Access the Importance of School Factors Such as Racism and Pupils’ Responses to Racism in Creating Ethnic Differences in Educational Achievement.

It is widely argued that the achievement of pupils from different ethnic groups is directly affected by racism within the education system, and their reaction towards it. An ethnic group is one that sees itself as culturally distinct from other grouping in a society and is seen by others as distinctive. Groups may differ from others by country of origin, language, religion, dress or other aspects of culture. Some ethnic groups, for example the Irish, are not physically distinctive. Others are more visible and may be subject to discrimination and harassment, including in the education system. Ever since the arrival of immigrants to Britain from the West Indies and India, sociologists and educationalists have been concerned about wide gaps in achievement between different ethnic groups.

Within schools, many pupils are labelled and/or on the receiving end of racism from teachers. When looking at this in relation to ethnicity, black and Asian pupils were found less likely to be seen as ‘ideal pupils’. Gillborn and Youdell (2000) found that although others in the class were being just as poorly behaved, teachers were quicker to notice and discipline black students, assuming black pupils would be badly behaved, misunderstanding their behaviour to be testing authority or threatening. Pupils usually had a negative response should the teacher act upon this, feeling they were underestimated and picked on, causing more of a dispute. Gillborn and Youdell concluded that the main reason for tension and conflict between white teachers and black students is a result of racial stereotypes on the teachers’ part and could also explain why so many black students are excluded from higher level education. If black pupils are targeted, they are less likely to pay attention to teachers they do not like or get on with, meaning they fall behind causing an achievement gap. The less time black students spend in the classroom, the more disadvantaged they become academically and will find it...