Culturally sensitive schooling: Understanding Pakistani Muslim parents’ school choices

DR MUHAMMAD NAEEM, ADDITIONAL SECRETARY, GOVERNMENT OF PUNJAB, PAKISTAN PROFESSOR TANYA OVENDEN-HOPE, DEAN AND PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION, PLYMOUTH MARJON UNIVERSITY, UK Introduction Evidence to inform best practice in schools and at systems level should be sought from a variety of sources. This article offers findings from parents to contextualise issues that impact on culturally sensitive schooling, and which support better practice in this area for policy and practice. Culturally sensitive schooling engages with diverse student populations and culturally relevant pedagogical strategies (Berglund, 2015) and embodies cultural responsiveness (Aronson et al., 2016). Meeting the religious and cultural needs of Muslim Pakistani students, and the wider Muslim school community, is challenging for many schools in England. Culturally (in)sensitive schooling is an important consideration for Muslim Pakistani parents when choosing a school that aligns with their beliefs (Banks and Banks, 2015)