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Anti-Racism Conversations presentation (Glasgow EAL team, May 2026)

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Anti-Racism Conversations presentation (Glasgow EAL team, May 2026)

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Antiracist Clubs Network Meeting - 11th May 2026

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Case Study: Hayshead Anti-Racism Club - A Primary School Journey

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Case Study: Hayshead Anti-Racism Club - A Primary School Journey

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Interested in joining the Anti-Racist Clubs Network? Details here!

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Interested in joining the Anti-Racist Clubs Network? Details here!

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Facilitated by Education Scotland, the Anti-Racist Clubs Network is for educators interested in finding support to set up and/or run an anti-racist club for pupils/staff/parents in their schools and learning establishments.

The network's termly meetings are an opportunity for educators to share their experiences of running an anti-racist club (for pupils, families and/or staff), for others to explore how to go about setting one up, and for us all to bounce ideas, collaborate and support each other.

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Easily create surveys and polls to collect customer feedback, measure employee satisfaction, and organize team events.

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Starting a club? Some reads to get inspired.

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Starting a club? Some reads to get inspired.

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Anti-Racism Society | Drumchapel High School

Anti-Racism Clubs: Why Every School Should Make Space for One – Bella Caledonia featuring one of our Katies!

Start an Anti-Racist Club - Stride magazine

Pupils in Scotland Call for Change: It's Time for an Anti-Racist, Decolonised Curriculum

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See Me, Hear Me: Pupils in Fife recorded their testimonies of racism with an animated video used for professional learning.

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See Me, Hear Me: Pupils in Fife recorded their testimonies of racism with an animated video used for professional learning.

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Older pupils supporting younger pupils who experience racism (Anti-Racist Buddies)

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Older pupils supporting younger pupils who experience racism (Anti-Racist Buddies)

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Some ideas for learning activities/resources across Primary stages

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Some ideas for learning activities/resources across Primary stages

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20 Topics for Decolonizing the Curriculum at Each Year Group (3)

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Q: Does anyone have experience or examples of setting up anti-racist groups or delivering anti racist learning with adults or community groups? Would really love some examples and advice around resources shared.

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Q: Does anyone have experience or examples of setting up anti-racist groups or delivering anti racist learning with adults or community groups? Would really love some examples and advice around resources shared.

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In an ideal world, everything that anti-racist clubs do would be embedded in the timetabled, explicit curriculum. Check out Scotland's Anti-Racist Curriculum Principles

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In an ideal world, everything that anti-racist clubs do would be embedded in the timetabled, explicit curriculum. Check out Scotland's Anti-Racist Curriculum Principles

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Emerging from the Anti-Racism in Education Programme, the Anti-Racist Curriculum Principles, entitled 'Breaking the Mould', have been designed to support learners, educators and leaders understand what an anti-racist curriculum can mean in practice.

Accessing the anti-racist curriculum principles
The Anti-Racist Curriculum Principles (PDF 64 KB) The Anti-Racist Curriculum Principles - Gaelic version (PDF 84 KB)
They can also be accessed alongside examples of practice and support on this Glow website: Anti-Racist Curriculum Principles - Promoting Race Equality and Anti-racist Education.

Case studies and further guidance will be added on over time.

Why do we need an anti-racist curriculum?

The title of the Anti-Racist Curriculum Principles, 'Breaking the Mould', was coined by a Black young person and Member of Scottish Youth Parliament who co-designed the principles with anti-racist educators and experts.

'Breaking the mould' is about recognising and challenging aspects of outdated and Eurocentric perspectives in the curriculum and introducing modern, relevant and responsive contexts for learning for all children and young people. The Anti-Racist Curriculum Principles strengthen the opportunities to embrace, celebrate and embed equity, diversity and social justice. Our curriculum can create space to disrupt racism and other forms of discrimination. The Principles help value, respect, recognise and represent the diversity of all children and young people. They also promote global citizenship and a sense of belonging as part of an inclusive learning environment.

The Vision, Values and Call to Action from the National Discussion on Education, has highlighted the importance of a curriculum that advances human rights, equity, inclusivity, and appreciation of diversity to recognise, respect, and represent the unique talents, characteristics, needs, interests, and potential of all learners. It is recognised that to fully value, respect, and represent the diversity of people in Scotland, it was important that this is reflected in the curriculum. Principles such as anti-racist education were identified as being paramount.

