Thousands of schools segregated by ethnic or social status, study shows.
It reveals that in 2016, more than a quarter of primaries (26%) and around two fifths (40.6%) of secondaries were ethnically segregated.
And nearly three in 10 (29.6%) of primary schools and over a quarter of secondary schools (27.6%) are split by social background.
This means that many schools across the country have pupil
populations made up overwhelmingly of white British, or ethnic minority
youngsters, or have large numbers of youngsters from either rich or poor
homes.
The findings show that more needs to be done to make school intakes
more representative of their local communities, according to The
Challenge charity, which carried out the research.
Researchers from the charity, working with the iCoCo Foundation and
SchoolDash, examined how segregated a school was by comparing its
numbers of free school meals and white British pupils with those of the
10 schools closest to them.
They used official data for the years 2011 to 2016, covering more than 20,000 state schools.
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A school was considered "segregated" if the proportion of ethnic
minority pupils or pupils on free school meals was very different to the
proportions at the 10 closest schools.
The study found that secondary schools are more likely to be
segregated by ethnicity while primaries are more likely to be divided
along socio-economic lines.
Primary faith schools are more ethnically segregated than those of
no faith (29% against 25%) when compared with neighbouring schools, the
study found.
Primary schools with a religious character were also more likely to
have a wealthier student population, with over one in four (27%) having
significantly fewer disadvantaged pupils than other nearby schools,
compared with 17% of non-faith primaries.
At secondary level, schools rated as "inadequate" tended to be more
ethnically segregated, while those judged "outstanding" by inspectors
were more likely to have a representative mix of pupils, compared with
neighbouring schools.
And grammars - a school type earmarked by the Government for expansion - were severely segregated by social background.
Some 98% of these selective schools had low numbers of poorer
pupils, compared with their local schools, and none had pupil
populations with high numbers of free school meal students.
The study also suggests that in some areas the situation is
worsening - with primaries becoming more ethnically segregated in the
last five years in over half of the 150 areas analysed.
Jon Yates, director of The Challenge, said: " This study shows far
more needs to be done to make sure school intakes are representative of
local communities.
"As the Government's Casey Review pointed out, segregation is at a 'worrying level' in parts of the country."
Local and national government needs to commit to doing more to reduce school segregation, he said.
"We know that when communities live separately, anxiety and
prejudice flourish, whereas when people from different backgrounds mix,
it leads to more trusting and cohesive communities and opens up
opportunities for social mobility.
"We urge local authorities, faith schools and academy chains to
consider the impact admissions policies have upon neighbouring schools
and put policies in place that encourage better school and community
integration."
A Department for Education spokesman said: "We expect all schools to
promote social integration and the fundamental British values of
democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect for
different faiths and beliefs.
"Our free schools programme already encourages applications for free
schools which aim to bring together pupils from different ethnic or
faith groups, and our consultation, Schools That Work For Everyone,
includes faith schools setting up twinning arrangements with others not
of their religion so that pupils mix with children from different
communities and backgrounds.
"But we know there is more to do. The Casey Review highlighted a
number of issues around levels of ethnic segregation in school intakes
in some areas of the country. The Government is considering the review
and its recommendations and will respond in due course."
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