House of Commons - Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions

Select Committee on Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions Sixth Report

5 Education

49. Schools provide an opportunity for different cultural groups to mix or at least for young people to gain the benefit of an awareness and understanding of different communities living in their areas and in the wider world. There are many schools whose students do not reflect the range of cultural groups in their locality and so do not help to promote social cohesion. This is a result of parental choice, the quality of some schools and the growth of faith schools.

Parental choice

50. Parental choice is giving parents the opportunity to make cultural choices. Maureen Haddock, the Head Teacher at Burnley Brow School in Oldham, said that

"as it stands at the moment by parental choice and first brothers and sisters, that provides me with a 100 per cent Bangladeshi community."[31]

Bernard Phillips, the Head Teacher of Breeze Hill School, told us:

"We serve a Bangladeshi heritage population. It is very close to a white population as well. Mine is 100 per cent, apart from one child, Bangladeshi heritage. When I went there ten years ago it was 60 per cent Bangladeshi, 40 per cent white community but over the ten years there has been "white flight", the term that the Americans use: we have had white families that have moved away…. I am in an area that is surrounded mainly by what we describe as white….As the Asian numbers in the school increased white parents chose not to send their children to the school, although in the school's particular situation that was also exacerbated by the school going through a bad period, results-wise especially.[32]

51. The perceived quality of the schools is highly influential in determining school choices. Paul Sheehan, the Chief Executive of Calderdale Council, told the Committee:

"People tend to want to go to a school that is near them, but we have found increasingly that the success of a school determines where people will want to go…….. The single most successful school in terms of its improvement over the last three years has been a school that is 96 per cent Asian in its catchment and people now want to use that school."[33]

52. In Oldham, some schools are trying to give better information about school choices to enable parents to make more informed choices and to make a virtue of the multicultural nature of some schools. Paul Makin, the Deputy Director of Education in Oldham, said:

"We are talking to parents as well as to the educationalists about broadening their aspirations, and one of the outcomes of the review that we had of the linking projects was that we have identified a need to support parents in this. It is a two-way process. I do think it is about schools being flexible and creative with regard to admissions within the statutory framework, but it is also about educating parents on what their rights are. Although there are some flexibilities within that complex framework there still tends to be an element of parental choice which tends to be overriding."[34]

53. Oldham Council has promoted the setting up of 6^th form colleges which have successfully attracted students from most the communities in the town and achieved higher standards. Nick Brown, the principal of Oldham 6^th Form College told the Committee:

"The college was built very courageously by the local authority. It was the first purpose-built one for something like 25 years at the time. It was hoped that it would go to 700 strong. We have over 2,000 now. When we started the intake from Asian heritage families was about 17 per cent and it is now 34 per cent. Of that 34 per cent 80 per cent of those go on to Higher Education and that was completely unknown before. The fact that it is multi-racial makes it much stronger. What we have found is that it is very hard to change attitudes but you can shift perceptions and if you shift perceptions you alter behaviour and you end up with a group of people who go through something, like it, feel valued, and they are different and they are going to be the ones who come back and lead the town in the future."[35]

Oldham 6^th Form College is one of two further education colleges in Oldham, which were commended for their successful integration in the Ritchie report on the disturbances in the town. The Oldham College of Further Education has just won a national Beacon Award from the Association of Colleges for its work in Promoting Race Equality.

54. In the Greater Manchester area there is major schools rebuilding programme. Councillor David Jones, the Leader of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council pointed out: "Hopefully, within the next seven to eight years we should see virtually every single one of our secondary schools either totally regenerated or rebuilt."[36] There are similar programmes in other towns. This could provide an opportunity to encourage greater social integration. The location for new schools needs to be carefully chosen to ensure that the opportunities to promote social cohesion are maximised.

55. Parental choice can unfortunately increase segregation. The quality of school provision is an important but not sole determinant of choice. Some choices are motivated by ignorance and fear of other cultures and LEAs and schools have to be prepared to adopt new techniques to ensure that choices are better informed and not based on misconceptions about whether that particular school is 'for them'. To achieve greater social cohesion, improving the quality of schools becomes even more important so that all schools are equally attractive.

56. The Committee commends the work of the local authorities and the educational staff in relation to the success of Oldham 6th Form College and Oldham Further Education College, and recommends that a study be undertaken to identify best practice for application to the primary and secondary sectors.

