Schools 'failing to set race targets'

By Dominic Casciani
BBC News Online community affairs reporter

Educational bodies are performing worst out of all public sectors to meet legal duties to implement race equality measures, according to a UK watchdog.

A major survey by the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) found that six months after the end of a legal deadline, more than half of educational institutions surveyed had not set any targets to develop how they promote race equality.

An inclusive school is a good school

CRE chairman, Trevor Phillips

Only 20% of schools contacted by the CRE responded to its request for information. Of those that did respond, six out of 10 said they had not set any targets for staff representation.

The CRE's report, the first survey of the impact of the 2000 Race Relations (Amendment) Act, found that a third of the 3,300 public services it contacted had not met the deadline.

Under the Act, a result of the Macpherson Inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, some 43,000 public bodies are obliged to develop race equality measures in all their activities - from recruitment to how they treat the public.

Lack of action

While the CRE report found encouraging signs of policies being developed in the criminal justice system, education was found to be the least prepared.

% OF SCHOOLS WITH NO PROGRESS ON KEY OBJECTIVES

General service: 52%

Pupil/parent satisfaction: 52%

Staff satisfaction: 54%

Staff representation: 60%

Community involvement: 45%

Source: CRE

Almost 90% of schools that responded said they had either fully or partially identified which areas of their work were relevant to race equality.

But when it came to translating that into action, the figures dropped dramatically.

In five key areas - services, pupil/parent satisfaction, staff satisfaction, representation and community involvement - schools were asked if they had worked out what work needed to be done, if any, to improve racial equality.

Only in the area of community involvement did more than half say that work was done.

Six out of 10 schools said they had not set targets for improving staff representation.

Hard-pressed

A detailed analysis of 30 schools which already had policies in place found 18 of the schemes needed developing to meet the standards expected. Only three were considered fully developed.

REASONS GIVEN WHY RACE EQUALITY WORK HAD NOT BEEN COMPLETED IN SCHOOLS

34%: Not seen as a priority

15%: Problems making it 'mainstream'

20%: Lack of resources

12%: 'Eastablishing ownership'

5%: Time factors

4%: Leadership factors

Source: CRE

Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, said he did not wish to place bureaucratic burdens on hard-pressed public bodies, but all of them had to recognise that change was for their own benefit and that of those they served.

He said race equality was essential within the education system if schools were to turn around the wide disparity of achievement - with white, Indian and Chinese children doing far better than those from Pakistani, Bangladeshi or black Caribbean backgrounds.

"The lack of attainment is not just disturbing but is now repeating itself generation to generation," said Mr Phillips.

"An inclusive school is a good school and that's a motto that can work across all public services."

Robin Schneider, author of the report, said the responsibility for change lay with head teachers and governors.

"Schools have got a lot to do," he said.

"What our research shows is that this has not risen to the top of their agendas."

A spokesperson for the Department for Education and Skills said the government was committed to promoting equality of opportunity in schools and making sure all pupils got the chances they needed to reach their potential.

"That is why we have recently carried out the most thorough and comprehensive consultation on how to improve the education of ethnic minority pupils, and we will publish our action plan for how to close the achievement gap in the autumn.

"We take on board the CRE's comments, and will continue to work with them and other key organisations to drive through change in our schools."