Addressing racial inequity in education Rob Berkeley: Director Setting the scene ROTA Conference London, 2 Nov 2012

2 About Runnymede The Runnymede Trust is an independent policy research organisation fighting for racial justice through:  High quality research and analysis  Enabling social action  Influencing policy

3 Can we talk?

4 Problem solved?

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6 Naming racism is divisive

7 Racism cannot be the problem

8 ‘The colour line’ - ending discrimination Chinese graduates can expect to earn 25% less over the course of their career Black people three times more likely to be admitted to mental health facilities DWP (2009) report highlights persistent name-based discrimination in employment One in five Bangladeshi households report fear of racist harassment Since 1993 ninety-six people have been killed in the UK by racists

9 ‘The colour scale’ - tackling structural racisms Pakistani women seeking work are four times more likely to be unemployed More than a quarter of Bangladeshi homes are overcrowded Black people were stopped and searched without caution or arrest in times as many young black men will enter custody this year than will enter Russell Group universities Black and minority ethnic graduates are three times as likely to be underemployed

10 Patterns of educational disadvantage Black Caribbean pupils were almost four times more likely to be permanently excluded from school in than the school population as a whole Black Caribbean boys were 11 times more likely to be permanently excluded than White girls. The same boys were 37 times more likely to be permanently excluded than Indian girls, who had the lowest rate of exclusion in the entire system. Among first degree undergraduate qualifiers, over two thirds (67.2%) of white qualifiers achieved a first class honours or upper second class honours degree, this was higher than for BME qualifiers (49.2%) Persistent gaps in attainment remain for some ethnic groups, even when socio-economic status is taken into account

11 From equality to fairness

12 We’re all in this together?

13 Parallel publics – what is most important issue?

14 Parallel publics – support for greater race equality

15 Tools for change – helpful reforms? Teachers Governors Curriculum Parents School organisation Voluntary sector

16 How do we ‘sharpen the elbows’ of people from minority ethnic communities/people seeking to address racial inequality, so that they can be effective ‘activist’ citizens? What forms of extra-governmental accountability can we support the creation of that would encourage public authorities to address persistent racial inequalities? How do we support the creation of infrastructure at local and national levels that can act to ensure that the issues of racial inequality are addressed at appropriate levels? From Learning to Action

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