Eight out of ten students in England are non-white, schools 'still segregated' by race

London, Jan.20 (ANI): Several schools in England's most diverse towns and cities are still segregated along racial lines, despite a high-profile Government drive to break down ethnic barriers, according to one research conducted by Bristol University.

According to the data collected, Pakistani and Bangladeshi pupils in Oldham account for around a third of the primary school population, but some eight out of 10 of these children are in schools that are "mostly non-white" - a rate that remains unchanged between 2002 and 2008.

In Bradford, Pakistani pupils make up around a third of the school-age population, but fewer than 10 per cent of these are taught in primary or secondary schools in which white children are in a majority.

Figures for Manchester schools show one-in-eight secondary pupils are from Pakistani families but - of these - only one per cent is taught in schools that have mostly white pupils.

In Blackburn, some 40 per cent of pupils are from Indian or Pakistani backgrounds, but around 85 per cent of these are educated in schools where most children are non-white. rof Burgess said: "Schools are an important place where this interaction takes place.

In the latest study, The Telegraph quotes researchers as saying that segregation nationally was either "remaining constant or declining" but schools in some northern towns remained stubbornly split along race lines.

Prof Simon Burgess, director of the university's Centre for Market and Public Organisation, said: "There is certainly no rise in segregation in schools. Nevertheless, there are still places where segregation is high, particularly in Oldham and also in Bradford and Blackburn. It is not increasing but it is not coming down rapidly either."

The study, which was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, charted the ethnic make-up of primary and secondary schools in England between 2002 and 2008.

The findings are presented in a website - officially launched on Wednesday - showing the number of pupils from each racial group in all 150 local authorities. (ANI)