Is ethnicity an issue in education?

This is an edited version of an article that appeared in The Yorkshire Post on 7 March 2025 in which Matt Bromley argues that ethnic attainment gaps are the result of intersectional factors…

A multi-ethnic team of academics from Durham and Birmingham universities have found that poverty and special educational needs (SEND), rather than ethnicity alone, are the key influences on a minority ethnic child’s educational outcomes.

The research found that, once adjusted for free school meals (FSM) eligibility or SEND status, there were no significant differences between ethnic groups in rates of exclusions or academic attainment at primary or secondary school.

The report’s lead author, professor of education and public policy at the University of Durham Stephen Gorard, said that “if you were trying to predict or explain who is going to be excluded at an individual level, then if you include poverty and special needs, knowing the ethnicity of a child doesn’t help a prediction. That’s equivalent to saying: this is not driving exclusions.” He found the same is true of attainment.

These findings have been challenged, including by the Runnymede Trust who argue that the educational experiences of minority ethnic groups are the result of “a tangled matrix of race and class” and the report should not lead us to conclude that “racism is not a factor in attainment or exclusion experiences but that there is no single, linear relationship;” rather, we have to interrogate the reasons why some minority ethnic pupils are more likely to be in the FSM category.

I agree that we must not discount the direct effects of ethnicity on a child’s education – and this includes the impact of racism on a child’s sense of safety and belonging. But I also believe that intersectionality matters – in other words, that we should consider the correlation between ethnicity and poverty, as well as SEND, when planning strategies to level the playing field for minority ethnic schoolchildren.

Put another way, we need to acknowledge that attainment gaps between different ethnic groups are the result of complex, overlapping factors which include:

• Socio-economic disadvantage: Learners from ethnic minority groups are more likely to experience poverty, which can limit access to resources like private tuition, technology, or quiet spaces for study. Schools in disadvantaged areas often have fewer resources and higher teacher turnover, affecting the quality of education.
• Language barriers: Learners from families where English is not the first language may face challenges in literacy-based subjects, particularly in their early years of education.
• Systemic bias and low expectations: Stereotypes and unconscious bias can result in teachers holding lower expectations for learners from certain ethnic backgrounds. This can affect how they are taught, disciplined, and assessed. Exclusion rates are higher for Black Caribbean learners, with many excluded for behaviour rather than supported with early interventions.
• Lack of representation: A lack of diverse role models in the curriculum and teaching workforce can make it harder for learners from minority backgrounds to feel a sense of belonging and aspiration. For example, a curriculum that centres on Western perspectives may fail to engage learners from non-Western backgrounds.
• Parental engagement: Cultural and linguistic differences can affect how families engage with the education system. Some parents may feel unable to navigate it effectively, particularly if they face language barriers or are unfamiliar with the structure.
• Peer dynamics: Learners from minority groups may face bullying or discrimination, leading to disengagement and lower self-esteem, which directly impact academic performance.

Because of this complexity, attempts to close attainment gaps between different ethnic groups require system-wide efforts which might include:

1. Targeted support for disadvantaged learners: We need to use the Pupil Premium effectively to provide additional resources, such as one-to-one tuition, mentoring, and access to extracurricular activities. Early intervention programmes, particularly in literacy and numeracy, can also help learners from non-English-speaking backgrounds.
2. Anti-bias training for teachers: Regular training on unconscious bias can help teachers to set high expectations for all learners and to use fair and equitable classroom practices. We should also monitor exclusion rates and ensure behaviour policies are applied consistently across all groups.
3. Culturally inclusive curriculum: We need to diversify the curriculum to reflect the contributions and histories of all ethnic groups. This not only boosts engagement but also helps foster a sense of belonging. We might also encourage open discussions about race and identity to create a more inclusive school culture.
4. Improving representation in the workforce: We should make efforts to recruit and retain more teachers from ethnic minority backgrounds to provide diverse role models. We also need to support aspiring leaders from underrepresented groups to move into senior positions within schools.
5. Parental engagement programmes: We need to work with families to build stronger home-school links. This might include offering workshops for parents on how to support their children’s learning or providing interpreters for non-English-speaking families. We can also work with community leaders to build trust and encourage greater participation.

About the author

Matt Bromley is CEO of bee and Chair of the Building Equity in Education Campaign. He is an education journalist, author, and advisor with over twenty-five years’ experience in teaching and leadership including as a headteacher. He is now a public speaker, trainer, initial teacher training lecturer, and school improvement advisor, and remains a practising teacher. Matt writes for various magazines, is the author of numerous best-selling books on education, and co-hosts an award-winning podcast. Find out more at bee-online.uk

Matt’s next book, out in May 2025 and published by Routledge, is called Why School Doesn’t Work for Every Child and explores ways of creating more inclusive schools.