The recommendation is among those made in a new study that uncovers stark differences in the educational and labour market outcomes of different ethnic groups in the UK.
Ethnicity, Gender and Social Mobility has been published by the government’s Social Mobility Commission and is based on research by academics at LKMco and Education Datalab.
It examines students’ trajectories as they progress through the early years, primary and secondary, through to sixth form and university, before looking at how attainment at school translates into the labour market. Among a number of findings, it reveals that:
- Disadvantaged White British boys perform badly throughout their education.
- Black children are most likely to fail maths GCSE, have the lowest outcomes in science, maths and technology A levels
- Secondary school is where Black pupils’ attainment falls behind substantially.
- Black boys face extremely high levels of school exclusion and overall do substantially worse than their female peers.
- Almost half of poor Bangladeshi and over a third of poor Pakistani young people go to university but this is not reflected in labour market outcomes, particularly for women.
- Only one in 10 disadvantaged students from White British backgrounds go on to university; as do only three in 10 poor Black Caribbean children.
- Young people from Black and Asian Muslim backgrounds are more likely to be unemployed and face social immobility in later life.
- Females and males now perform similarly in STEM subjects with boys increasing their performance over recent years. However, girls are less likely to take these subjects.
- At all key stages in maths and English, attainment has increased the most among FSM pupils, particularly among FSM girls in maths.
The report warns that setting could be holding back social mobility and encourages schools to avoid it, especially primary schools. It states: “(The) evidence suggests that, while those in the top sets benefit from a positive peer-group effect, the practice widens gaps between those in top sets and those in middle or bottom sets and does not raise average attainment.
“Furthermore, a number of quantitative studies show that such practices are likely to hinder future social mobility, as children from low socio-economic backgrounds, ethnic minorities and boys are more likely to be placed in low ability groups.”
It also says that tiering examination papers is risky: “Tiering of exam papers can not only cap attainment but make teacher expectations explicit, causing pupils to become demotivated.”
The report adds: “Schools should consider how to ensure that Black Caribbean boys in particular are not disproportionately disadvantaged by setting and tiering practices as well as teacher perception of behaviour.”
Elsewhere, the Social Mobility Commission warns that a lack of parental engagement could be a key factor in the performance of White British students: “The report finds that parental expectations and engagement – such as involvement with schools, support with homework and investment in private tuition – play an important role in explaining the high attainment of some ethnic groups. Poor White British families tend to be less engaged in their children’s education than other ethnic groups, and this may play a role in explaining attainment gaps at school.”
Other recommendations include that schools should seek to involve and work with parents and should particularly target those from the groups that are least likely to engage in their children’s education, such as poor White British and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller groups.
Alan Milburn, chair of the Social Mobility Commission, said: “It is striking that many of the groups that are doing best at school or improving their results the most are losing out when it comes to jobs and opportunities later in life.
“It is deeply concerning that poor White British boys are doing so badly in education, from the early years through to university. Yet they are less likely to be unemployed and face social immobility than young people from Black and Asian communities, Asian women especially. Britain is a long way from having a level playing field of opportunity for all, regardless of gender, ethnicity or background.
“Action is needed across the education system and labour market to better understand barriers to success. Renewed action is needed by government, educators and employers to dismantle them.”
- The report – Ethnicity, Gender and Social Mobility – can be downloaded at http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/social-mobility-commission