The educational experiences and achievements of Black boys in London schools
Title
The educational experiences and achievements of Black boys in London schools
Reading status
Voluntary
Action
None
Context
This is a report by the London Education Commission of the London Development Agency for the Mayor of London.
The purpose of the Commission was to contribute to the development of policy and practice to ensure equality and
maximise achievement for Black pupils in London.
The full report is available at http://www.lda.gov.uk/upload/pdf/Educational_experiences.pdf.
Keywords
Black pupils, boys, minority ethnic groups, attainment, exclusions, racism
Abstract
This briefing summarises the main finding in relation to the experiences of Black pupils, Black teachers, Black
parents and carers, and pupil performance. It also summarises some of the main recommendations.
Author
Chris Palmer: Policy Development
Date Created
8 September 2004
Enquiries to:
chris.palmer@birmingham.gov.uk
Learning and Culture: Policy Development
©Birmingham City Council
September 2004
Page 1 of 3
The educational experiences and achievements of Black boys in London schools
With reference to
The publication states
The experiences of 
Black pupils
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Black teachers
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Black parents and
carers
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Pupil performance
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Recommendations
Lower teacher expectations play a major part in the underachievement of African Caribbean pupils
Many Black pupils experience racism at school and get very little support in addressing it
Girls are generally seen as getting more positive attention from teachers than boys
Pupils are concerned that work is not challenging enough
The most significant differences between African Caribbean boys and boys from other ethnic groups focus on
pupil teacher relationships. The degree of care and quality of communication Black boys receive, as well as
levels of conflict with teachers are all less positive that for boys in other groups. Back
Black pupils usually find that Black teachers are more encouraging, more supportive and have higher
expectations
Black teachers are often passed over for promotion. Back
Most pupils are able to communicate with their parents, but boys in difficulty at school or feeling under pressure
to perform generally do not like to talk about school at home
Parents of boys who have been excluded experience significant distress
Many parents want more involvement in their child’s schooling but after often not sure about how they can help
and sometimes have their offers of help rebuffed. Back
African Caribbean boys perform worse across all keys stages than any other group and the achievement gap
widens with each key stage
Differences cannot solely be attributed to class since working class boys from other ethnic groups in London
outperform middle class African Caribbean boys
The picture for Black African boys is difficult to assess because of wide variations in attainment for children from
diverse African backgrounds. The category Black African needs to be broken down further. Back
There are several recommendations fro government and the DfES including:
 Legislation to entitle parents and carers to paid leave to attend school meetings
 A five year strategy for raising African Caribbean achievement in areas such as London and the West Midlands
 Five year Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant funding
Learning and Culture: Policy Development
©Birmingham City Council
September 2004
Page 2 of 3
The educational experiences and achievements of Black boys in London schools
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High quality youth provision
Statutory data collection on teaching and assistant or support education work profile
Revised guidance on permanent exclusions and national and regional targets by ethnicity and gender for
reducing exclusions
Incentives for schools to encourage them to improve their communication and build partnerships with parents
Benchmarking data by ethnicity and gender for each key stage
There are also several recommendation for teacher training, including:
 Certification for teaching and teaching assistant posts which focus on the achievement of Black and minority
ethnic pupils
 Strategies to meet recruitment targets for Black and minority ethnic teachers
There is also a range of recommendations for London authorities and schools, including:
 School level action plans to tackle underachievement. Back
Learning and Culture: Policy Development
©Birmingham City Council
September 2004
Page 3 of 3