An Electronic Toolkit for Teachers
Bangladeshi Pupils
For some time in Essex, we have been collecting and analysing data about our
minority ethnic pupils. One of the outcomes of this ongoing analysis has been the
identification of the underachievement of particular groups of pupils from minority
ethnic backgrounds. One of those groups identified as underachieving across
almost all key stages is Bangladeshi pupils. There is a particular concern with
Bangladeshi boys at key stage 1 and year 3.
This toolkit will provide a variety of information:
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Local and national contextual information
Hypotheses about Bangladeshi pupil underachievement
Some suggestions for schools for developing effective practice
Key documents that will help inform policy and practice
Links to websites, literature and cultural and linguistic information about
Bangladeshi pupils
Useful resources for classroom practice
Local and National Contextual Information
In the 2008 school census, 70,320 pupils were identified as speaking Bengali in
English schools with over 50% of the Bangladeshi population living in the UK
living in London with significant communities in Tower Hamlets, Newham and
Camden. In Essex there were 517 pupils speaking Bengali as their first/home
language and one pupil speaking Sylheti as their first/home language. However,
the majority of Bangladeshis in Essex speak Sylheti, a dialect of the people of the
district of Sylhet in north east Bangladesh and not pure Bengali. The written
language is official standard Bengali.
Our Bangladeshi pupils are spread across the county with significant numbers in
Chelmsford, Maldon, Colchester and Harlow. The majority of the pupils do not
have literacy skills in Bengali and many parents would welcome the setting up of
supplementary schools to encourage the development of their children’s Bengali.
Bangladeshi parents value their linguistic heritage and their children will often
use a combination of languages in the home. There is a supplementary school
that has recently opened in Colchester to help children develop their literacy
skills in their first language and this may well provide a model for other families
across Essex.
Research has shown that where parents are more involved in supporting their
children’s education, those pupils go on to make good progress. Those parents
who have had limited educational opportunities in Bangladesh may be harder to
engage with when seeking to involve them in supporting their children.
Attendance is also an issue for many Bangladeshi pupils and these absences
have a significant impact on attainment.
Since most of the Bangladeshi pupils are Muslim they will also be attending their
local mosques where they will be learning Arabic to study the Koran.
Longitudinal analysis of SAT results by ethnicity in Essex shows that
Bangladeshi, Turkish/Turkish Cypriot and Thai pupils are the worst performing
apart from Travellers of Irish heritage and Gypsy/Roma pupils.
Reading
&
Writing
at KS1
Reading
level 2+
Writing
level 2+
Reading
level 3+
Writing
level 3+
2005
2006
2007
All
Essex
girls
Bangladeshi
girls
All
Essex
boys
Bangladeshi
boys
All
Essex
girls
Bangladeshi
girls
All
Essex
boys
Bangladeshi
boys
All
Essex
girls
Bangladeshi
girls
All
Essex
boys
Bangladeshi
boys
91%
95%
83%
72%
90%
94%
83%
76%
90% 100% 82%
67%
89%
90%
78%
72%
88%
88%
78%
67%
88%
96%
75%
67%
33%
29%
21%
0%
32%
6%
23%
19%
34%
21%
23%
5%
21%
19%
9%
0%
21%
13%
10%
14%
20%
17%
9%
0%
In comparison with all pupils nationally in the country, Bangladeshi pupils have
below average attainment at the end of each key stage, but this picture is
beginning to change with steady improvement mostly among Bangladeshi girls
Ofsted reports from many secondary schools are showing that many
Bangladeshi pupils are making significant progress compared with other groups
A small scale survey carried out by Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) in 2004 to
explore the educational experiences of Bangladeshi pupils in English schools
found that many parents had high aspirations for their children.
‘My family left Bangladesh because they wanted me, my brothers
and sisters, to have a good education. They wanted us to have a variety of
choices of jobs. They wanted us to have good jobs and the jobs that we
wanted. My ambition is to be a lawyer.’
(Ofsted report, HMI 513 May 2004)
The Bangladeshi communities in England are among the most recent of the
major South Asian communities to settle here. Significant numbers arrived in the
1960s with most of the families coming from Sylhet, a rural region in the North
East of Bangladesh with more than 50% settling in London and surrounding
areas. They are generally well established.
However they continue to face many disadvantages in terms of housing, health,
employment and education. They are also at higher risk of being victims of
racism than most other minority ethnic groups. Free school meals (FSM) data
indicate that Bangladeshi pupils have the highest eligibility for FSM at each key
stage compared with other groups. Those who came first worked predominantly
in the clothing and restaurant trades. This pattern has continued with many
Bangladeshis working in the hotel and restaurant industries. However, this
picture is beginning to change among the new generation Bangladeshis living in
Britain wanting to be employed in professional careers.
Some hypotheses:
Underdeveloped literacy skills in first/home language
Interrupted schooling has an impact on attainment
Lack of English fluency has a major impact on achievement
Parents and pupils may find the culture of learning to be different from that in
Bangladesh.
The curriculum does not reflect the culture and religion of Bangladeshi pupils
leading to a sense of isolation.
Bangladeshi pupils and their parents may experience racism both in school and
in the wider community.
Parents may have insufficient understanding of the education system and a lack
of command of English prevents them from being active participants in their
children’s education.
There is insufficient careful analysis of data to assess and track pupils’ progress
which may result in there being insufficient support to raise the pupils’
achievement
Some suggestions for schools arising from research:
Strong leadership on the monitoring and evaluation of impact on pupils’ learning
and attainment
Schools that are effective in raising the attainment of Bangladeshi pupils have
the following features:
An ethos hat recognises and celebrates diversity and takes a strong position on
tackling racism
Clear policies and effective procedures for admissions, assessment, and the
induction of new arrivals,
Analysis of data on pupil performance to track progress and inform teaching and
learning
Set challenging targets to raise the achievement levels of Bangladeshi pupils
Set up homework clubs to support pupils’ learning
Use bilingual Bangladeshi staff to build up home-school links to support
Bangladeshi families
Ensure effective transition
Inclusive learning and teaching approaches
Monitor work experience opportunities
The cultural heritage of Bangladeshi pupils is reflected in the curriculum
Links are made with Bangladeshi families and plans are developed so that they
can be more involved in school life to better support their children’s education
Strengthen the work with parents and the community to support the learning of
their children
Key documents
Raising the attainment of Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Somali and Turkish
heritage pupils – A Management guide and Guidance booklet for
developing inclusive practice
http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/secondary/keystage3/all/respub/xc
ws raising attain0004308
These booklets are intended to be used to support school senior managers in
developing a strategic approach to raising the attainment of Pakistani,
Bangladeshi, Somali and Turkish heritage pupils in their schools through a focus
in key elements of effective inclusive practice, self-evaluation and targeted
action.
Achievement of Bangladeshi heritage pupils
HMI 513 May 2004
www.ofsted.gov.uk
This small scale survey explores the educational experience of Bangladeshi
pupils in English schools. HMI sought the views of pupils, parents, teachers and
members of Bangladeshi communities.
Shared objectives: How supplementary schools contribute to national
agendas
www.supplementaryeducation.org.uk
This booklet outlines how supplementary schools contribute directly to all five
outcomes of Every Child Matters.
Investigating Multilingualism in Bengali Complementary Schools in
Birmingham
ESCR., Birmingham, University of Birmingham, ISBN 0704426323. Scroll down
the page and click on ‘Attached file: Creese Bengali. pdf to download the
research.
Bangladesh High Commission UK
www.bangladeshhighcommission.org.uk