Schools Facing Gang Challenge

Schools are dealing with the "side effects" of gang culture including weapons, according to research.

Although gang culture affects a minority of schools, it is feared children as young as nine are being recruited to such groups.
The findings are drawn from a study commissioned by the NASUWT teachers' union.

The government says it is committed to supporting schools to tackle gang-related activities.

Following a spate of teenage murders, the extent of youth gang culture in the UK is a growing concern.

It is also a growing problem, with experts estimating that the number of gang members under the age of 16 has doubled in the last five years, the report says.

The NASUWT commissioned Perpetuity - a research consultancy company - to investigate the potential impact of gangs and gang culture on schools in the UK and it has published its interim report.

Teachers think gang culture in schools has become more noticeable in the past three years.

They have caught young people carrying weapons into school and witnessed clashes between different ethnic groups.

The study says children are vulnerable to gang-related activity on their way to and from school and believe the government may need to develop national strategies to address this issue.

It suggests "staggered school closing times may prevent clashes between rival gangs in local communities".

It also believes school absences place young people at increased risk of gang involvement.

They suggest national policies need to be devised to address problems of truancy and school exclusion and suggest pupil tracking systems are used to ensure that young people do not go missing from the education authorities.

The findings are based on two case studies in urban areas in London and north-west Birmingham.

The researchers said: "It is important that these findings are not generalised to represent schools across the UK, they do however provide insight into some of the issues that have been unveiled during consultation with teachers, staff and young people in urban schools in the UK."

Staff in schools were aware of gangs having clear hierarchical structures, where older gang members recruited younger boys to work for them.

There were also reports of school leavers hanging around outside the school gates trying to recruit new members.

Some staff remarked that education was not perceived as "cool" by some of the young people they suspected were involved in gangs and noted their low aspirations.

NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said: "This report suggests that there is no widespread problem of gang related activity in schools but where it exists it is of significant concern.

"It sends a clear signal that any gang problems need to be acknowledged rather than concealed so that they can be tackled head on.

"The critical issue is to bust the myth that being part of a gang is either safe or glamorous."

The Department for Children, Schools and Families(DCSF) believes it is taking a tough line on gang-related activities in schools.

Schools minister Jim Knight said: "We are sending out a clear message that bringing a weapon into school is a criminal offence and will not be tolerated.

"We have given school staff tough powers to search pupils for weapons to ensure schools are "knife free" zones and safe and secure places to learn.

"We are preparing new, practical guidance for schools to help them more fully understand the issues, adopt strategies to reduce the risk of pupils being exposed to or drawn into gang related activities and to tackle any incidents that might occur."

The completed research findings from phase one of the study will be published in September 2008.

With thanks to BBC News for this news item: bbc.co.uk/news