Black pupils still face exclusion

African-Caribbean children are more than three times as likely to be excluded from school as white pupils, according to independent research done for the government.

The two-year study also found that a “significant minority” of schools in England are in breach of race discrimination laws.

All schools and other public institutions have had to draw up a race equality policy under a recent amendment to the Race Relations Act. But less than half have an action plan to put the policy into effect.

The government claims rapid progress is being made on reducing the high exclusion rate of black pupils. But it refuses to accept that its own policies have squeezed the space in the school day and the resources to tackle inequality.