Multiculturalism and educational

diversity in Britain

Vlad Victor
Feodorof Andrei

1. Migration related diversity in Britain

2. Multiculturalism in Britain
3. Educational Policy
4. Current Debates
5. Conclusion

1. Post-war migration
1948 British Nationality Act
made former colonial
subjects Citizens of the
United Kingdom and
Colonies (CUKC).
Winston Churchill called on West
Indians to Come and help
rebuild your Motherland!
London Transport and British
Hotels and Restaurants
Associations in South Asia.

Inflow and outflow 1966-2002

Note that throughout this period and up until the mid-90s, Britain
remained a country of net emigration.

EU [27] Enlargement
Higher number of migrants than any other EU [15]
receiving countries.
When EU [25] Accession began in 2004, the Govt
predicted the arrival of 5000 to 13000 new EU
migrants per year.
300,000 migrants including 129,400 Polish, 44,300
Slovakian and 22,555 Czech migrants since 2004.
Public anxieties amid predictions of 60,000 to 140,000
Bulgarian and Romanian workers.

Thousands queue for

a new life in Britain
The Daily Mail, 26 September 2006

A stampede for
passports to a new life
in Britain began just
minutes after our
borders were thrown
open to Bulgaria and
Romania.

2001 Census data on ethnic and religious British-minorities

1.8 million Muslims: 3% of the population.

After Christianity (72%); more numerous than
Hinduism (less than 1%: 559, 000), Sikhism (336,
000), Judaism (267, 000) and Buddhism (152, 000).
Of the Muslim constituency, 42.5% are of Pakistani
origin, 16.8% of Bangladeshi, 8.5% of Indian and
7.5% of other white.
Includes people of Turkish; Arabic and NorthAfrican ethnic origin and East European Muslims
from Bosnia and Kosovo.

Ethnic minority composition of Primary (4-11 yr)

and Secondary (11-16 yr) school pupils

Two salient figures

Muslim children comprise nearly 6% (588,000) of

the school population from the entire Muslim
population of 3% (1.8 million)

Between May 2004 and August 2006 nearly

27,000 Polish, Slovakian and Czech children of
school age - under 17 yrs - have arrived with
registered workers and sought settlement in British
Schools

Multiculturalism in Britain:
Shaped by layers of policy & discourse rather
than a single Act.
Most informed by prevention & redress for
discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnicity
or national origins.
Race Relations Acts (1965; 1976 & 2000) outlaws
direct-discrimination on colour, race, nationality
(including citizenship) or ethnic or national
origins, but not on grounds of religion or belief - in
access to public premises: hotels, bars, restaurants.

Covers all areas of employment, education,

housing, urban planning & affords individuals the
right to bring civil proceedings; defines
(i) required positive action and includes such
things as outreach, advertising and awareness
training & a statutory positive duty to promote
good race-relations;
(ii) indirect discrimination understood as the
disproportionate negative impact on an individual
or group from a generic rule.

The Jilbab Affair

In 2002 a school pupil prohibited wearing a jilbab (a full
length gown).
The school accommodated uniform changes incl trousers
instead of skirts, shalwar kameez (a tunic and baggy
trousers), and headscarves displaying school colours.
Lord Bingham ruled in favour of the school but stressed
that this case concerns a particular pupil and a particular
school in a particular place at a particular time. [] The
House is not, and could not be, invited to rule on whether
Islamic dress, or any feature of Islamic dress, should or
should not be permitted in the schools of this country
Most prominent approaches to minority cultural
differences, anti-racist and multicultural education, have
historically had very little to say of religion in education.

Anti-Racist education
Promoted a positive image of blackness;
black history and promotion of black role
models; insists on a greater awareness and
sensitivity racial issues.
Good examples found in Constructions of Antiracist Education programmes taught in London.
BUT while the debates were national, the
policies were less so: more likely to be
adopted by some education authorities than
others e.g. ILEA.

 When I teach my Year 8s about Elizabeth the

first I teach about the proclamation against the
Blacks, trying to expel them from the country
so right from 12 years old theyre aware that
weve had Africans living in this country as a
community. Whenever we do any kind of major
topic from that point onwards we try and bring in
diverse elements. We look at William Cuffey who
was one of the leading Chartists in London. If we
look at the First World War, we look at Walter Tull
who was the first black officer in the British Army,
broke the colour bar in 1916 and he was also the
second professional black footballer in the
country (Dan Lyndon, Interview, BASA).

Multicultural education
Children are entitled to equality of treatment,
opportunity and services in a shared educational
experience.
All sections of the community have a right to
the maintenance of distinctive identities of
culture, language, religion and custom.
Championed by a national commission (Swann
Commission, 1985) but inconsistently adopted
in Local Education Authorities (LEAs).

Local Vs National implications

-

Local Education Athorities (LEAs) responsible for

the provision of education within the jurisdiction
of county councils.

Previously supported by Section 11 of the Local

Government Act (1966)

Many multi-ethnic urban areas LEAs have been

able to encourage anti-racist and multicultural
initiatives in the face of and at the cost of some
vociferous opposition.

 The Education Reform Act (1988) made radical

changes to the discretionary powers of LEAs by
introducing a National Curriculum.
This Act required every school to adhere to a
curriculum that was centrally defined and
compulsorily prescribed.
Introduced mandatory testing of pupils at ages 7, 11,
14 and 16 years (with the concomitant publication of
school league tables as a measure of school
performance and success).

I think the National Curriculum made

gestures towards multicultural education but I
dont think it fully took on board the basic
principle of multiculturalism (Interview,
Prof. Parekh Swann Commission).
I think schools have a duty to two groups;
the needs and the identities of different
students need to be met, acknowledged,
embraced, celebrated but equally, schools
need to be conscious of the community
beyond
their
immediate
geographical
community (Interview, Breslin).

 The Crick Report on Citizenship Education

We were the last civilised country almost in the
world to make citizenship part of the national
curriculum. I think we thought we didnt need it
being the mother of all parliaments and a model to
the world of parliamentary government; I think those
ideas lingered on and long past reality
(Interview, Crick).
We aim at no less than a change in the political
culture of this country both nationally and locally:
for people to think of themselves as active citizens
(Qualifications Curriculum Authority, 1998:
paragraph 1.5)

Some recommendations
Citizenship
education
includes
three
interdependent elements comprising (i) social and
moral responsibility; (ii) community involvement
and (iii0 political literacy each of which in
habitual interaction constitutes active citizenship.
Citizenship and the teaching of democracy is so
important to the future of Britain that there should
be a national strategy for the statutory requirement
for schools to spend around five per cent of its
curriculum time across the four Key Stages (Key
Stage (KS) 1 includes children aged 5-7 years; KS
2, 7-11 years; KS 3, 11-14 years, and KS 4, 14-16
years).

 Divergence or continuation of anti-racism and

multiculturalism?
I think its a retreat from the racial equality agenda
as far as theres been an impositionof a notional
sense of British values encapsulated in citizenship
education
(Interview with Lee Jasper).

We were not willing to give the public the view

that the major thrust of citizenship was race
relations. We said damn it, its about the whole
population including the majority pupils should
learn, respect and have knowledge of national,
regional ethnic and religious differences. We were
simply taking a broader view. We thought that
all our nations children should receive an
education that would help them to become active
citizens: all our nations children
(Interview with Prof. Sir Bernard Crick).

we seem to have stopped thinking creatively about

multicultural society to have decided consciously or
unconsciously that the most important thing now is how to
integrate Muslims So my own feeling is that there is
going to be a great deal of emphasis a) on citizenship
education b) on moral education, and I think the third thing
will be on telling a national story, which means less
tolerance for diversity. So bring in Indian history or
whatever you want to bring in but for gods sake keeping
telling that this is a great country. (Interview with Prof.
Lord Bhikhu Parekh).

State funding of faith based schooling.

Muslim communities have been the most
vocal in seeking inclusion in the faith
schooling sector.

Specific Motivations
Holistic Education
We want to prevent sources of Islamic
guidance from becoming extrinsic to
educational development, where the sunnah and
the Quran...becomes the third person in an
encounter (Interview with Abdulla Trevathan
of Islamia School).

 Separation of sexes
We want to ensure that they [pupils] are
more focused on their studies.... it is
primarily about their learning (Interview
with Akhmed Hussain of Al-Hijrah).

 Specialist Training
Theres a vacuum because the mosques
arent set up to deal with the problems of
modern people. If you import an Imam
from Egypt or from Pakistan and somebody
comes to them with a problem which is
within a modern European context, it would
often be things that the Imams would have
never encountered in their lives
(Trevathan, Interview).

 Low educational attainment

state schools do not handle the meaning
of Muslim identity well for the children
the teaching in state schools tells them you
are this marginal group/minority group and
have therefore got to integrate with the
mainstream. But in a Muslim school that
identity is built upon being a Muslim not
an ethnic minority (Interview with Idreas
Mears of AMS).

 Conclusions
Continuing impact of anti-racist and multicultural
educational concerns.
Challenges posed by migration related diversity in
education are more frequently discussed in terms
national concerns.
Alongside the issues that have arisen within
mainstream education, religious minorities are
increasingly seeking an expansion of schools with
a religious ethos in the state maintained faith sector.