Exam targets low for Asian-descent pupils

GCSE targets for ethnic minority pupils in Oldham are among the lowest in the country.

Only a quarter of pupils of Pakistani descent are predicted to get at least five good GCSE passes this year, including English and maths.

For pupils of Bangladeshi descent the figure is 31 per cent, compared with 44 per cent of all pupils.

Parts of Oldham have some of the largest numbers of ethnic-minority pupils in the country and the borough’s targets have been revealed by the Times Educational Supplement.

Pakistani and Bangladeshi pupils each make up about a quarter of Radclyffe’s School’s 1,350 pupils.

Last year the number of pupils there gaining five A* to C grades, including English and maths, rose from 24 per cent to 47 per cent: 46 per cent for Pakistani pupils and 45 per cent for Bangladeshi.

Head teacher Hardial Hayer said the school worked in partnership with the local authority and explained: “Every school sets it own targets. As far as we are concerned, whatever background students come from we set them high, challenging targets.

“If they do not meet them we do not beat up any staff about it. It is about setting challenging targets we can do our best to reach rather than setting targets which can be easily achieved but do not serve any purpose.”

It is the individual child that is key to us. No matter what background they come from, we are about moving them forward.”

Nationally, an average of 43 per cent of Pakistani-descent pupils are predicted to reach the five GCSE benchmark, and 49 per cent for Bangladeshis.

Janet Doherty, Oldham’s director of children, young people and families, said the council’s targets were based on the most recent national data and aimed to help underperforming groups close the gap.

She added: “The council works closely with all communities to make sure that the setting of targets reflects high academic aspirations but takes into account social circumstances. By doing so, Oldham schools are able to offer teaching that is tailored to meet specific needs.”