Educators are the key to bringing anti-racist education to life. They are key to 'breaking the mould' to create a contemporary curriculum that prepares learners for the modern world. In working towards an anti-racist curriculum, educators will find support from the Scottish Government, Education Scotland, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (and their successor bodies), local authority personnel and other system leaders.

How to use the anti-racist curriculum principles

Creating an anti-racist curriculum is a process that requires understanding, reflection and commitment.

Educators, local authorities, schools and early learning and childcare settings can consider how they wish to enact the principles for and with their learners and wider communities. The principles can be used to support professional learning, dialogue and reflection for staff and self-evaluation. They promote the co-design of an anti-racist curriculum with learners.

The Principles should be engaged with and alongside children's rights and human rights, Sustainable Development Goals, education professional standards, Equality and Inclusion legislation and Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence.

Improvement questions

Which aspects of your practice already align with the Anti-Racist Curriculum Principles?

What could be done differently to enact the Anti-Racist Curriculum Principles?

What support might you need to feel confident to co-design an anti-racist curriculum?

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Breaking the mould: Principles for an anti-racist curriculum

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Education Scotland is a Scottish Government executive agency responsible for supporting quality and improvement in Scottish education.

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Examples of museums modelling anti-racism for clubs and groups to consider

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Examples of museums modelling anti-racism for clubs and groups to consider

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The Empire, Slavery and Scotland's Museums recommendations were accepted by the Scottish Government in January 2024. This includes:

"Museums should support efforts to promote and embed race equality and anti-racism in the curricula in a meaningful, effective, and sustainable way."

A potential source of support for anti-racist clubs and trips in the future!

Empire, Slavery and Scotland’s Museums - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

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A Declaration of Discomfort

Most museums are monuments to a system that privileges some people over others and creates a narrative about the identity of nations or cities that institutions seek to project and protect.

Museums hold collections from donors who benefited from the practice of racial slavery, violent endeavours, forced removal and the systematic oppression of indigenous peoples.

Museums are political places.

'Curating Discomfort' puts forward discomforting provocations and interventions to help us to understand that museums have perpetuated ideologies of white supremacy: a political, economic and cultural system in which white western ideas control the power of the texts, the material resources and the actions that continue to underpin notions of cultural superiority.

Colonial systems, such as the British Empire, used these ideologies to justify the enslavement and colonisation of peoples and lands around the world. Museums developed within this context and they remain spaces that celebrate and memorialise colonial systems. Collections, displays and labels are a political act that have legacies rooted in colonialism.

We are only now recognising that we are not neutral and that we have, without consideration, been complicit in perpetuating the ideologies of previous centuries.

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Most museums are monuments to a system that privileges some people over others and creates a narrative about the identity of nations or cities that institutions seek to project and protect. Museums hold collections from donors who benefited from the practice of racial slavery, violent endeavours, forced removal and the systematic oppression of indigenous peoples.

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Anti-racist book lists, resources and videos available on the Scottish Book Trust

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Anti-racist book lists, resources and videos available on the Scottish Book Trust

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Our author events, resources and book lists are designed to support anti-racism and promote BIPOC voices and experiences through literature.

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Q: I'm looking for someone to come into the school for anti-racist training for children. Any suggestions?

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Q: I'm looking for someone to come into the school for anti-racist training for children. Any suggestions?

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A: The network suggested inviting inspirational speakers, artists and authors. A one-hour session won't fix the issue though, but it might help start anti-racist, sustainable actions, embedded in the curriculum and ethos of the whole setting. Suggestions in the comments of this post :)

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New Professional Learning resources available

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New Professional Learning resources available

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Under the Rights and Equalities theme in the new Inclusion, Wellbeing and Equalities Professional Learning framework, check out the:

Mirrors and Windows,

Bias and Inequalities,

Impact of Inequality, and

Talking about Diversity resources.

You could use these on your own, in groups or even in a staff in-service training to build confidence in the supporting and working alongside your anti-racist groups.

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Education Scotland is a Scottish Government executive agency responsible for supporting quality and improvement in Scottish education.

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International Migrants Day - 18th December

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International Migrants Day - 18th December

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Some resources shared by the network above.

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Our Migration Story: The Making of Britain presents the often untold stories of the generations of migrants who came to and shaped the UK.

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This was last academic session's note to staff in the Junior and Senior School

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Diversity Calendars with Religious Holidays

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Diversity Calendars with Religious Holidays

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Education DEI Calendar 2022-23 | Diverse Educators

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2023 Celebrations (All Celebrations for 2023) - Calendarr

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Calendar with 2023 Celebrations and Holidays of the United Kingdom.

