Excellence, equality and educational reform: The myth of South Asian achievement levels1

Abstract It has been alleged that South Asian pupils are achieving as well as their white peers in the British education system. This article critically reviews existing literature and provides evidence from a study examining the experiences in schooling of a sample of South Asian and white British university undergraduates. It is clear that when the actual process of attainment, as opposed to quantifiable examination results, are compared, the education received by the South Asian sample may be seen as highly unsatisfactory. The implications of the 1988 Education Reform Act for the education of black and Asian children are also considered.