One in 25 pupils in Bristol’s schools is Somali, new figures reveal.
The number has rocketed from less than one in 500 eight years ago.
It is likely to rise further because the number of births to Somali mothers in the city is also rising rapidly – up from about 60 in 2001 to 270 in 2005.
A report for Bristol City Council describes the 3.8 per cent overall proportion of Somalis in the school population as strikingly high.
It points out that the children are clustered in certain schools. Bristol now has nine nursery and primaries where more than a quarter of pupils are of Somali origin, including two where the proportion is more than half.
Four secondary schools have more than 10 per cent Somali pupils.
While Somalis are the largest group, Bristol has seen new arrivals from almost 100 other countries since the start of the millennium, notably from eastern Europe.
Less than half the children in schools in inner-city Bristol now come from white British backgrounds, the report reveals.
The Institute of Community Cohesion, which carried out the study at the request of the council, said strong, swift citywide action was needed to cope with the increasing diversity.
The last national census was carried out in 2001 so the information it contains is out of date. The report uses the 2008 pupil information survey of all state schools and National Insurance registrations for non-UK nationals.
The study was carried out last year and based on 32 individual interviews and 118 people seen at eight focus groups.
The institute says the changes have created a range of tensions and challenges with potentially serious implications.
They report’s authors speak of a perceived lack of leadership from the council and say there is a need to make community cohesion not a specialist interest but part of the mainstream “core business” of local authority services.
“There needs to be a systematic, high profile, council-wide commitment to addressing community cohesion in general and the challenges raised by the growing diversity in schools in particular. Without this the situation is likely to deteriorate,” the report said.
“Schools are becoming increasingly diverse at a much faster rate than the Bristol population as a whole.
“Demographic changes have occurred swiftly and without warning in some schools, with potentially destabilising effects.
“Many of those working in schools, the education service and the council more widely, appear to lack the confidence, knowledge and skill to relate effectively with many black and minority ethnic communities.”
Council leader Barbara Janke welcomed the research and outlined a programme of action she said would ensure schools would continue to serve as the foundation for a successful multicultural society.
“One of Bristol’s great strengths is its diversity,” she said. “Our vision is of a city where all communities have a sense of belonging and diversity is valued. The report says that without rapid and effective action, like many similar cities in the UK, we could find ourselves in a situation where schools are increasingly socially and ethnically divided. We are committed to taking action to prevent this happening.”
Batook Pandya, director of Support Against Racist Incidents (Sari), in Bristol, said: “This report is very timely and recognises both the changing demographics in Bristol and that this change is happening very quickly. We all need to respond and implement the recommendations to help communities learn to live with respect and build cohesion for the future. I want to see the issues raised placed at the heart of all our agendas.”
Source: thisisbristol
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
