26th November 2014 4:00
By Blue Tutors
New research has shown that London’s excellent GCSE results are most likely due to ethnic diversity in London schools. Research published by the Centre for Market and Public Organisation at Bristol University suggests that the “London Effect”, where students perform considerably better that in the rest of the country, is due to the ethnic make-up of the student population and not the considerable cash injection given to London schools in order to improve their results. The London Challenge, launched by Labour in 2003, has been credited with improving results in the capital, and the policy was later rolled out in Greater Manchester. However, the new research will undermine the success of the policy, suggesting that the increasing ethnic diversity in London schools is responsible for the upturn in results.
Students attending state schools in London in 2013 scored 8 GCSE points higher than GCSE students in the rest of England. When the figures are analysed by ethnicity, the results show that white British students achieve the lowest scores. This factor has a significant bearing on understanding the excellent results achieved in London, as white British students make up 34% of London students compared to 84% in the rest of the country. This means that the increasing ethnic diversity in London is likely to have had a significant influence on the results of London students, as London has more high achieving students.
The results of the study will be disappointing to policy makers who viewed the London Challenge as a resounding success. The researchers were keen to point out that increasing funding for London schools was a positive step, and that the results of the study shouldn't undermine the principle in investing in education. They also commented that the results regarding ethnic diversity should be viewed as inspirational, demonstrating that as more students who were born abroad moved to London, the better the results became. Former education secretary Estelle Morris warned against writing-off the impact of the London Challenge, which poured new funding and initiatives into poor, inner city schools. She pointed out that although ethnic diversity is a factor, it is in all urban areas. London’s GCSE results remain considerably higher than anywhere else in the country.