Fascinating study into the experience of pupils from Eastern European backgrounds in English Schools
New migration, new challenges: Eastern European migrant pupils in English schools
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New migration, new challenges: Eastern European migrant pupils in English schools
Migration from East European countries is a ‘hot’ topic in the UK. Since the enlargement of the European Union (EU), and in the wake of the recent end of labour market restrictions for Romania and
Bulgaria, the rapid inflow of these migrants has attracted a considerable amount of public attention.
These migrants are well integrated into the labour market but are described as working in unskilled, precarious and more informal jobs that pay low wages and do not always require English language proficiency. The common phenomenon of ‘downgrading’ among immigrant populations is much more pronounced for Eastern European migrants than for the UK’s other immigrant groups: they tend to be over-educated for the level of work they perform. This state of affairs has implications for equality and possesses certain risks to upward social mobility of these migrants and their children.
Pupils speaking the languages of Eastern Europe as their mother tongue are the fastest growing group in English schools. Their number increased by 135 per cent between 2008 and 2012 and they are portrayed in the media as putting a signifcant strain on school resources due to their language needs. Despite the prominence of this group of migrants in public policy and media debates, there is still no picture of the educational achievement and experiences of schooling among Eastern European migrant students in England, although available research suggests that pupils (and their parents) might have benefited from strong educational institutions in their home countries.
This report seeks to contribute to the understanding of the educational achievement of Eastern European migrant students in England, and the structures and processes that affect their learning and
outcomes by:
- describing the current national patterns of educational attainment within Eastern European immigrant groups by language, gender, ‘social class’ and mobility indicators;
- examining young people’s aspirations and factors that might enable and constrain their educational success in England
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