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Emerging from the Anti-Racism in Education Programme, the Anti-Racist Curriculum Principles, entitled 'Breaking the Mould', have been designed to support learners, educators and leaders understand what an anti-racist curriculum can mean in practice.

Accessing the anti-racist curriculum principles
The Anti-Racist Curriculum Principles (PDF 64 KB) The Anti-Racist Curriculum Principles - Gaelic version (PDF 84 KB)
They can also be accessed alongside examples of practice and support on this Glow website: Anti-Racist Curriculum Principles - Promoting Race Equality and Anti-racist Education.

Case studies and further guidance will be added on over time.

Why do we need an anti-racist curriculum?

The title of the Anti-Racist Curriculum Principles, 'Breaking the Mould', was coined by a Black young person and Member of Scottish Youth Parliament who co-designed the principles with anti-racist educators and experts.

'Breaking the mould' is about recognising and challenging aspects of outdated and Eurocentric perspectives in the curriculum and introducing modern, relevant and responsive contexts for learning for all children and young people. The Anti-Racist Curriculum Principles strengthen the opportunities to embrace, celebrate and embed equity, diversity and social justice. Our curriculum can create space to disrupt racism and other forms of discrimination. The Principles help value, respect, recognise and represent the diversity of all children and young people. They also promote global citizenship and a sense of belonging as part of an inclusive learning environment.

The Vision, Values and Call to Action from the National Discussion on Education, has highlighted the importance of a curriculum that advances human rights, equity, inclusivity, and appreciation of diversity to recognise, respect, and represent the unique talents, characteristics, needs, interests, and potential of all learners. It is recognised that to fully value, respect, and represent the diversity of people in Scotland, it was important that this is reflected in the curriculum. Principles such as anti-racist education were identified as being paramount.

Educators are the key to bringing anti-racist education to life. They are key to 'breaking the mould' to create a contemporary curriculum that prepares learners for the modern world. In working towards an anti-racist curriculum, educators will find support from the Scottish Government, Education Scotland, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (and their successor bodies), local authority personnel and other system leaders.

How to use the anti-racist curriculum principles

Creating an anti-racist curriculum is a process that requires understanding, reflection and commitment.

Educators, local authorities, schools and early learning and childcare settings can consider how they wish to enact the principles for and with their learners and wider communities. The principles can be used to support professional learning, dialogue and reflection for staff and self-evaluation. They promote the co-design of an anti-racist curriculum with learners.

The Principles should be engaged with and alongside children's rights and human rights, Sustainable Development Goals, education professional standards, Equality and Inclusion legislation and Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence.

Improvement questions

Which aspects of your practice already align with the Anti-Racist Curriculum Principles?

What could be done differently to enact the Anti-Racist Curriculum Principles?

What support might you need to feel confident to co-design an anti-racist curriculum?

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Breaking the mould: Principles for an anti-racist curriculum

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Education Scotland is a Scottish Government executive agency responsible for supporting quality and improvement in Scottish education.

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Navigating sensitivities around "Cultural / Diversity" events led by Anti-Racist Clubs

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Navigating sensitivities around "Cultural / Diversity" events led by Anti-Racist Clubs

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Cultural Diversity events or Black History events organised by children, young people and anti-racist clubs can be very powerful and meaningful anti-racist actions. However, these can be perceived as (or may unintentionally be) tokenistic and harmful (in the case of cultural appropriation).

- If possible, please consider exploring these sensitivities beforehand with groups (e.g. what's the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation).

- Consider how you could communicate your awareness of these sensitivities and the rationale for the events with those who aren't members of your anti-racist group (e.g. other pupils, staff, families and wider community members). The linked CRER Black History Month page is a good example of this, where they explain it's one month but it's change all year round.

- Consider how you could welcome constructive feedback from those participating in the events (e.g. anonymous surveys on how the event felt... Cultural appropriation/appreciation? Tokenism / meaningful change) to learn from and to inform future actions. Being open and transparent of your learning in the future is a solid foundation for an anti-racist culture and ethos.

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We owe the concept of Black History Month to the son of former enslaved people, Dr. Carter G Woodson, an African American scholar, who noted that American history books largely ignored the Black American Population. You can find out more about the life of Dr. Carter G Woodson here.

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Video created by a Primary Anti-Racist Club (Newark Primary School: We Are All Special)

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Video created by a Primary Anti-Racist Club (Newark Primary School: We Are All Special)

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After noticing racist incidents taking place in their school community, the children in Newark Primary's anti-racist club developed this powerful video with their teacher and an animator, using their voices, drawings and advice for teachers. A great 6min resource for children, young people and adults to raise awareness of the impact of racism and the things we can all do to make a difference!

