The head o f the Commission for Racial Equality caused a furore on the 7th o f March 2005. On the news and in the mainstream newspapers were headlines claiming that he would support segregation o f black boys in state education. Mr Philipps is no stranger to controversy. However, this is not the first time that this debate has arisen. Sally Tomlinson (1984) the major teaching unions and the government have always been against any form o f segregation in education. Ironically because o f the movement o f many families away from the inner cities, this has resulted in many urban schools having a high number o f black and ethnic minorities in the schools. This is evidenced in the schools that I have used in this study. As far back as 1972 Mr Worrell, a black teacher who was dissatisfied with the education o f black children wrote an article in which he advocated that the children be separated at primary school, then moved back into the secondary level, when they had reached the academic
level o f the majority population. Frankly, I feel that this is simplistic and
there is more to be tackled than just the curriculum. But what I wish to illustrate is that this is not a new topic, it has reared its head before. However, what is important is that it enables people to discuss these contentious issues, it brings it to the fore.
I have deliberated chosen this man as he is male and black, British and extremely well qualified and in a position o f authority. Further more his
continues to achieve. However one salient point that I wish to highlight. During this time if one looks at the period during which he received his schooling in England. The government at the time had a bearing o f the educational chances available to black and ethnic minority children.
I f w e look at table X I, race & history o f education which I have adapted from Gillborn in Majors (20030. One can see that it straddled the period o f the assimilation theory and the time o f ignorance. Mr Phillips attended the White Hart Lane in W ood Green North London after passing the 11-plus. However, within three years his parents sent home to the elite Queen’s College School for Boys in Georgetown, Guyana in 1967 (The Times March 7th 2005 article written by A. Blair and D. Charter). The year previous to that Roy Jenkins was the Home secretary and he had a different approach to Race & Education. Hence, while the government was going through this transition in its response to the needs o f black and ethnic minority children, Mr Phillips was in South
America. Hence he missed these changes, and perhaps one may hazard a
guess this had a profound effect on the education choices available to him. Incidentally Mr Phillips fits neatly into the hypothesis that I have proposed. B y his removal to Guyana, this was one mechanism that enables him to circumvent the loop and the downward spiral. Later on the young male, now in late adolescence returned to Britain to complete his university education. There is plenty o f anecdotal evidence I have gleaned from my studies to support this strategy. I am not suggesting for a moment that one should physically man handle these young man and physically remove them before they reach secondary sector. However, what I am suggesting that this has been a method that some parents in their concern over the education o f their young men have resorted to. Hence Mr Phillips case has not been in isolation. Just as w e see in the media, that parents will go to seemingly extreme lengths to ensure that they are in the correct postal area for their child to attend good state schools in the borough. From this the parents are trying to ensure that their child achieves the best education, and obviously the ensuing benefits that
come with it. It is imperative that parents are as pro-active as they can
possibly be. One should look at all the strategies that can be employed to maximize the academic potential o f the child.
However, it is still useful to be involved in debate. But at the same time one needs to maintain a calm and clear head to an issue, which clearly gets
everyone talking! Mr Martin Ward the deputy general secretary o f the
Secondary Heads Association, and David Hart the general secretary o f the National Association o f Head Teachers have both acted and responded with alarm to theses suggestions. However, I would tread with caution, and question why this is proving an emotive subject, and most people fear the worst. Throughout the last four decades, w e have seen, the abolition o f most grammar schools. Further more were have seen banding, streaming and mixed ability teaching. We have through research found out that girls do better in single sex schools, especially with regards to science Driver(1996). Hence, w e have seen positive discrimination in terms o f gender and it has been found to work. Gifted children, special needs pupils, all receive individual o f one to one tuition, this is the response from Mr Atkinson (black head teacher) o f the Phoenix High school in West London Blair & Haplin, (2005). So why the alarm? Why is it automatic doom and gloom and the citing o f legislation? If w e look at the results for 2004, 35.7% o f black Caribbean’s in England and 43.3% o f black African pupils scored at least five C grades at GCSE. Incidentally black Caribbean girls are achieving five A*- C and are 15.5% ahead o f their male counterparts. Evidence that the positive gender discrimination drive in the 1980’s is obviously coming to fruition and has
benefited the females even as o f last years examination results. Where it is
seen that girls appear to be flourishing in all areas o f the curriculum. In contrast black boys for the year 2004 are lagging behind by 52.3 % compared to the national average. Surely this calls for radical measures, if we do not want a repeat o f the last four decades. I strongly believe that Mr Trevor Phillips is making a radical suggestion, since radical action is required. He is not acting in isolation black parents are alarmed. They are adamant they do want their children to go through their schooling experience. M ost feel that they did not get a “fair crack o f the whip” when they were at school. Furthermore this has translated itself into career and job opportunities, which have been missed, because o f the way their education has been mis-handled. The chairman for the Commission for Racial Equality has travelled in American and looked at the work o f Professor Mimms in St Louis, where
black boys were taught separately in different classroom. Please note they were not taken to a separate school. As an educational practitioner in the early nineties, I taught all girl classes for science, on the same premises as their male counterparts. Hence, I am amazed by the furore, which has been caused by these comments. Martin Ward, the deputy secretary o f the Secondary Heads Association, has made the following comments.
Baroness Rosalind Howells felt it would be a step in the wrong direction, to the racially divided Unites States o f the past century. She felt strongly that it would only antagonise racial tensions in the playground. Children are more astute, than w e realise especially black young males, as is evidenced by the responses to the focus group questions. This method appears to have worked in America. Obviously it is not the panacea, and will not work for all black boys. But it may work for some; it should be a risk that w e should all be prepared to take.
Teachers have reacted with concern to these proposals. As to the idea that it would be reverting to the segregation laws in the United States o f the past I feel this is an over reaction. Also I feel it is a diversion tactic. Some people have even likened it to the apartheid system in South Africa o f the past. That is not the case, also apartheid and the segregation laws o f the late sixties o f America, operated from the standpoint o f “superiority o f the whites” while the converse was true for their Negro counterparts who were “inferior ”. In this particular case o f education w e are not operating from this standpoint. What w e were striving for is equality o f access to the educational system and the educational choices currently being enjoyed and by the majority population. It does not stop there. Mr Trevor Phillips is looking at a whole range o f areas, and how it is linked to education and the achievement o f the young black male. Such as role models, positive parenting, absent fathers being forced to take responsibility for their sons. The solution is not one sided. But what I think all parties are agreed on is that action is required. The chair o f the CRE (Committee for Racial Equality) has merely articulated this point. He would be remiss in his duties o f the CRE is he did not do say o f do anything about a feature or fact which would ultimately affect all o f us in the British community. I f w e want leaders for tomorrow it is essential that w e
invest in them today. He is not afraid to voice his opinion in regards to race, and particularly in the arena o f education.