A new resource provides information on ethnicity in schools. The Measuring Diversity website provides information on the extent of ethnic diversity in schools in England. Users can search by local authority and look at data from 2002 to 2009.
The statistics on the website have been calculated at the Centre for Market and Public Organisation (CMPO), an independent research centre at the University of Bristol, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. The website notes that:
'One of the big questions of our times is how well individuals from different ethnic groups get along together. Schools are an important place where this interaction takes place. It is a common saying that individuals' attitudes are strongly influenced by their school days. So the peer groups that children play with, talk to and work with are important factors moulding their perspectives on society. The extent of ethnic diversity in schools is an important issue of public debate. This website provides some facts to enlighten this debate'.
The website includes a useful charting tool which shows the changes in different ethnic populations in LAs over time. However users of the site may have some concerns about the usefulness of some of the other measures. For example, each LA can be graphed as to the percentage of schools within it which are 'majority white' or 'minority white'. Majority white is considered to be one in which at least 80% of the pupils are White British and minority white one where at most 20% of the pupils are White British. There is no accompanying measure for other ethnic groups.
NALDIC would welcome feedback from members on their experience of using this site.
