The Significance of Schooling for an Ethnic Minority

There was a time, not long ago, when it was possible to contemplate Britain under the image of a large and fundamentally harmonious family. There were disparities of lifechances, to be sure, but these were within tolerable limits; opportunities existed in abundance for those who wished to take them, there was sufficient wealth to supply the needs of all and the outlook was one of steady improvement. Within that Britain there would be a place for a small proportion of people from alien ethnic and cultural backgrounds; even if their entry was mainly into the lower social strata they had a definite hope of social betterment. Here the education system would play an important part, being the main means by which immigrants would be introduced to the ways of the host society, and by which avenues of advancement would be opened to the able and industrious. Of course this idea could only be sustained if perception was highly selective, and if historical evidence was largely ignored. It was, however, comfortable and reassuring, well fitted to a period of general prosperity, when social-democratic measures were the norm.