57. With a major school rebuilding programme currently underway, real progress in tackling segregation can be achieved if the sites are chosen carefully. The Committee suggests that additional thought is needed for plans to regenerate schools in urban areas so that full advantage is taken of the opportunities to provide facilities serving all communities in an area.

58. The Department for Education and Skills should commission a survey into the relative performance of multi-cultural schools aimed at dispelling any concerns that they perform any less well than mono-cultural or single faith schools. It should facilitate and lead an open discussion on the role that faith schools can play in tackling mono-cultural neighbourhoods.

59. It should be recognised that in some circumstances there could be a conflict between parental choice and social cohesion. The Committee recommends that the Department should prepare revised guidelines for local authorities regarding admissions policies for schools, focusing on strategies for coping with problems arising from parental choice. Efforts should be made to enable the relative performance of local schools to be highlighted in a way that makes them attractive to all local people regardless of their background. In this regard, all multi-cultural schools should be seeking to make a virtue of the richness they can offer to potential students. Councils should be encouraged to inform parents about the advantages of their children attending multi-cultural schools, in terms of exposure to other cultures and a better standard of overall education.

Single Faith Schools

60. Evidence to the Inquiry raised concerns that, while faith schools could instil high standards in both morals and behaviour among young people, few tended to promote social cohesion unless there were determined policies to promote integration through the curriculum. Father Sumner, former Chair of the Oldham Inter-Faith forum said:

"We have an Anglican school here that has 90 per cent Muslim attendance and that is the Anglican community seeing itself there as being of service to the community. One of the primary schools where I am Chairman of Governors has 25 per cent from the non-Catholic community, and again I think that enables a true sense of respect to grow within the school as long as you are addressing the race issues and the faith issues as well within the school. That is an example of a church being of service to the rest of the community and it can be an example of cohesion. Where schools become almost all white, or exclusively so, and almost all one faith, or exclusively so, and people choose to go there precisely because they do not have to mix with people of other faiths, I think there is a problem about cohesion."[37]

However there have been other experiences, particularly in Northern Ireland. Evidence to the committee suggested that faith schools tended to contribute to segregation. Mary Candless, Director of Policy at the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action, expressed concerns about the growth of faith schools:

"We have separate schools. I was amazed, when the debate on faith schools was being held in the media, that there was never any reference to Northern Ireland. We have a system of faith schools which has failed entirely to promote any form of social cohesion."[38]

Camden council argues that the Government does not have a consistent policy on promoting social cohesion in the education agenda.

"Camden agrees with the guidance in its emphasis on educational activity being central to the debate on this agenda, especially in relation to education's key role in developing a deeper tolerance and understanding between individuals and communities. Yet whilst the guidance 'encourages schools to attract an intake which reflects their community and promote cross cultural contact within the school and parental network', the Education White Paper of 2001 promotes more faith schools."[39]

61. The Government needs to prevent, and where necessary reverse, any tendency for faith schools to become mono-cultural. Faith schools do not apparently perceive themselves as having the potential to make a contribution to achieving social cohesion. The DFES should provide additional guidance to faith schools on how to address social cohesion both in terms of their admissions policies and their curriculum. No new faith schools should be approved unless they are committed to promoting a multicultural agenda.

Linking schools

62. Linking schools can help to break down barriers between different ethnic groups. Darra Singh, Chief Executive of Luton Borough Council, told the Committee:

"What we have done is look at this from the other end, which is to say, given that we have got this pattern and that 43.1 per cent of our school population is from the minority ethnic community at the moment, it will rise to 50 per cent by 2010, how do we promote cross-cultural contacts? We do that by using the curriculum, with curriculum-based activities, music, art, sport, to encourage contact between different communities. We have school twinning arrangements, we have got a new e-learning centre, which draws in people from different schools."[40]

63. Evidence to the Committee highlighted the need for twinning exercises to be put on a long term basis. Rajah Miah, the senior project officer at Peacemaker in Oldham emphasised the limited benefits of one-off coming together of two groups of people and then they go their separate ways.

"It is about trying to create that meaningful relationship and that takes far more time and commitment than many of the things I have seen over the last two years."

64. Twinning initiatives can help to bridge divides between communities, but they must not be seen as one-off projects. The DFES and Local Education Authorities must see them as part of core funding for schools and put on a long term funding basis. They must be seen as the first step to breaking down the barriers between the communities and the eventual re-integration of school populations and not necessarily as an end in themselves.

