Numbers game Ethnicity and grades

Government figures released last week showed an overall improvement in the number of pupils achieving five or more grades A* to C.

Despite all ethnic groups demonstrating improvements in their grades, it is acknowledged that more needs to be done. Schools minister Stephen Twigg last week referred to "closing that achievement gap" as being at the heart of the education agenda.

But there is hope in the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) statistics, with Black Caribbean pupils showing the greatest improvement - after the high-flying Chinese pupils - with a three per cent increase on the previous year's results.

One issue is that half of the country's ethnic minority pupils are in London, but schools in the capital find it difficult to recruit the best teachers.