Raising the attainment of minority ethnic pupils is a key DCSF commitment. In March 2003 the Government launched a consultation document Aiming High: Raising the Achievement of Minority Ethnic Pupils (Word 554 KB) which sought views on developing a National Strategy to raise minority ethnic pupils' achievement. This Strategy located the educational needs of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds within the broader DfES challenge to raise standards in schools. The document identified leadership as being a key tool to narrowing achievement gaps and identified the achievement of African-Caribbean pupils as giving serious cause for concern.
One of the first initiatives to be introduced was the African Caribbean Achievement Project which was launched on 7th November 2003, involving 30 pilot schools who were required to carry out an initial self-evaluation audit involving the school staff, pupils and parents, including collating and analysing a range of data, to identify strengths and key priorities for development. Lessons learned from these pilots informed the roll out of the National Strategies Black Pupils' Achievement Programme (BPAP).
