British Schools Accused Of Racism

Black Caribbean pupils are being held back by institutional racism in schools, according to a new study.

A report by Warwick University claims that teachers are making assumptions about behavioural problems and therefore compromising black pupils' education.

The Tabernacle School in West London has 45 pupils, the majority of whom are black. The school prides itself on being the kind of environment in which black pupils can excel.

Generally, parents choose to send their children here because they lack confidence in state school teaching standards. The report's author, Dr Steve Strand, claims they should also fear racism and discrimination.

The school has a warm yet disciplined atmosphere. A class consisting of a mere five pupils say poor performance can't solely be blamed on teachers.

Fifteen-year-old Cameron tells me: "There are some kids that just don't want to learn. It's their peer group that's stopping them. They just go around causing mayhem."

Tammy, 14, agrees: "You can't say that all teachers are racist. Some may be but not across the board. It's down to the individual and whether they really want to learn."
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There were stereotypes that I have to battle against. There was an assumption that the 'big, black boys' would cause trouble.
Matthew Charlery-Smith on the stereotyping of black school children.

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Matthew Charlery-Smith, a 24-year-old banker, is a former Tabernacle pupil. Before the age of 14 he attended a mainstream school.

"There were stereotypes that I have to battle against. There was an assumption that the 'big, black boys' would cause trouble.

"It was assumed that I smoked weed (which I didn't) and hung around with a particular group. It was hard for me to break away from that."

The Tabernacle school gave him the right environment in which to achieve. But are those young black Caribbeans in mainstream schools really the victims of institutional racism? continues here

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