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Racism is a hard topic and it can be especially tough to bring up with children due to the negative feelings it brings up. However, as the parents, guardians and trusted adults in their lives, we have a responsibility to help them feel safe discussing difficult things.

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Young Person's Perspective - Creating an inclusive and safe environment for everyone

My name is Bruna and I am the President of the Anti-Racism Club in my school. My goal for our school is to create an inclusive and safe environment to everyone. However, I also have a bigger goal, and that is to give every single young person a role model and have real knowledge about each other which will help us to understand each other better.

Nowadays, our society is like a building, where we have people on the top and people in the bottom, and what I want to do is create a nice and peaceful neighbourhood where all have the same amount of help and opportunities. I'm at the beginning of this huge change that includes every single one of us. We have to educate ourselves before educating others.

I have created the website for our club and created some educational PowerPoints. We also have an Instagram account where we can share and support others more easily. Our main point of the social media is to help other students with racism in their schools.

Our club secretary has sent a letter that we, as a club, have written to the Scottish Government to make decolonisation of the curriculum mandatory. We believe it is important that every young person can see themselves in the classroom, have role models and have a sense of belonging. If we see the artists, inventors, scientists, writers, mathematicians , sport people, chiefs and all the activities of a wider range of people this will help stop racism. To make it mandatory, it means all schools in Scotland need to make this change.

Last year we had an Anti-racism week, we had some events to build anti-racist culture in our school. We made orange our colour and made orange ribbons which many teachers and students are still wearing showing their support.

At the beginning of this year, we started to work on our school board where we can share a tiny percentage of what we are doing in our club to bring more awareness of our club and to encourage other students to join.

In our club room, our safe space, one of our members gave the idea of having a suggestions box so we can share our thoughts of events or things that we can reform through the club. We are also making a list of topics to discuss. So far, we have spoken about 9/11, religion, The Little Mermaid film and the World Cup. We are learning from each other, learning to be more open and understanding of other people's beliefs.

We have had the opportunity of teaching our first language to other young people in the school. For example, Arabic and Portuguese. This helps bring more awareness of other languages to the school, removing the unknown that can lead to discrimination and also for the students that speak these languages a feeling of belonging.

We also want to share and learn from other schools. It is important that every school has a club to make more people feel safe and part of their school. We took part in two webinars for Education Scotland and ran a stall for Glasgow City Council PARTIE (Promoting Anti-Racism In Education) event. We hope to do more as it is so important to share, learn and support each other.

The club has given us confidence, we are learning from each other about being anti-racist, we are more aware of other people's cultures, and we feel anti-racism is being taken seriously in our school. We are feeling safer, proud, happier, stronger and most importantly - heard.
This is the beginning of this huge change and includes every single one of us.
The Building Racial Literacy programme is open to all educators in Scotland and is aimed at those interested in becoming anti-racist educators and leaders.

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Young Person's Perspective - Creating an inclusive and safe environment for everyone

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Young people learning from each other about being anti-racists.

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Anti-racist Clubs Network – End of year reflections 

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Anti-racist Clubs Network – End of year reflections 

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Anti-racist Clubs Network - 2023 Reflections

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Jamboard to support reflective discussions at the next network meeting 

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Jamboard to support reflective discussions at the next network meeting 

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BRL anti-racist club network reflections - Google Jamboard

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The version of the browser you are using is no longer supported. Please upgrade to a supported browser. Dismiss

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The Doll Test - Effect of Racism on Children

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The Doll Test - Effect of Racism on Children

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Doll test - The effects of racism on children (ENG)

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I've been looking at this to do with the club but also maybe my class: 2023: Welcoming Refugees Project (studentsrebuild.org)

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Pryvit. Hola. Iwi Selami Newi. Salut. Merhaba. Huānyíng. Welcome.

We invited students from around the world to join us on an adventure of learning, empathy and art. Kids channeled their creativity to welcome people displaced by war and other crises by creating postcards sent to young refugees around the world. The Bezos Family Foundation donated $5 to refugee-aid organizations for every postcard created. __The Challenge is now closed.__

From understanding to action in 1-2-3.

We invite students to deepen their understanding of refugees living around the globe-and use it as a catalyst for action-by taking three simple-but-powerful steps:

1. Register, set, go!

Registration for the Extraordinary Earth Project is now open! Learn about how we can protect the extraordinary Earth through tackling global environmental issues like climate change. We provide the lessons, content guides and other website resources.

