3 New migration, new challenges Eastern European migrant pupils in English schools Department of Education & Professional Studies New migration new challenges Eastern European migrant pupils in English schools 4 New migration, new challenges Eastern European migrant pupils in English schools About this report Dr Antonina Tereshchenko was the lead researcher of the project, working with Professor Louise Archer. The 24-month research project was funded by the British Academy through the Newton International Fellowship, hosted by the Department of Education & Professional Studies at King’s College London. The final report is written by Antonina Tereshchenko, with contributions from Louise Archer. We are grateful to Rodolfo Leyva for assistance in the statistical overview of the Eastern European student attainment, drawing upon the data from the National Pupil Database. We would like to thank the staff of all the schools who assisted in the completion of this project. We are particularly grateful to teachers, students and parents who gave their time for the interviews. New migration, new challenges Eastern European migrant pupils in English schools 1 Contents Executive Summary 3 1. Background 9 1.1 Hot topic – East European migration 9 1.2 School attainment statistics at age 16 10 2. Methodology 19 2.1 Focus of empirical research 19 2.2 Research design 19 3. Findings 21 3.1 Students’ aspirations: education & career choice 21 3.2 Parental perceptions & responses to schooling in England 24 3.3 The impact of EAL status on the education of students 27 3.4 Young people’s experiences of racism 31 4. Conclusions 35 5. References 39 2 New migration, new challenges Eastern European migrant pupils in English schools New migration, new challenges Eastern European migrant pupils in English schools 3 background • examining young people’s aspirations Executive and factors that might enable and Immigration from East European countries constrain their educational success summary is a ‘hot’ topic in the UK. Since the in England. enlargement of the European Union (EU), and in the wake of the recent end of methodology labour market restrictions for Romania and Bulgaria, the rapid inflow of these migrants The research design included field work has attracted a considerable amount of in four state-funded secondary schools public attention. These migrants are well in London and the East of England. The integrated into the labour market but are schools had a significant minority of described as working in unskilled, precarious students from the East European countries and more informal jobs that pay low wages which joined the EU in 2004 and 2007, and do not always require English language especially pupils from Poland, Latvia, proficiency. The common phenomenon Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia (although of ‘downgrading’ among immigrant other national groups were also present). A populations is much more pronounced for total of 22 teachers or specialist English as Eastern European migrants than for the an Additional Language (EAL) staff and UK’s other immigrant groups: they tend to 71 students born in different East European be over-educated for the level of work they countries were interviewed individually and perform. This state of affairs has implications in groups. The large majority of students for equality and possesses certain risks to came from families, in which parents did upward social mobility of these migrants and not hold higher education degrees and were their children. doing what could be classified as manual work. Parents of thirteen students also took part in research. Pupils speaking the languages of Eastern A statistical analysis of the Key Stage 4 Europe as their mother tongue are the (KS4) attainment of pupils across England fastest growing group in English schools. whose first language is recorded as being Bulgarian, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian Pupils speaking the languages of Eastern (Romania), Slovak, Slovenian, and Russian Europe as their mother tongue are the fastest also formed part of the research project. The growing group in English schools. Their English National Pupil Database linked to number increased by 135 per cent between the Annual School Census data was used for 2008 and 2012 and they are portrayed in this overview. Examination results over the the media as putting a significant strain on last five academic years were considered. school resources due to their language needs. Despite the prominence of this group of key findings migrants in public policy and media debates, there is still no picture of the educational Differences in achievement are found achievement and experiences of schooling among different groups of Eastern among Eastern European migrant students European pupils in England, although available research suggests that pupils (and their parents) might • Over the last five years, pupils speaking have benefited from strong educational Eastern European languages as their institutions in their home countries. mother tongue have seen a steady This report seeks to contribute to improvement of their KS4 results. For the understanding of the educational example, between 2009 and 2013 achievement of Eastern European migrant the proportion of these pupils leaving students in England, and the structures secondary education with 5 GCSEs and processes that affect their learning and at Grades A*-C increased by 22.2 per outcomes by: cent, compared with an average for the • describing the current national patterns national cohort of 11.8 per cent. As a of educational attainment within Eastern group, Eastern European pupils still European immigrant groups by language, attain below the national level. However, gender, ‘social class’ and mobility this group of pupils is characterised by indicators; the diversity of their language and ethnic 4 New migration, new challenges Eastern European migrant pupils in English schools English language proficiency is key The FSM/non-FSM for educational achievement attainment gap is much • Attainment data show that pupils in smaller among Eastern all Eastern European language groups European pupils than the perform significantly better in the national average. attainment indicator 5 A*-C GCSEs which does not include English and mathematics, than in the attainment backgrounds, socio-economic status, indicator 5 A*-C GCSEs including length of residence in England, their English and mathematics. experiences of schooling in the country of origin and their home cultures. • Data from the National Pupil Database show that those pupils whose school • In line with other research in sociology entry date is within the previous two of education, we found that social identity academic years (Years 10 and 11) record factors impact on the achievement of a striking attainment gap in GCSEs different pupils: and English Baccalaureate compared to • Girls outperform boys in all pupils whose entry date is earlier. Hence, attainment indicators at the end of although these pupils’ English might compulsory schooling. have developed to a reasonable level • Pupils taking free school meals for day to day communication, newly (FSM) perform less well generally arrived learners are unlikely to reach an than their non-FSM counterparts, but appropriate level of English for passing the attainment gaps are far smaller GCSEs. than national FSM/non-FSM gaps. In some language groups, pupils • Teachers highlight English language as taking free school meals exceed the the main problem of Eastern European attainment of those who are not students, pointing out how English taking free school meals. hinders the performance of these students • Analyses show statistically significant not only in subjects such as English and differences in attainment by the first humanities but notably in mathematics. language spoken by pupils, with Students feel that their status as an EAL Estonian speakers being the highest learner could be a barrier to achieving and Slovak and Czech speakers the success, with some stating that teachers lowest achievers in GCSEs. Pupils hold lower academic expectations of speaking Russian and Bulgarian EAL students like them and perhaps as their first language are relatively unwittingly ‘channel’ them into particular high achieving groups, with subject areas due to their perception of the Russian speakers performing EAL students’ disadvantaged position. above the national level in English Baccalaureate. Eastern European migrant families • A significant number of pupils from have a strong impact on aspirations underachieving groups of Slovak and and engagement with education Czech speakers may be from a Roma ethnic background. • Eastern European parents we interviewed share similar perceptions about the • The factors which hinder Eastern opportunity structure and what is European students’ educational success necessary to succeed in England. They and chances for mobility are amplified see England as a place of opportunities in the case of Roma students who face multiple inequalities, including racism from other Eastern European migrants and Teachers highlight prejudice from teachers in school. Roma English language as the families also tend to have lower levels of cultural capital. main problem of Eastern European students. New migration, new challenges Eastern European migrant pupils in English schools 5 jobless, aggressive and so on). The Well over half of students we interviewed seemingly positive stereotype of Eastern said they intend to go to university, and European