The Excellence in Cities (EiC) policy was launched in 1999 with the aim of improving the attainment of all pupils in disadvantaged urban areas. Further Phases were launched in 2000 and 2001, by when EiC covered about a third of the secondary schools in England and over 60 per cent of the minority ethnic pupils in England attended schools in EiC areas. Substantial differences between ethnic groups in terms of levels of attainment have been identified. This report makes use of the National Pupil Database (NPD) and information collected as part of the national evaluation of EiC to examine the background and attainment of minority ethnic pupils in EiC areas, and the extent to which EiC is associated with improved levels of attainment for these pupils. The national datasets relate to attainment at the end of Key Stages 3 and 4, for the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 academic years. According to the authors, the most positive finding of the national evaluation of EiC was that the policy had an impact on attainment in Mathematics at Key Stage 3, particularly in the most disadvantaged schools in Phase 1 areas. There were complex relationships between attainment at Key Stage 3 and school factors, such as the overall level of attainment in the school, and pupil factors, such as prior attainment. This study provides evidence that, at Key Stage 4, the attainment of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds was higher in EiC Phase 1 areas than that of comparable pupils (taking into account a range of school and pupil factors including prior attainment) in non-EiC areas. The authors recommend further analysis of the achievements of pupils completing Key Stages 3 and 4, with an emphasis on exploring the relationship between involvement in EiC and attainment for pupils from minority ethnic groups, how this relationship is changing over time as EiC develops and becomes more embedded in schools, and the differences between the Phases of EiC. Examination of the extent to which the ethnic composition of the school is related to the levels of attainment of pupils from different ethnic backgrounds is also suggested. The study demonstrates that the differentials between ethnic groups tend to widen during secondary education, but that this process occurs at different stages for different groups. Further qualitative work in this area, and on the role of Learning Mentors in improving behaviour in school and reducing exclusions, is recommended. Five appendices are included: (1) Ethnicity and Background Characteristics - 2002 and 2003; (2) Ethnicity and Achievement - 2002 and 2003; (3) Other Tables; (4) Details of Multilevel Models; and (5) Derivation of Attitude Scales. (Contains 26 footnotes, 8 figures and 56 tables.)