2. Create your art!

Create art out of recycled materials that helps deepen connections with the following environmental themes: Repurposing Waste, Deforestation, Clean Air and Ecosystems.

Make a change

For each artwork you submit, the Bezos Family Foundation will make a $5 donation to organizations tackling environmental issues responding to the climate crisis across the world.

Get Started

Get Started with the Welcoming Refugees Project

To jump into action, use our [Leader Guide](https://studentsrebuild.org/materials/team-leader-overview-guide "Leader Guide"), [Making Art Guide](https://studentsrebuild.org/materials/making-art-guide-refugee "Making Art Guide") and watch our [short introduction video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUza9Ko6YYk "short introduction video"). Explore additional learning opportunities on our [Resources](https://studentsrebuild.org/challenges/refugee/resources "resources") page. All are flexible enough for any setting and designed to maximize student engagement while minimizing prep time. Many meet national standards. And all are free of charge.

Why the Welcoming Refugees Project?

Inspiring change.

Students Rebuild teamed up with humanitarian aid organizations around the globe to inspire change through the Welcoming Refugees Project. Together, we're teaching students about refugee crises, how to make our communities more welcoming and open, and how small actions can make a big difference.

Students focus on what matters most to them.

Students learned about the global refugee crisis and were inspired to help. Next, they created art to amplify the cause by making a postcard or other piece of art to illustrate why it's important and to raise awareness for the issue. For every artwork we received on or before June 20, 2023, a donation of $5 went to programs helping refugees around the world.

How the money will helped.

The funding students generated supported five organizations that are providing humanitarian aid and other resources to refugees around the world. See a snapshot of the projects below and find a full description of the organizations and projects on our partner page.

Check out postcards from across the world.

Use this map to find other teams participating in the Challenge. Click the pins to see where teams are creating postcards and find inspiration in their artistic creations. Register to be added to the map, and click the icons to learn how the programs you're funding are making a difference.

raised of $1,600,000 goal

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Pryvit. Hola. Iwi Selami Newi. Salut. Merhaba. Huānyíng. Welcome. We invited students from around the world to join us on an adventure of learning, empathy and art. Kids channeled their creativity to welcome people displaced by war and other crises by creating postcards sent to young refugees around the world.

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This is a Scottish film and it is based on the real life experiences of the director around racism he faced growing up in Scotland. The director and crew are coming into my school to discuss this with us in June. They are a brilliant bunch who feel strongly about tackling racism. He runs Miles Away films and created Scotlands first Black comic hero. It would be good to encourage as many people to see the film as possible.

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The Difference Between Us | Official Trailer 2023  [HD]

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Modern Language teachers - opportunity to take part in research!

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Modern Language teachers - opportunity to take part in research!

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You can contact Mariel Deluna to find out more and get involved: mariel.deluna@ed.ac.uk

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participant call let's talk about race and language

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LGBTQI+ Reading List (from Edinburgh City Council, 2021)

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LGBTQI+ Reading List (from Edinburgh City Council, 2021)

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LGBTQI+ Recommended Reading March2021 - Edinburgh CC

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Race Equality Reading List for Staff (from Edinburgh City Council, 2021)

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Race Equality Reading List for Staff (from Edinburgh City Council, 2021)

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Race Equality Recommended Reading Feb2021 Ediburgh CC

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Draft Guidance for Staff Dealing with Racist Incidents, co-designed by a BPoC pupil-led group at George Watson's College 

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Draft Guidance for Staff Dealing with Racist Incidents, co-designed by a BPoC pupil-led group at George Watson's College 

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Supporting our BPoC community - Guidance for Staff George Watson's College - April 2023

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Guidance on Racial Slurs in Education Settings

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Guidance on Racial Slurs in Education Settings

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Promoting Race Equality and Anti-racist Education

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As educators, we try our best to make the classroom a safe space where everyone feels comfortable enough to explore sensitive topics without experiencing harm. Uncomfortable discussions are often valuable learning opportunities that every pupil can benefit from. For example, in PSHE, teachers or external organisations leading workshops often set ground rules to create a safe space and create an exceptional opportunity for pupils to write down or discuss slurs they may have heard to unpack the problematic use of that language, understand its history and the harm it can cause harm outside the classroom. Understandably, it is difficult to teach why certain words are unacceptable unless pupils know which words are being referred to. In these instances, I will assume that the educator has the best of intentions if they verbalise the N-word in a classroom. However, best intentions should be considered alongside the impact of decisions made in the classroom.