The National Curriculum

65. The Committee was impressed by Leicester city council's work in promoting social cohesion through the school curriculum which is now being applied in Oldham. Father Phil Sumner, the former chair of the Oldham Inter-Faith Forum, told us:

"Leicester authority have done a tremendous amount of work in taking an on-the-shelf policy and making sure that what happens in the classroom in terms of the delivery of the curriculum from a non-European perspective as well as from a European perspective is put into practice. For example, with mathematics every teacher has responsibility for showing in mathematics why we have 60 minutes in the hour and things like that, being able to show the influence of Indian and Islamic cultures on the development of that within mathematics. It is the same with so many other things in mathematics, with trigonometry, for example. In terms of English it is the books that we read. All of those things are important, the curriculum itself and the delivery of the curriculum from a non-European perspective as well as a European perspective. ---- There is a document, Young, Gifted and Equal, which provides a tool. They received beacon status perhaps partly for that document. They take every subject, key stage 1, key stage 2, key stage 3, key stage 4, and look at it in the curriculum area and say to the members of staff in that curriculum area, "What are your performance indicators?" They give certain performance indicators to show that if they are addressing racial identity nurturing or faith identity nurturing in their curriculum area they should be doing this, this and this. What are they doing? Where is the evidence to show that they have done it, and there are gaps to write that down? We are working precisely on that with one of our secondary schools here at the moment, using it as a pilot if you like, in Oldham. Members of the staff and parents from outside are saying that they are noticing that there is beginning to be a true integration of pupils from different faith backgrounds and different ethnic backgrounds within the school, whereas before there was very definitely a separation in the playground. That is often the litmus test when you go into a school, how you know whether real integration work has been done through the curriculum itself, whether the children themselves play separately and fail to integrate."[41]

66. There are opportunities to incorporate in the curriculum concepts and ideas intended to promote greater understanding and tolerance of other cultures. This could be achieved by including such material as a natural part of the class-work in schools, as demonstrated by the Leicester experience.

67. The Committee recommends that the Department should use the work that has been done in Leicester as a case study in order to determine how this initiative can be taken forward in terms of embedding multi-culturalism into the national curriculum.

Setting Standards

68. As part of its inspection regime, Ofsted considers the ethnic make-up of schools and the academic achievement of different cultural groups. It can play a more proactive role in assessing the quality of multi-cultural education and encourage better practices in promoting social cohesion. Luton Council invited Ofsted to carry out a thematic study of the Council's overall approach to community cohesion as part of Ofsted's regular inspection of the education authority. According to the council the inspection promoted debate as well as helping to create an action plan across all its departments.

"The themed Ofsted inspection report threw down the challenge of addressing the issue of schools where all or nearly all of the pupils are from one cultural heritage and suggested that the make up of pupils in schools should be more balanced; however it did not put forward a method to achieve this. The conclusion of the scrutiny study was that artificial social engineering such as changing admission criteria, redrawing school catchment area boundaries and bussing children to schools away from the area where they live was to be avoided and that what mattered was that all pupils had the opportunity to learn about and experience the cultures of others. The Council has followed the latter approach through imaginative use of the curriculum and school twinning arrangements. It is hoped that the achievement of specialist status by more of our secondary schools will also make a contribution to this objective."[42]

69. Evidence to the Committee highlighted the different level of achievements attained by students from different ethnic groups which could have damaging consequences in terms of social cohesion. Bernard Phillips, Headteacher, Breeze Hill School said:

"My school is 80 per cent Asian heritage. The under-achievers at my school are the indigenous white population. They are the ones where family issues cause me the major problems in relation to valuing education, supporting the school, instilling discipline, etc."[43]

Darra Singh, the Chief Executive of Luton Council pointed out:

"What I am not clear about is whether or not you can legislate for effective community cohesion. What you can do and I think what is already in place, is set standards and requirements through a range of other pieces of legislation around duties in terms of, for example, promoting educational attainment and looking at how different communities, or children from different ethnic backgrounds, for example, perform in schools and ensuring that in the relationship between central government agencies and local government there is a focus on those children who are underperforming, for example"[44]

70. Ofsted's remit needs to give added emphasis to issues of social cohesion. Social cohesion should become a regular part of Ofsted inspections. It should look at both the way social cohesion is addressed by education authorities and also within schools. Ofsted inspection should give greater consideration to the varying performances of pupils from different ethnic and cultural groups.

