnic make-up of schools. It gives figures from
2002 through to 2008, the latest available, for every local authority.
Nearly 30 per cent of Oldham’s primary school youngsters are Pakistani
or Bangladeshi. However, more than 80 per cent of both attend schools
where most children are non-white.
Pakistani or Bangladeshi pupils account for nearly 19 per cent of
secondary pupils. Around 45 per cent of both are in “minority white”
schools. The percentage of non-white secondary schools has doubled
since 2002 to 13 per cent. In primaries it is up from 17 per cent to
nearly 21 per cent.
A fall in the number of secondaries where most pupils are white is not
reflected at primary level.
A Home Office report after disturbances in Oldham, Burnley and Bradford found that people were leading parallel
lives.
However, a review five years later said few towns had done as much as
Oldham to build community cohesion, but
too many people from all ethnic backgrounds were reluctant to change.
Professor Burgess said that generally Bangladeshi and Pakistani pupils
are more segregated than Indian pupils, who are more segregated than
black pupils.
He added: “One of the biggest questions of our times is how well
individuals from different ethnic groups get along together.
“Schools are an important place where this interaction takes place. It
is a common saying that people’s attitudes are strongly influenced by
their school days.
“So the peer groups that children play with, talk to and work with are
important factors moulding their perspectives on society.
“The extent of ethnic diversity in schools is an important issue of
public debate. This website provides some facts to enlighten this
debate.”
Most pupils at St Hilda’s CE PrimarySchool in Oldham are from
Bangladeshi families.
Head teacher Gillian Pursey said: “We do a lot of work around school
linking, but ultimately we serve the immediate community around the
school.”
£230m schools plan can cut segregation
OLDHAM’S £230 million secondary school rebuilding
programme is a unique opportunity to tackle segregation, according to a
community cohesion think-tank.
But all local communities must be fully consulted and involved in
developing new schools.
These are among the findings of a new report “Building Community
Cohesion in Britain” which focused on 13 areas, including Oldham.
Written by the the Institute of Community Cohesion (iCoCo), it named
Oldham among the most segregated areas of the country.
It warned of “white flight” from schools and said: “Many of the schools
and colleges in the areas we have studied are segregated to a greater
or lesser extent and the evidence available to us at a local level
suggested that this was generally worsening over recent years.
“This reflects in part residential segregation, but it reflects also
parental choice, despite the fact that most people we spoke to in focus
groups wanted their children to have a mixed education.
“Parental choice tended to push people to what they saw as the safe
option, where children with similar backgrounds went.
“Parents make similar decisions so that their child can attend a
single-sex school, or a faith school.”
The report praised Oldham’s award-winning peacemaker project for
“bringing together young people from segregated secondary schools to
work together to overcome prejudice.”
And it pointed to the Government’s Building Schools for the Future
Programme, adding: “BSF provides in many areas a unique opportunity to
tackle segregation and local groups need to ensure that principles of
community cohesion underpin local plans; and that all local communities
are fully consulted and involved in the process of developing new
schools.”
Oldham’s BSF plans will see all of its secondary schools rebuilt or
refurbished by 2015 and includes replacing five schools with three
academies run by sponsors. One aim of Oldham’s aims is to create
schools that have a better social, ethnic and religious mixture.
However, a council report admits the task of bringing schools together
has raised concerns about community tensions. It adds: “The BSF
programme has been identified as a potentially significant risk for the
council.”
Nick Johnson, author of the iCoCo report, said: “Oldham has
acknowledged the problem and is doing something about it.
“We can’t say it has all the answers, but it is trying to learn what
the answers might be. In that sense, Oldham is to be applauded.”
However, Councillor Kay Knox, Cabinet member for children, young people
and families insisted that community cohesion was not the main aim of
BSF.
She said: “The main driver is about getting all our schools to a 21st
century standard. It is about raising attainment.”