The 'safe space' paradox

Despite our best attempts at creating 'safe spaces' in a classroom, there is often no such thing for marginalised pupils (e.g. pupils who regularly experience racism, homophobia and ableism at school). When we try to create a safe space, it risks prioritising the comfort of majority ethnic, heterosexual and able-bodied pupils, or simply those who are brave enough to voice their discomfort when offensive language is discussed in an educational context. That is why some inclusive organisations are opting for the term 'brave spaces' instead, by recognising that spaces such as a classroom cannot be completely neutral and immune to the complex social power dynamics that exist in wider society.

Minimising Harm

As a rule of thumb, if a person from a marginalised group tells you that is not OK to say a certain word, even in educational contexts, then don't use it. If you punch one person and it doesn't hurt, then you punch a second person who says it hurts, do you keep punching them just because the first person wasn't in pain? Even if the majority (or most vocal) of a marginalised group say it's OK and a minority find it harmful, then we should stop verbalising the word as part of our quest to minimise harm.

To be able to do that, teachers need to be sensitive to the various social identities (both visible and invisible) in a classroom and the power dynamics happening within. This also requires aware of one's positionality (i.e. the social identities a teacher possesses, such as a white cis-gendered, able-bodied woman). Simply having the role of a teacher, which is a traditional figure of authority, creates an imbalance of power. This means, a teacher (especially a white teacher) may not appear as approachable for a young person of colour who is struggling to voice their discomfort around the use of racial slurs, especially in front of a classroom full of peers.

Why Teachers Shouldn't Say the N-Word

As mentioned above, even if it was just a small minority of Black people who had a problem with teachers using the N-word in the classroom, that would not give teachers a free pass to use it. It should go without saying that Black people do not form one homogenous group. Either way, looking at the 18,600 complaints received by the BBC after the N-word was said in full as part of a report on racist hate crime, there should be no doubt that the teachers should not be using it even if the context seems right.

Some like to point out that Black rappers use the N-words in their songs as if that means non-Black people can use it as well. The positionality of the person saying the word is important because we are social beings navigating complex social dynamics. The N-word was used historically to dehumanise Black people, to justify their murder at the hands of the non-Black people, and like some women re-appropriating the B-word, some Black people have chosen to re-appropriate the word as a form of resistance. However, for many, anti-Blackness is far too real and harmful for the violence of the word to be erased. Even in a classroom context where a teacher may be reading out the words from a book about Black empowerment. The murder of George Floyd at the hands of a white American policeman and the death of Sheku Bayoh in the custody of several white Scottish police officers in Kirkcaldy remind us that anti-Blackness is still a lived experience that many Black pupils may be experiencing in schools, both globally and in Scotland.

So even if the teacher has the best intentions, the potential impact on a pupil's health and wellbeing should outweigh all the alleged educational value of saying the word out loud. Saying 'N-word' or having it in writing in historical documents, art or literature (ideally created by Black people) are more sensible options that can help safeguard the wellbeing of pupils. If there is no Black pupil in that particular classroom, non-Black pupils may equally be sensitive to the recent violence that was so publicly shared with the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement. At the end of the day, teachers should be modelling what they expect from their pupils and saying the N-word in full is not a behaviour we should be encouraging.

Racial trauma

Some may say that we spend too much time sanitising language, we are not preparing pupils to face the harsh realities of the world and we are reducing resilience. There may be complaints about 'PC-gone-too-far' and 'cancel culture.' But those tend to be the voices of people who don't feel the pain of the punch.

Pupils will be exposed to anti-Blackness in the 'outside' world. They will see it on social media, written in texts and in graffiti on the streets. How can we say we are molly-coddling pupils, if those same pupils are dealing with hate speech on social media and in school on a regular basis? If we truly want to give them opportunities to become more resilient, then we need to create spaces where they can feel safer and heal from the racism they will face, or are already facing today.

What teachers need to consider is the racial trauma that can occur in their classrooms, despite their best efforts at creating a 'safe' space in a contextualised, educational environment. Racial trauma refers to the impact that racism has on a person's health and wellbeing. What makes racial trauma so distinctive for Black people and people of colour, is that it is:

ongoing and cumulative (experiences of racism can occur over and over again, happening across one's life for many people),

subjective (not everyone will react or feel the same way about racially-violent content)

collective (an incident of racial violence in one location can have repercussions on the mental health of people across the globe, such as the murder of George Floyd affecting the mental health Black people around the world)

historical (racial violence from the past is still emotionally distressing for the descendants of colonised and racialised people today)

With racial trauma in mind, every teacher should consider how the content of their lessons could be harming the health and wellbeing of the pupils they teach. Consider the use of trigger warnings before exposing pupils to racially-violent content. As much as possible, have conversations with pupils (collectively and individually) about what would make them feel more comfortable when learning about racially-sensitive topics. Even if there are no visible ethnic minorities present, teachers should be modelling behaviour which safeguards the mental health of those who experience racism on a regular basis.
Useful references: Stop using the N word | gal-dem Racism - the Threat to our Mental Health (theantiracisteducator.com) Racial Trauma, Black History and Black Joy (The Anti-Racist Educator Podcast) Mental Health Services for Black and PoC Youth (The Anti-Racist Educator Podcast) 'Living While Black' is the book getting real about racial trauma | gal-dem

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Guidance on racial slurs in the classroom

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Guidance on racial slurs in the classroom Making the classroom a 'safe space' for learning As educators, we try our best to make the classroom a safe space where everyone feels comfortable enough t...

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Dignity in Schools UNCRC Resources which include guidance for children-led groups

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Dignity in Schools UNCRC Resources which include guidance for children-led groups

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Planning and Policies - Dignity In School

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These resources help you focus on how to implement a rights based approach to planning and policies, the structural side to ensuring dignity in school. We have provided case studies and tools to help you do so.

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Questionnaire created by the young people at Drumchapel High School to all pupils and staff

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Questionnaire created by the young people at Drumchapel High School to all pupils and staff

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Presentation created by the young people at DHS

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Bruna, President of the Anti-Racism Society at Drumchapel High School shares some of the club's inspirational achievements

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Bruna, President of the Anti-Racism Society at Drumchapel High School shares some of the club's inspirational achievements

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We hear from a young person in Glasgow about what her school's Anti-racism club has achieved so far and their ambitions for the future.

My name is Bruna Alves Bento, I'm a student at Drumchapel High School and the President of the Anti-racism Club. My goal for our school is to create an inclusive and safe environment to everyone. However, I also have a bigger goal, and that is to give every single young person a role model and have real knowledge about each other which will help us to understand each other better.

"This is the beginning of this huge change and includes every single one of us."

Removing Inequalities

Nowadays, our society is like a building, where we have people on the top and people in the bottom, and what I want to do is create a nice and peaceful neighbourhood where all have the same amount of help and opportunities. I'm at the beginning of this huge change that includes every single one of us. We have to educate ourselves before educating others.

I have created the website for our club and created some educational PowerPoints. We also have an Instagram account where we can share and support others more easily. Our main point of the social media is to help other students with racism in their schools.

"We, as a club, have written to the Scottish Government to make decolonisation of the curriculum mandatory."

Role Models

Our club secretary has sent a letter that we, as a club, have written to the Scottish Government to make decolonisation of the curriculum mandatory. We believe it is important that every young person can see themselves in the classroom, have role models and have a sense of belonging. If we see the artists, inventors, scientists, writers, mathematicians, sport people, chiefs and all the activities of a wider range of people this will help stop racism. To make it mandatory, it means all schools in Scotland need to make this change.

"We believe it is important that every young person can see themselves in the classroom, have role models and have a sense of belonging."

Work so far

Last year we had an Anti-racism week, we had some events to build anti-racist culture in our school. We made orange our colour and made orange ribbons which many teachers and students are still wearing showing their support.

At the beginning of this year, we started to work on our school board where we can share a tiny percentage of what we are doing in our club to bring more awareness of our club and to encourage other students to join.

In our club room, our safe space, one of our members gave the idea of having a suggestions box so we can share our thoughts of events or things that we can reform through the club. We are also making a list of topics to discuss. So far, we have spoken about 9/11, religion, The Little Mermaid film and the world cup. We are learning from each other, learning to be more open and understanding of other people's beliefs.

"It is important that every school has a club to make more people feel safe and part of their school."

First Languages

We have had the opportunity of teaching our first language to other young people in the school. For example, Arabic and Portuguese. This helps bring more awareness of other languages to the school, removing the unknown that can lead to discrimination and also for the students that speak these languages a feeling of belonging.

Sharing the LearningWe also want to share and learn from other schools. It is important that every school has a club to make more people feel safe and part of their school. We took part in two webinars for Education Scotland and will be running a stall for Glasgow City Council PARTIE (Promoting Anti-Racism In Education) event. We hope to do more as it is so important to share, learn and support each other.

