The risk matrix, an educational policy tool: amber alert!

Despite having the highest levels of educational attainment, people from minority ethnic (ME) communities are twice as likely to be unemployed compared to those from white communities. Race equality employment initiatives designed to address this disparity are scattered across a number of Directorates in the Scottish Government and its delivery agents, with no consistency or co-ordinated approach by other public bodies to implement and action race equality into employment initiatives (Lyle, 2017). This paper explores policy levers and tools used in school to close this 'employment gap' as ME young people transition out of compulsory education, through semi-structured interviews with teachers and young people. The findings illustrate the dualistic approach taken by schools, where the 'ordinary majority' is overlooked (Roberts, 2011:5). This strongly suggests that the resources to support ME young people is inconsistent, and which is not prioritised due to lack of interest in the 'missing middle' by academics and policymakers.