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Report raises needs of mix race children

Mixed race children have been over represented in the public care system for many years and now a new report shows they are also much more likely to be excluded from school and to be considered as problems.

The report Understanding the Educational Needs of Mixed Heritage Children recommends that the Department for Education and Skills would benefit from wider consultation with People in Harmony (PIH), the mixed race organisation based in Slough.

PIH is praised in the report for ‘bringing an understanding of the history and issues facing mixed heritage people in UK and for the range of resources it produces which the government, LEA’s and schools could effectively draw on’.

Researchers from the University of Bristol in association with Birmingham LEA looked into some of the reasons why mixed race pupils are underachieving in schools and at the high levels of exclusions.

The report shows that part of the problem stems from the way families are perceived, low expectations by teachers and the misconception that pupils have confused identities.
The mixed ethnic group is now the fourth-largest demographic based on race after white, Pakistani, and Indian. Fifty percent of the mixed population in the UK are under 16 years of age.

‘It is very encouraging that the persistent underachievement of mixed race children and their families is at last being investigated,’ says researcher Dr Gillian Olumide, University of Swansea. ‘For too long the problems have been seen as a “fault” of these families and now researchers are beginning to show that the problem may well lie in the way they are treated in society.’
People in Harmony is the national charity for mixed race people, families, and couples that promotes the positive experience of interracial life in Britain today. It developed from an organisation founded in 1972 to dispel the racist views of Enoch Powell.
Filmmaker Tina Attoh is a member of PIH. She comments: ‘I was pleased to find out that an organisation exists to support mixed race people and their families. People in Harmony has been around for a long time and offers support as well as critical thinking about mixed race issues.’

For further information about PIH contact Val Hoskins on 01753 552 559 or email info@pih.org.uk

Research notes

Understanding the Educational Needs of Mixed Heritage Children by Leon Tikly, Chamion Caballero, Jo Haynes and John Hill in association with Birmingham LEA produced by DfES.