- Conference
- 2018 National Black Members' Conference
- Date
- 21 September 2017
- Decision
- Carried
Conference recognises that Black Caribbean pupils are significantly more likely to be permanently excluded from schools three times more likely than white pupils.
Black pupils are routinely punished more harshly, praised less, told off more often and more likely than white pupils to be identified as having behaviour related to educational needs.
Black pupils are disproportionately put in bottom sets.
Figures released by the Department for Education show that the total number of Exclusions went up just under 1,000 in 2015-16 compared with the previous year , up from 5,795 in 2014/16 to 6,685 which is the equivalent of 32.5 exclusions a day, up from an average of 30.5. Pupils with a black or mixed ethnic background were more likely to be excluded than their white counterparts who in turn, were more likely to be excluded than children of Chinese and Asian Heritage.
This issue is relevant to Black Members because for those pupils permanently excluded, consequences are damaging, it causes depression, a sense of isolation, their schooling is severely interrupted, and they often end up with an inferior education.
This Conference calls upon the National Black Members’ Committee to take the following actions.
1)Include an article in Black Action, to highlight this problem.
2)Campaign to increase Black representation on school governing bodies.
3)Put pressure on the government to set specific national and local targets to reduce the disproportionate exclusion of black pupils.