Race and Class: Understanding the “Other” in White Secondary Schools in England, the United Kingdom

• In Event: Where Do We Place Our Children? Students of Color in Predominately White High School Settings

Abstract

Research that has explored the experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) pupils in mainly White schools has focussed on urban areas and points to the racism that BME pupils experience on a daily basis as well as the need for them to develop appropriate coping mechanisms to deal with racism (Cline et al, 2002). Little research has explored how education is experienced by BME populations in White rural areas. This paper attempts to readdress the balance by focussing on the experiences of BME pupils in two White secondary schools in the rural countryside on the South coast of England. The secondary education system in England is based on the education of children aged 11-18, this includes students taking public exams at 16 and 18.
Both secondary schools were located in small rural villages on the South Coast of England which are predominantly White. Although located in neighbouring villages the school pupil intakes differ markedly in terms of social class and religious affiliation. However both schools have BME pupils who are in a minority. School A’s intake is based primarily on Christian religious affiliation and School B’s intake is based on living in the local vicinity. The research is based on in-depth interviews with pupils, teachers and parents. All of the interviews were digitally recorded and later transcribed. The data was analysed by using methods of grounded theory and discourse analysis by developing codes and themes related to the main research focus (see Charmaz, 2006; Fairclough, 2001).
This paper will explore teacher’s attitudes towards BME pupils and examine how teacher’s expectations of BME pupils are related to their positioning of BME children as ‘other’ as well as defining the experience of the child based on family and social class background. The paper will also draw upon interviews with BME pupils who defined themselves as Black British (originating from Africa or the Caribbean) or Asian British (originating from India or Pakistan). The majority of pupils were from middle class, professional backgrounds and reported that their parents were keen for them to succeed at school. They also reported their experiences of being an ‘outsider’ in the White space of the school, in which their peers had little knowledge or experience of BME families or their backgrounds. Pupils and their parents stressed that the curriculum did not provide all pupils with an adequate understanding of living in a multicultural society. Furthermore, the surrounding areas of the school were predominantly White and hence White pupils did not have experiences of living in the same communities with those from (minority) different backgrounds to themselves. Pupils had also experienced and reported incidents of racist name calling. This paper will stress the importance of providing a critical multicultural curriculum for all pupils in predominantly White schools and argue that such discourses must include the racial ‘other’ and do so by interrogating the school environment and the local community.

Author

• Kalwant Bhopal, University of Southampton