Ethnicity - Internal Factors - Access to Opportunites

Question 1

What are two example of opportunities given to underachiving black pupils?

Answer 1

• The ‘Gifted and Talented’ programme
• Exam tiers

Question 2

What is the ‘Gifted and Talented’ programme?

Answer 2

The gifted and talented programme aimed of meeting the needs for more able pupils in inner city schools, it was created to benefit bright pupils from minority groups.

Question 3

How does Gillborn evaulate the Gifted and Talented programme?

Answer 3

Gillborn (2008) points out that official statistics show that white pupils are over twice as likely as black Caribbean pupils to be identified as gifted and talented, and five times more likely that black Africans.

Question 4

What does Tikly et al say about exam tiers?

Answer 4

Tikly et al (2006) found that in 30 schools in the ‘Aiming HIgh’ initiative to raise black Caribbean pupils’ achievement, black pupils were more likely that white pupils to be entered for lower tier GCSE exams.
This was often because black pupils had been placed in lower sets.

Question 5

What was Strand’s study based on and what did it show about exam tiers?

Answer 5

Strand (2012) study was based on analysis of large scale data from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE).
His study shows a white-black achievement gap in maths and science tests at age 14.

Question 6

What was Strand’s study a result of?

Answer 6

Strand’s study was a result of black pupils being systematically under-represented in entry to higher tier tests. This suggests the reflection of teachers’ expectations, leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy.