DO NOW
• Name 2 cultural factors which have an effect on ethnic group
attainments.
• How can language effect attainment in ethnic groups?
• What is meant by male subcultures?
• Give one example of how schools could be racist.
Differences in attainment
in ethnic groups
The influence of the school
Learning Objectives
• To explore the role of school in the underachievement of the some
ethnic groups.
• To be able to understand how racism effects educational
achievement.
• Schools must be considered when focusing on educational
achievement.
• May be something in the culture of the school, the curriculum, the
way children are placed into different sets or bands, teacher
expectations and even racism that effects the performance of children
from ethnic groups.
Research has found that schools and teachers can be
‘unconsciously racist’.
WHAT EXACTLY DOES THIS MEAN AND HOW MIGHT IT SHOW
ITSELF?
Racism
• A research that was conducted in 2015, found that black children face
‘conscious and unconscious prejudice from teachers’. This is partly
based on stereotypes (images or ideas of a particular type of person
or group which are not based on reality).
• Unconscious prejudice is likely to lead teachers to make assumptions
about the behaviour and ability of black children and therefore lead
to resentment of school and teachers among black children.
• Teachers are more likely to see black boys as a potential threat to the
classroom and are anxious to sort out from the start any behavioural
problems that they assume there will be.
Task – 10 mins
• Draw a mind map of how racism will effect educational achievement.
- Include labelling and self-fulfilling prophecy
-cultural factors
-material factors
How could these factors lead to racism in schools?
Labelling and low expectations
• Research also shows that teachers might label ethnic minority children
as low achievers from the outset and have low expectations of their
potential.
• Not all students will accept the negative way teachers label the, and
will go on to succeed despite these setbacks and low expectations
• Research shows that some children who are labelled negatively might
still value academic success and work hard even though they might
reject certain aspects of school and the education system
Institutional racism
• Children excluded from school are more likely to end up leaving the
education system early and with few qualifications.
• Reports have shown that this is partly due to institutional racism and
stereotyping within education.
• Institutional racism is the term used when the rules and procedures of an
organisation, such as a school, discriminate on lines of race.
• if children from certain ethnic groups are streamed into lower sets than
white children of the same ability then that is institutional racism.
Task – 7 mins
• How can labelling and low expectations from teachers lead to
institutional racism?
• Write one paragraph including two points for this question
• Upload to google classroom.
White – centred Curruculum
• Many sociologists have looked at the national curriculum and argue
that what it teaches is all about the achievements of white culture
and that it ignores the achievements and cultures of other groups of
people. This might promote low self esteem among ethnic groups in
school as well as a sense of detachment and disinterest.
• How could the national curriculum be changed to ensure it focuses
on the achievements or other cultures of different ethnic groups
rather than having a white centred curriculum?
• There is evidence that the organisation, ethos and approach of a
school is likely to affect attainment in terms of conscious and
unconscious racism.
• This will be apparent in :
• - labelling and low expectation
• - children from ethnic groups being put into low sets
• - high exclusion rates for some ethnic groups.
