Black pupils' achievement in inner London

Summary

Levels of achievement among black Afro‐Caribbean pupils have been a focus of attention at both national and local level for the past decade. Earlier than that, their school attainment had been the subject of different local studies. This paper looks at the relationship between reading attainment and examination achievement of black Afro‐Caribbean students who formed part of a cohort of inner London schoolchildren included in a longitudinal study. The analysis in this paper looks at the level of examination achievement of black Afro‐Caribbean students as compared with that of their white peers at both school leaving age and when they left school or further education. The incremental gain of extending education past statutory leaving age is considered in terms of the additional examination qualifications achieved. The extent to which examination achievement can be predicted from reading levels is considered and in the context of the relative importance of home and school factors. The findings of the research are discussed in terms of policy implications for education.