Equal Opportunities in Schools: Session Learning Objectives To gain an overview of the main issues To have an increased awareness of

issues of gender and race specifically To be able to use the model for an EO

curriculum within your own subject area

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Session Overview

Who is denied equal opportunities? Some gender issues with respect to

pupils and teachers Strategies for moving forward

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Addressing Equality in Education

Equality of access; broad and balanced curriculum appropriate to needs

Equality of uptake; the effect of cultural capital

Equality of outcome; moving towards a more just and democratic society

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Frequency

Attribute

Population A

Population B

The Difficulties of the Notion of the ‘Average’ Student

The gender gap in entry to different GCSE subjects Large gap: (30%) Design Technology,

Computer Studies

Small gap: (5-15%) Geography, MFL, English Lit.

No gap: English, Maths, History, Art and Design

Gender and Learning

Differences in learning outcomes Behaviour in the classroom Differences in learning styles Differences in literacy and perceptions of

literacy Stereotyping; resources, teacher, parent

and pupil attitudes Attributions and confidence

Gender and Professional Progress

Females form more than 50% of secondary school workforce

20% of secondary headteachers are women Women in full time non-manual occupations

earn 65% of men’s average earnings In HE 72% of teachers are women but only

7% of professors are women

Dimensions of Equal Opportunities in School

Development of self-esteem and feelings of self-worth

Challenging harassment and discrimination

Widening the curriculum

Components of the Curriculum

Content/Concepts Contexts Skills and Processes Teaching and Learning Strategies Attitudes and Values (The Hidden

Curriculum)

What can one teacher do?

Be aware of own values, assumptions and prejudices

Demonstrate Equal opportunities policy in action in your own classroom

Carry out your own research Raise awareness of pupils to the issues Develop assertiveness skills Listen to pupils

Reading List

Clark, A., Millard, E. (1998) ‘Gender in the Secondary School’ Routledge

Paechter,C. (1998) Educating the Other: Gender, Power and Schooling’, London, Falmer Press

Mac An Ghaill, M. (1994) The Making of Men; Masculinities, Sexualities and Schooling’, Open University Press

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Education for a Multi-Cultural Britain

Objectives for session: Know more about cultural and ethnic

diversity in Britain Be aware of some approaches taken in

the English Education System in response to this diversity from both historical and political perspectives

Session Overview

Diversity in Britain Historical Overview of English

Education and Responses to Diversity

Values and Models for Curriculum Approaches to Diversity

Summary

Ethnic Minority Populations in Britain

% Populationin Britain (1991census)

Total Number

White 94.0 54.7 million

South Asian 3.0 1.64 million

Black; Afro-Caribbean

1.3 721 000

Chinese/Other Asian

1.2 355 000

Other 0.5 290 000

Changes to Immigration Patterns

% Immigrantpopulation in1951

% ImmigrantPopulation in1971

Irish Republic 30 30Europe 30 20NewCommonwealth

20 45

OldCommonwealth

10 5

Other 10 5Other

Historical Background to Educational Responses to Diversity 1

Post War Curriculum is the responsibility of individual schools

1960’s ‘Immigrant problem’; Response was ‘Assimilation’

Early 1970’s ‘Compensatory Education’; ‘Black Studies’ for schools with high numbers of black pupils

Late 1970’s Rampton Committee identifies major cause of black children’s underachievement as low expectations by schools

Early 1980’s Some schools in multi-ethnic communities develop their curriculum in response to diversity; ‘Education for a Pluralist Society’

Historical Background to Educational Responses to Diversity 2

1980’s Curriculum Development of ‘Multicultural’ and ‘Anti-Racist’ approaches in some

schools and Local Education Authorities

1985 Swan Committee of Enquiry into Education of Children from Ethnic Minorities produce their

report ‘Education for All’. Recommend that a curriculum which ‘Values Diversity and Challenges Prejudice’ are seen as a requirement for all children in Britain

1988 Education Reform Act; National Government take over the determination of the curriculum and introduce the National Curriculum

The Education Reform Act, 1988

“ The curriculum for a maintained school satisfies the requirements if it is a balanced and broadly based curriculum which:

a. promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society and;

b. prepares such pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life.”

The School Effect: A Study of Multi-Racial Comprehensives “ The academic level which is expected

of a child depends more on school policies than the qualities of the pupil. Before the introduction of GCSE, a child with similar attainment would be entered for 8 ‘O’ levels at one school and 5 CSE’s in another.”

Tomlinson and Smith, 1989

Historical Background to Educational Responses to Diversity 3

1989 Introduction of National Curriculum in all State Schools for 5-16 year olds. Nine curriculum subjects plus locally devised Religious Education Curriculum

1992 National (SATs) tests for children at ages 7,11 and 14 in English, Mathematics and Science

Mid 1990s Publication of individual school results of children’s test performance; so called ‘league tables’

1999 McPhearson Report identifies continuing racism in British society; recommends action in education in addition to police services

McPhearson Recommendations

Altering National Curriculum which should aim to ‘value cultural diversity and prevent racism’ (Incorporated into ‘Citizenship Education for 2002)

Schools should record racist incidents, and report to parents and others

Strategies for dealing with racism to be subject to regular inspection

Issues of Race and Culture

Complexity of different achievements of ethnic communities

Black children are 6 times more likely to be excluded from school

Higher representation of black pupils in Special Schools

29% of Afro Caribbean teens passed five GCSEs at grade C compared with 47% of white teens, 53%Indians and 61% of SE Asians

Models for the curriculum

Assimilation

Multi-cultural

Anti-racist

Modern Cosmopolitanism

Conforming

Reforming

Deforming

Transforming

(Richardson, 1990)

Dear Teacher, I am a survivor of a concentration camp. My eyes saw what no man should witness: gas chambers built by learned engineers; children poisoned by educated physicians; infants killed by trained nurses; women and babies shot by high-school and college graduates. So I am suspicious of education. My request is: help your students to become human. Your efforts must never produce learned monsters, skilled psychopaths, educated Eichmanns. Reading, writing and arithmatic are important only if they serve to make our children more human.

Reading List Gaine, C. & George, R.,(1999) ‘Gender,’Race’ and

Class in Schooling; A New Introduction’, Falmer Press

Mason, D. (1995) ‘Race and Ethnicity in Modern Britain’ Oxford University Press

Richardson, R.,(1990) ‘Daring to be a Teacher’, Trentham Press

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Download P1.1_3.1a <Equal Opportunity> Authored by Aftab Gujral, St Martin's Lancaster. Accessed from http://www.ase.org.uk/sci-tutors date created [Oct 2004]