Birmingham was one of the first education authorities to compile and publish figures showing pupil achievement by ethnicity, and it was a decision which helped the council identify which youngsters needed help most.
But while the authority’s policy was brave and correct, there is nonetheless a danger that too much focus is placed on the ethnic background of pupils.
As we report, white working class youngsters are failing to make the same progress as other parts of the community.
However, the key point here might be working class rather than white. And just as white children in less wealthy parts of the city might lead very different lives to those in the leafy suburbs, so some African Caribbean and Asian children will come from middle class families with a history of success in education, while others will not.
We must make sure we are never blind to inequality between different ethnic groups, but neither must be ignore the impact of wealth and class on every child.
