Graveney's streaming system has become almost synonymous with segregation. At the age of 11, pupils are often placed in sets based more on how themselves and their families are perceived in their initial interview and the results of their 11+ exams, (for which many middle class families are able to hire tutors) leading to the extension sets to be made up almost entirely of white middle class students and lower sets to be made up of BAME students. The unequal treatment given to different Graveney sets leads to a system wherein BAME are largely set up to fail, with many capable students either isolated and underestimated within higher sets, or unable to live up to their potential in lower sets. This also contributes to a wider problem, with many sets being made up almost entirely of either white students or BAME students leading to the normalisation of a total segregation between pupils of different backgrounds which continues to have a huge influence over the friend groups and attitudes of students.

Noticeably in Graveney ‘The proportion of students from minority ethnic groups is significantly above the national average.’ (https://www.locrating.com/schools-Graveney-School-0urn137005.aspx#body_section This brings the lack of diversity in particularly extension sets into sharp focus. Using the data about each form in the Graveney Leavers Yearbook 2017 as a case study, we contrasted the diversity of different sets. In the three extension forms, which comprised 96 students in total, only 29 of those students were BAME and only 13 students in this group were black students, with one form having only 1 black student. In contrast, the lowest streamed set in this year group was a form comprising of 16 students, all but 2 of whom were BAME students. 

We believe that there are changes Graveney could easily enact in order to avoid these issues arising to the extent that they currently do. We propose that Graveney changes how they stream students going into their first year, with the emphasis being on SAT results rather than family interviews and 11+ results, both of which hugely favour white middle class students. This change could lead to a much more equal learning environment.