REACH

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REACH

• Enabling Black boys to achieve their potential

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The UK has a growing BME population. Three per
cent of under-18s are Black or Black British.

• 13 of young people are from BME groups.
  Outcomes vary among groups.
• But young Black men are more likely to experience
  a number of risk factors which can act as drivers
  of social exclusion.
• Under-16s by ethnicity, 2001 Census

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Black children start school with good resultsbut
too many young Black men are not meeting their
full potential

• Disproportionate numbers of Black and young
  people of Mixed White/Black Caribbean heritage
  are failing to achieve 5 or more GSCEs at A-C.
• DfES 2004

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Past research indicates that the causal factors
for educational attainment gaps are multiple and
complex
Non-School Factors
Systemic School Factors
Between School Factors
Family background Societal attitudes Parental
education (mother and father) Poverty Home
environment Single parent families Ambitions and
aspirations about social mobility Ethnic group
peer pressures and fear of acting white
Unequal distribution of teachers (by
characteristics) across schools Teachers race,
gender, ethnicity Teachers expectations of BME
pupils
Education policy and practice (e.g. National
Curriculum prescriptions) Accountability systems
(e.g. making it difficult to retain teachers in
low-performing schools)
Source Based on a summary review of the evidence
in Burgess et al, The Dynamics of School
Attainment of Englands Ethnic Minorities, Oct
2005 based on research in UK and the USA
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A disproportionate number are not in education,
employment or training (NEET)

• By Ethnic Group 16-19 yr olds (December 2004)
• Connexions

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this weakens future prospects

• Just 27.3 of Black Caribbean boys gained 5 good
  GCSEs in 2004, compared to 52 of all pupils, and
  47 of all boys.
• In 2004, just 3,028 black children took A levels
  compared with 109,000 white students, and their
  results were an average of one grade lower in
  each exam. www.blackbritain.co.uk
• Evidence suggests that a Level 2 qualification (5
  GCSEs or NVQ Level 2) is the minimum for entry
  into skilled employment in todays labour market.
  
• Fewer than 4 in 10 people from ethnic minorities
  with no qualifications are in work, and in London
  ethnic minorities with no qualifications are
  almost 35 percent more likely than the white
  population to be unemployed, even after all other
  factors affecting employment chances are taken
  into account

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despite recent improvements

• Among Black Caribbean males, employment rates
  have increased from 66.5 to 71.3 percent.
• Figure 3 Employment rate by ethnic group, Spring
  2003-Summer 2005

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Black boys are over-represented in school
exclusions

• Boys of Black and Mixed White/Black Caribbean
  heritage are over-represented among permanently
  excluded and fixed-term excluded pupils.
• In 2003/04 around 25 in every 10,000 pupils of
  Mixed ethnic origin were permanently excluded
  from school. This was similar to the exclusion
  rate for Black pupils (29 in every 10,000) which
  was around twice that for White pupils.

DFES SFR 42/2004
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Excluded children are more likely to offend

• MORI Youth Survey 2004

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Young Black men are over-represented in the Youth
Justice System
Youth Justice Board Performance Statistics 2003-
04
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and self-report higher offending levels

• BME youth are over-represented in the Youth
  Justice System and self-report higher levels of
  offending. Black young people make up 3 of the
  youth population but commit 10 of drug offences
  and 26 of robberies.
• The findings of the MORI Youth Survey suggest
  that, among young people in mainstream schools, a
  higher proportion of Black pupils have committed
  an offence, compared with their white or Asian
  peers.
• Almost two in five black young people (37) admit
  to committing a crime, compared with a quarter of
  white pupils (26) and one in five Asian pupils
  (20).
• The 2004 MORI Youth Survey found that the most
  frequent cause of youth offending was for fun,
  followed by boredom. The majority of young
  people offended with their friends, and one in
  five of all young people cited peer pressure as
  the reason for offending.

