ATTITUDINAL RESEARCH: PAKISTANI BOYS IN BOLTONS SCHOOLS

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ATTITUDINAL RESEARCH PAKISTANI BOYS IN BOLTONS
SCHOOLS

• BOB HINDLE
• SENIOR COLLEGE MANAGER
• BOLTON SIXTH FORM COLLEGE

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Contents

• Rationale for the study
• Research method
• Student experiences of school/college
• Performance at GCSE
• Home environment
• Outside influences
• Self-identity
• Staff questionnaire
• Conclusions
• Recommendations

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Rationale for the study

• Issues arising from the 2002/03 Excellence
  Fellowship with Manchester University
• Over-representation of Pakistani males in school
  exclusions and the College discipline system
• Most commonly for fighting but also for poor
  attendance and a failure to meet deadlines
• To interview students and College staff to find
  possible explanations

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Rationale for the study (cont.)

• Experiences in other towns and cities Ouseley
  Report and Commission on British Muslims and
  Islamophobia
• self-contained communitieswith close links to
  Pakistan Ouseley
• Gang culture and inter-ethnic violence
• Disaffection and poor job prospects

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College discipline system data
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Exclusions from school/College
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Research Method

• Conducted with 36 students (9 groups in total)
• At BSFC North and South, Hayward, Smithills and
  The Deane
• Former students of these schools plus Little
  Lever, Harper Green and St James
• Focused questionnaire with interviews recorded.

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Experience at school and College

• 25 of interviewees had been in trouble at school
  for fighting
• Periods of inter-ethnic and inter-school conflict
  in schools
• Provocation, peer pressure, and identity as
  Pakistanis explained as possible reasons
• College environment is stricter than that at
  school, where second chance often given
• Homework inconsistently set at school and at
  College, inconsistently followed up if not handed
  in
• Vocational courses and deadlines- Applied GCSE
  and 14-19?

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Experience at school and College

• If you do something about it, they wont do it
  again
• fighting Indian boys, every day

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Possible explanations for poor performance at GCSE

• Students blamed themselves for poor performance
  at GCSE, but they believed other factors had
  affected this
• Parents knew little about the workings of the
  education system
• They dont know the language, they dont know
  how to get a job. They know how to drive
• Letters from school and college are intercepted
• Term-time holidays to Pakistan, notably in years
  9 and 10

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Home environment

• Fathers were often taxi drivers or market
  traders, few in higher social classes
• After school curfews imposed but often not
  enforced
• Students noted key differences in the cultural
  systems of support for education between Indian
  and Pakistani families
• My mum and dad never asked me about my homework
  or what I did that day at school or College,
  former BSFC student

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Outside influences

• Some participation in football, cricket and
  snooker/pool but a general lack of things to do
  Sit at home, watch tv, drive around
• Criticism of heavy handed policing around Great
  Lever. Opposite at North Campus!
• Students well-versed in BBC Documentary The
  Secret Policeman
• Its just like that programme, they only pick on
  Asians ,They always send an Asian police
  officer

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Self-identity

• Most described themselves as practising Muslims,
  though commitment varied
• Some admitted to having girlfriends but also to
  use of alcohol and soft drugs
• Perception that use of drugs and alcohol is
  increasing
• All described themselves as feeling British by
  birth, Pakistani by culture. Proud of British
  opportunities but emotionally linked to Pakistan
• Superficial friendships with non-Muslims, notably
  white students

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Self-identity (cont)

• We go to cricket matches and support Pakistan
  cos were proud of it. Doesnt mean were not
  British. Born British, just proud of where our
  familys from
• I am a stronger believer in Islam but dont
  practice it when I should

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Staff questionnaire

• Questionnaire completed to try to identify
  whether there is any conscious discrimination
  between Indian and Pakistani pupils re the
  College discipline system
• 16 names and 16 faces staff had to identify
  which were Muslim/Hindu and Indian/Pakistani
• Modal score 20, range from 1-27, higher score
  obtained by staff who had been at the College for
  a longer period
• Little evidence of overt discrimination.
  Indirect discrimination in terms of
  organisational expectations?

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Conclusions

• Key difference between school and College in
  response to poor behaviour
• Differences in course requirements between school
  and College
• Parental knowledge of the education system and
  term-time holidays parallel lives
• Identity as Pakistanis and peer pressure (College
  as a cause?)
• Cultural differences

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Recommendations

• For BSFC
• Student expectations to be a feature of assembly
  talks and enrolment/induction
• Reform to current discipline system (LSDA
  Project)
• Mentor programme
• Attempt to liase with parents to help inform them
  of the UK education system, e.g requirements and
  pathways to university
• Follow up comments about quality of teaching in
  some subjects
• Consider issues arising from the number of
  Pakistani male students on one Campus

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Recommendations (cont)

• Secondary Schools
• Investigate comments about setting of homework
  and systems for non-completion
• Strategies to create links with parents
• Follow up comments about inter-ethnic conflict in
  school
• Reflect on admissions criteria

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Recommendations (cont.)

• GM Police
• Further investigate comments about policing in
  the Great Lever area
• Bolton Council and community groups
• Help to support schools re parental knowledge of
  the education system
• Strategies to support parents in dealing with
  poor behaviour

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Recommendations (cont)

• Parents and the wider community
• Consider the comments of students, notably over
  the intercepting of post from school and College
• Work with schools and Colleges to gain a better
  understanding of the system
• Consider implications of the culture and
  generation clash
• Consider parenting strategies to raise
  self-discipline amongst young people

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Follow-up work to date

• LSDA Action Research project
• Special parents evening
• Follow-up telephone survey
• Mentor scheme
• Systems for collecting student reviews
• Contacting home via telephone- use of
  interpreters
• Taking a horse to water...