Bristol pupils from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds are now performing almost as well as their white counterparts in school, figures show.

The proportion of BME pupils getting five good GCSE grades including English and maths is just 1 per cent lower than white pupils.

The number of BME pupils being suspended from school has also dropped, although black boys are still “disproportionately excluded”, according to Bristol City Council.

Nick Batchelar, director of learning, achievement and schools at the council, said: “Schools’ awareness of their role in promoting community cohesion and in ensuring progress of all pupil groups has improved. (And) recruitment of BME governors has increased.”

Government funding to help ethnic minority communities has ended, so Bristol City Council bosses will use #163;450,000 of schools’ funding to pay for extra support for BME pupils. KM.