The achievement of Somali boys: a case-study in an inner-London comprehensive school
Keywords: MLT2017
MLT

This study seeks to examine some of the issues facing Somali boys in the context of an inner London comprehensive school. Over the previous few years, there has been a significant gap in the achievement (in the broadest sense) of Somali boys and that of their peers in my school. This is an identified focus in my school and has been the subject of some brief reviews. The current study builds on this work and evaluates a peer-mentoring intervention as a strategy to improve the school experience of Year 7 Somali boys.
Key research questions include: Review of the literature:
·What is the background to the Somali community in the UK?
·What are the possible barriers to Somali boys’ achievement and positive school experience in UK schools?
·What possible strategies can be used to address these barriers?
My empirical research:
·What are Somali boys’ perceptions of their school experience in my school?
·What are the possible barriers to Somali boys’ achievement and positive school experience in my school?
·Can a system of peer mentoring be an effective strategy to promote achievement and positive school experience for Somali boys?
The published literature details evidence of generalised underachievement amongst Somali boys across the UK, and notes that there are a variety of key factors behind this, such as language, culture, socio-economic factors and a lack of role models in the community. It is a relatively underdeveloped area of educational research however, so I wanted to gain an insight into the experiences of the students themselves and design an intervention that would fit my own context but also be relevant to other schools in the UK with high Somali populations and indeed other minority ethnic groups.
This study focuses not just on academic achievement but also social development and positive engagement in school life. In order to collect rich, exploratory data in relation to these many different aspects, I used a case-study framework and collected predominantly qualitative data gained from student questionnaires and interviews. My intervention, based on the literature and on the data from my questionnaire and interviews, involved the use of Year 12 Somali students acting as peer mentors for all Year 7 Somali boys who chose to participate (12 students). Each mentor met weekly with the same students; the precise focus of the meeting was dependent on individual circumstances but was informal in nature and broadly looking at issues of learning, behaviour and aspirations.
Through the first research phases, I gained a lot of rich data on student experiences, and found a pattern of supportive homes/ parents, with generalised very aspirational sentiment and high academic self-concept. I also found evidence of a generalised lack of role models, students experiencing regular racism and bullying and negative behaviour cycles. Contrary to the published literature, language was not found to be a significant barrier to learning and all students were found to be bilingual. Finally, the evaluation of the peer-mentoring intervention found that this is a positive, sustainable strategy which is of value to both mentors and mentees; the positive relationships between mentor and mentee were the key elements which made this a valuable programme for the Year 7 and Year 12 students.