ETHNIC MINORITIES AND ATTAINMENT: THE EFFECTS OF POVERTY

Summary

This report has been commissioned by the Department for Education to provide a review of the evidence. It explores why pupils in some ethnic groups appear to be more resilient to the pressures of poverty on educational attainment, compared with White British pupils.

The review also considers what can be learned from steps taken to boost attainment among pupils from ethnic minority groups, and the extent to which such strategies may be applicable to White working class pupils.

Main Findings:

• Overall, gaps in educational achievement by ethnic group have narrowed considerably over the last 20 years. Since the early 2000s, most broad ethnic groups have, on average, seen a greater improvement in attainment at age 16, compared with White British pupils. The exception is White Other pupils, where average attainment has declined relative to that of White British pupils. This is likely to reflect the changing demographic composition of this group over time.
• In 2013, among pupils entitled to free school meals (FSM), all ethnic minority groups were outperforming White working class pupils in terms of attainment at age 16, based on the percentage attaining five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C, including English and mathematics.
• Furthermore, among FSM pupils, the gap between ethnic minority pupils and White working class pupils has increased over time. While the proportion of FSM pupils reaching this level of attainment increased for all ethnic groups (including for White working class pupils) between 2004 and 2013, most ethnic minority groups saw a greater increase in attainment. Ethnic gaps in attainment among FSM pupils are already evident at an early age. At age 5, and age 11, White working class pupils are amongst the lowest achieving groups. Existing studies have pointed to the importance of parental, student and school factors in explaining why ethnic minority pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds have shown higher levels of educational attainment, and made greater progress, than their White working class counterparts.
• Both the qualitative and quantitative research literature points to an important role for parental factors, including aspirations, in explaining the higher educational attainment and progress of pupils from ethnic minority groups.

• There is limited evidence on the mechanisms through which parental aspirations may affect attainment. Existing research has proposed potential reasons for low aspirations among White working class parents, including the young age of many parents, a lack of belief in the value of education, as well as high rates of unemployment, but these explanations have not been rigorously tested. Other evidence has suggested aspirations are not low, rather that parents do not have access to the necessary information or knowledge to support learning.

• Students’ own aspirations and expectations have also been identified as significant factors in explaining attainment. Higher levels of aspirations can encourage students to engage with schooling and may also be reflected in practical behaviours that raise attainment, such as spending time completing homework. A lower prevalence of risk factors, such as being less likely to be absent from school or to have been excluded, have also been shown to explain part of the ethnic variation in attainment.
• Schools also have an important role in raising attainment, although the evidence suggests the relative contribution of schools is smaller than that of parental, family and student factors.
• Studies point to a range of school practices associated with more effective use of funding for raising ethnic minority attainment, and practices aimed at raising attainment of disadvantaged pupils from all ethnic groups. These include the importance of high quality school leadership, a school ethos that embraces diversity and has high expectations of all pupils, monitoring and tracking of pupils, a flexible and inclusive curriculum, and engagement with parents and the wider community.
• Improvements in language skills have been identified as a key factor enabling ethnic minority pupils to catch up with White British children over time. Studies indicate that while White working class pupils do not have English as a specific barrier, language and literacy skills are an area of concern.
• Given the differences in parental and student factors across ethnic groups, such as differences in aspirations, it cannot be assumed that interventions will have the same effects on all ethnic groups. However, improving school practices is likely to have benefits for pupils from all ethnic groups, and similarly, where classroom strategies have been identified as effective, these are typically effective for all ethnic groups.

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