ABSTRACT
One of the divisive structures in multicultural Britain is the very varied access that young people from different backgrounds have to post-compulsory education. Non-participation among ethnic minorities often reflects their experience of pre-16 education, including lack of understanding and support from teachers, and ignorant comments based on stereotyping about career goals, family and community cultures. The Widening Access Through Sport (WATS) project was funded by the European Social Fund and was part of the UK government's policy to increase access to further and higher education among groups who were currently under-represented. The chapter uses sport as a vehicle for investigating the experiences of second-generation young Muslim females in Britain. Sport is a useful focus for this type of investigation because of its special position in relation to Muslim women: it is an activity condoned by Islam but severely restricted by cultural restrictions on women.
