British schools are failing to tackle the growing problem of gangs in the classroom because they fear accusations of racism

Julie Henry:

The gang culture permeating schools is bringing drugs and stolen goods into the playground but is often going unchallenged, according to Dr Ikhlaq Din, a Bradford University researcher.

His findings, published in the latest edition of the Race Equality Teaching journal, follow a warning earlier this year by school inspectors that one in five secondary schools in England was concerned about "gang behaviour" among pupils.

Based on interviews with teenagers at three schools in Bradford, the West Yorkshire city that was the scene of race riots in 1995 and 2001, the study revealed that being part of a gang allowed pupils to do virtually "what they wanted" in front of other pupils and even teachers, whose authority was limited.

"Because the gang members are from a minority ethnic background, schools may be reluctant to deal with gangs for fear of accusations of racism," said Dr Din. "Schools host a hidden economy where illegal activities like selling drugs and stolen goods can be carried out away from the public gaze."

In the study, 17 of the 22 respondents, aged 14 to 19 and of Pakistani origin, reported that gangs were operating in schools, while 13 said they had seen drugs being sold on school premises.

One 16-year-old male pupil said: "It starts in the school - the bad kids who walk around in gangs, who steal or beat someone up for no excuse, because they want everyone to know they are hard. The problem is that no one thinks there are gangs in schools."

Teachers are seen as having little authority and can even be targeted by gang members. When pupils are disciplined, they claim they are being discriminated against, according to one female pupil.

"I've seen teachers get picked on, sworn at by these lads," said the 17-year-old.

"They can't really do anything because the kids will make something up against the teacher.

"On one occasion, this lad stabbed another pupil and the police were called in to school. His mates were cheering him. What's the worst that can happen to them? They get suspended or excluded. These lads are not scared of that - they would say that the white teachers pick on them because they are Pakistanis."

Dr Din said tensions between parents and their children, lack of employment opportunities and the pressure put on Pakistani boys by their own communities contributed to the development of gangs. He recommended that schools develop close relationships with parents and elders and be more aware of the particular concerns of young people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Cedric Cullingford, a professor of education at Huddersfield University, who contributed to the paper, said that gangs made up of minority ethnic groups played the "race card" as a way of supporting each other.

"It might not be justified, but it is inevitable," he said. "We are talking about students who feel disfranchised and have a deep-seated uncertainty about their personal identity in schools, which is exacerbated by schools' concentration on tests and league tables."

Dis-United Kingdom

Black boys betrayed by racist school system, says report