71. The Committee recommends that the DFES should continue to work with Ofsted to further develop the schools inspection and appraisal systems so that greater recognition is given to the performance of multi-cultural schools in representing the ethnic mix of their communities and that good performance in this respect is rewarded in an appropriate way. In particular, the DFES should consider whether specific action is needed within schools to address instances where pupils from one or other group are demonstrably under-performing in comparison to the school population as a whole.

Case Study: Oldham College

Oldham College is well aware that, for many, attending college will be their first significant experience of being alongside people from varied ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds. Because of this the College works actively from enrolment onwards to provide a clear and positive message emphasising the extent to which it values diversity and the pleasure in welcoming students from all sections of the community. This entails working closely with the Students Union, which is reinforced at student induction, through the student handbook and through colourful posters on walls and notice boards. In the first term all full time students receive special tutorial lessons on equality and diversity

A "Celebrating Diversity" competition is run during the Autumn term and is open to all students, with prizes for winners from each of the Departments. This year there was a record 260 entries, and the best were displayed around the college.

About a quarter of the students are Muslim, and each year guidance is circulated on the fast of Ramadan and information about religious festivals such as Eid. A Multi-faith Forum has been launched recently, which will organise events to celebrate different faith traditions, and will promote discussion between members of different faiths.

The programme of enrichment activities for students includes regular events that promote social cohesion. This has included a series of for a where a cross-section of students have discussed issues of concern directly with senior Oldham police officers, a college fashion show with both Asian & European styles on display, an Iftar gathering attended by Muslim and non-Muslim students, and a community cohesion consultation meeting with the new chair of the Commission for Racial Equality, Trevor Phillips.

A great deal has been learnt as this work has been developed. First and foremost, it is better to allow students an opportunity to talk about differences, even when this can lead to heated or even angry exchanges. If properly managed, discussion leads to better understanding, while trying to stifle debate simply stokes up tensions. The key is to have robust and decisive management of any rude, offensive or intimidating behaviour, and to make sure this is understood right from the start.

The college accepts that much remains to be done, but feels that it is making an important contribution by challenging negative attitudes and building positive communication between younger members of Oldham's many communities.

Case Study: Gladesmore Community School

Gladesmore has tried to develop the school and its interactive functions as an integral part of the community. The school is a highly developed organisation which forms part of and supports keys features of the community network.

Its core purpose is to provide teaching, learning and achieve the best results for students. From this goal it is clear that parental support is a key issue, parents need to understand how necessary it is to provide the encouragement and conditions for their children's progress. Gladesmore feels that the best way of doing this is to encourage parents to visit the school. The aim is to develop trust in the school staff (many local people have experienced failure in education) and where possible involve them directly in the educational process. The high profile events involving parents and carers have led to a 43% improvement in their attendance at Parents' Evenings and Review Days over the last four years. On these occasions there is a consistent attendance of over 90% of parents.

The greatest, and most obvious success is the Saturday School. Each week over 500 individuals, aged 6 to 19, take classes in literacy and numeracy run by community volunteers, and assisted by some of our teachers. There are also classes in parenting, basic English for adults only (which continue each weekday morning at school), a wide range of classes in ICT and a number of enrichment and booster classes in dance, music, languages, science, mathematics and sport.

It is in the school's interest to promote good behaviour, regular and punctual attendance and to reduce truancy. In an attempt to address these issues there is a programme outside school. Staff equipped with walkie-talkies liaise closely with the police in the area. This has increased pupil attendance, reduced the number of unpleasant people (including drug dealers and prostitutes) in the area and minimised intrusion. The behaviour of students outside the school has improved, and this is reflected in initiatives such as the outreach work on litter, which is managed by a student Task Force, Gladebusters.

In addition, Gladesmore's relationship with Haringey Council has helped to get local services to clean up areas, introduce traffic calming, improve lighting and generally begin to improve the quality of life for everyone. The school has also developed a good relationship with specific community groups, for example the recent anti harassment procedure to protect the local Orthodox Jewish community. Gladesmore feels that it could develop these operations much further by having additional staff and/or funds to extend its operations.

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