In his contribution to the HEA Education December update (http://bit.ly/17Q6sOY) Professor David Gillborn - Centre for Research in Race & Education (CRRE) - outlines data illustrating how the achievement gap had almost closed in England if the previous measure of 5 GCSEs Grades A-C including English and Maths was still used and the impact of the introduction of the ebacc on the achievement data for BME students.

1. Moving the Goalposts?
Winners and losers in educational attainment – some initial findings
from ongoing research at the Centre for Research in Race &
Education (CRRE) at the University of Birmingham
Contact: Professor David Gillborn
d.gillborn@bham.ac.uk
November 2013

2. The E. Bacc Penalty: 5+ A*-C incl. English & maths vs English Bacc
by ethnic group (percent, England, all pupils)
80
74.4
70
59.7
60
58.2
57.9
52.6
65.3%
49.1
50
40
83.4%
30
80.6%
78.8%
25.8
81.2%
20
10
73.2%
48.6
84.3%
15.3
9.9
11.2
11.1
9.2
7.6
0
Indian
Bl.
Indian Bangl.
Bangl. White
White Bl. AfricanPak.
Pak. Mixed & Carib.
White Bl. Black
British
(W/BC)
British African
Bl. Carib Caribbean
E. Bacc penalty = proportion of students successful in old measure who fail to secure the E. Bacc
Source: Adapted from DfE (2012)SFR 03/2012, table 1.

3. The Odds of Success:
(GCSE benchmark vs English Baccalaureate)
Race
White British success relative to Black Caribbean students:
odds ratio: 1.47 (GCSE benchmark)
2.2 (E.Bacc)
Social Disadvantage
Non-FSM success relative to FSM students:
odds ratio: 3.08 (GCSE benchmark)
4.62 (E.Bacc)
Disability
Non-SEN success relative to SEN students:
odds ratio: 8.03 (GCSE benchmark)
9.02 (E.Bacc)
Source: Odds ratios calculated in a re-analysis of official data (DfE 2012,SFR 03/2012,
table 1): see also Gillborn & Demack (2012) The Still Moving Right Show - talking
justice while widening gaps. Race Equality Teaching, 31(1) Autumn, pp. 4-10.

4. The Black/White Achievement Gap: moving the goalposts
60
88-05: 5+ A*-C GCSEs
06-10: 5+ A*-C inc Eng & maths
10-12: English Baccalaureate
2006
‘Gold Standard’
2010:
White
odds
1.58
50
1999:
White odds of
success 1.56
Percent successful
40
1993: White
odds of
success 2.84
2011
E. Bacc.
2006:
White
odds
1.92
30
20
2011:
White
odds
2.2
10
0
1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Sources: all official data: 1988 to 2003 SFR 04/2005; 2004 DfES (2006) p. 41; 2005 DfES (2006) p. 42; 2006 SFR
46/2006; 2007 SFR 38/2007; 2008 to 20012 SFR 04/2013.

5. 90
The Black/White Achievement Gap: the ‘old’ measure
’88-12: 5+ A*-C GCSEs (any subjects)
80
70
Percent successful
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Sources: all official data: 1988 to 2003 SFR 04/2005; 2004 DfES (2006) p. 41; 2005 DfES (2006) p. 42; 2006 SFR
46/2006; 2007 SFR 38/2007; 2008 to 20012 SFR 04/2013.