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Perceptions of discrimination by police and
schools

• Perceptions of discrimination by police
• 44 of Black males aged 16-24 believed they would
  be treated worse than people of other races by
  the police.
• 27 of BME males aged 16-24 believed they would
  be treated worse than people of other races by
  the police.
• 5 of White males aged 16-24 believed they would
  be treated worse than people of other races by
  the police.
• The proportion of Black males aged 16-24 who
  believed they would be treated worse than people
  of other races by the police is significantly
  higher than the proportions for either White
  males or BME males aged 16-24. 
• However, the differences in perceptions of
  treatment by a local school are not statistically
  significant.  

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Perceptions of racial prejudice

• How much racial prejudice in Britain today
  compared to five years ago?
• 10 of Black males aged 16-24 believed that there
  is more racial prejudice today than five years
  ago.
• 23 of BME males aged 16-24 believed that there
  is more racial prejudice today than five years
  ago.
• 38 of White males aged 16-24 believed that there
  is more racial prejudice today than five years
  ago.
•  
• The proportion of Black males aged 16-24 who
  believed that there is more racial prejudice
  today than five years ago is significantly lower
  than the proportions for either White males or
  BME males aged 16-24. 

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Conflicting viewpoints

• 'One of the difficulties we have in dealing with
  working-class kids of whatever colour is that
  they become demoralised and disaffected more
  easily than the girls - they are more likely to
  have a "street life" than the girls and they are
  more vulnerable to the temptations outside the
  classroom.' (NUT)
• 'What we have now is... not only the pressure of
  racism, but black peer grouping which has
  become another pressure almost as big as
  institutional racism was.' (Tony Sewell)
• "If the only way to break through the wall of
  attitude that surrounds black boys is to teach
  them separately in some classes, then we should
  be ready for that." (Trevor Philips)
• We mustempower black boys to change their
  negative behaviour from within, by teaching them
  how to deal with adversity and the challenges of
  life. (Uanu Seshmi, From Boyhood to Manhood
  Foundation)

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Conflicting viewpoints

• 'It seems a black boy doesn't have to be long out
  of disposable nappies for some teachers to see
  him as a miniature gangster rapper.' (Diane
  Abbott)
• "There is a danger in assuming that the problem
  lies outside the school system - and that can
  lead to complacency," (David Gillborn)
• "The consensus was that low teacher expectations
  played a major part in the underachievement of
  African-Caribbean pupils. In addition, inadequate
  levels of positive teacher attention, unfair
  behaviour management practices,
  disproportionately high levels of exclusions and
  an inappropriate curriculum took their toll."
• (Rampton Revisited, The Educational Experiences
  and Achievements of Black Boys in London Schools,
  LDA)

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What Are We Trying To Achieve?

• Improved outcomes targeting
• disadvantage
• Discrimination and perceptions
• of race and faith discrimination
• reduced
• Increased trust and confidence
• in public services

Improved life chances for those who need them
most

• Reduced racism and extremism
• Reduced risk of tension and
• disturbance
• Reduced prejudice, hate and discrimination on the
  basis of faith

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There has been considerable progress

• Robust legislation
• PSA targets that measure perceptions and outcomes
• The gap is closing for some BME groups
• Stronger relationship with faith communities
• Self-reported racial prejudice declining
• Excellent examples of practice at local level

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Delivering the IOSS strategy
HO Race, Cohesion Faiths
HMT
No 10

• Persuade influence

• influence policy
• relationship with delivery partners

Central Government Delivery depts
National VCS
LGA

• deliver
• Enforce regulate
• increase efficiency

Inspectorates
Arms length funding bodies
Commission for Racial Equality
Influence internal external practices
Link policy practice intelligence overview
RDAs, regional assemblies
CRE regional hubs
Government Offices
Police CJS agencies
Deliver change Commission Employ engage esp.
Most disadvantaged Influence citizens
behaviour and perceptions
schools
VCS
Local authorities
Race Equality Councils
PCTs, GPs, Care providers

LSPs local partnerships
employers
Citizens at every level
Faith groups
Media, leaders opinion formers
NB does not attempt to be completely
comprehensive