The club has given us confidence, we are learning from each other about being anti-racist, we are more aware of other people's cultures, and we feel anti-racism is being taken seriously in our school. We are feeling safer, proud, happier, stronger and most importantly -heard.

It is the beginning of this huge change and includes every single one of us.

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Anti-Racism Club - a Pupil's Perspective - Stride - online magazine for global citizenship in schools

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We hear from a young person in Glasgow about what her school's Anti-racism club has achieved so far and their ambitions for the future.

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Windows, Mirrors and Sliding Doors - Rudine Sims Bishop

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Windows, Mirrors and Sliding Doors - Rudine Sims Bishop

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John: We've been engaged in a global conversation about race and racism. You've probably had discussions at home, at school or at work, and in those conversations you've probably heard the term white privilege. You maybe even had this term used in a way that felt like an insult or an accusation. Others will have told you that it's all just made up to make white people feel bad... and none of this is right.

Privilege is a hard concept for people to understand, because normally when we talk of privilege we imagine immediate unearned riches and tangible benefits for anyone who has it. But white privilege and indeed all privilege is actually more about the absence of inconvenience, the absence of an impediment or challenge, and as such when you have it, you really don't notice it, but when it's absent, it affects everything you do.

There are lots of types of privilege out there, the privilege of being born into a wealthy family versus a poor family is kind of obvious, but then there's the privilege of being able-bodied versus having or acquiring a disability that most of us take for granted. I have two very close friends who are wheelchair users and I'll be honest, when I first met them I was completely ignorant about the everyday ways their lives are made harder through no fault of their own. Some of these ways are simply thoughtless, but some of them are just the way we live, just the way we build infrastructure, just the way everything works that just makes their life harder than mine. That's just one of the ways that I am privileged and understanding that, embracing that, doesn't make me a bad person, but ignoring it raises the chance that my friends will be excluded in ways that are not obvious to me and as their friend I can't allow that.

There's a good chance, as a white person watching this, your life is already hard. Every day you have to overcome some difficulty or challenge just to get by, but you can still have white privilege. White privilege doesn't mean you haven't worked hard or you don't deserve the success you've had. It doesn't mean that your life isn't hard or that you've never suffered. It simply means that your skin colour has not been the cause of your hardship or suffering.

There is nothing but a benefit to understanding our own privileges, white and otherwise. It brings us closer to those who are different. It helps us be vigilant about the ways we treat others different than us. It helps us make a society that is fairer and more equal. Having white privilege doesn't make your life easy, but understanding it can help you realise why some people's lives are harder than they should be.

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Psychologist John Amaechi talks about white privilege.

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Culturally-Relevant Pedagogy Can Save a Bad Curriculum - podcast episode with Gloria Ladson-Billings

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Culturally-Relevant Pedagogy Can Save a Bad Curriculum - podcast episode with Gloria Ladson-Billings

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Examples of Conversation Guidelines on pages 10 - 11

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Examples of Conversation Guidelines on pages 10 - 11

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http://the-classroom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Prejudice_And_Allport_Scale.pdf-1.pdf
Can use this as a discussion point for talking about the power of language e.g. racist jokes

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Anti-Racist Clubs Webinar with Glasgow City Council

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Anti-Racist Clubs Webinar with Glasgow City Council

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How & Why ? Anti Racist Clubs at school : Spotlight : PARTIE22

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BRL+ Webinar on Anti-Racist Clubs (secondary school based)

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BRL+ Webinar on Anti-Racist Clubs (secondary school based)

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Drumchapel Antiracism Society Instagram set up by young people

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Drumchapel Antiracism Society Instagram set up by young people

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Ms Walters on Twitter: "Thinking of setting up an Anti Racist club? Here's a wee infographic from our @EqualitiesEdGCC CLPL today to give you some tips! https://t.co/ovVNVcz2iM" / Twitter

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Thinking of setting up an Anti Racist club? Here's a wee infographic from our @EqualitiesEdGCC CLPL today to give you some tips!

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Thinking of setting up an Anti Racist club? Here's a wee infographic from our @EqualitiesEdGCC CLPL today to give you some tips! https://t.co/ovVNVcz2iM

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Thinking of setting up an Anti Racist club? Here's a wee infographic from our @EqualitiesEdGCC CLPL today to give you some tips! pic.twitter.com/ovVNVcz2iM
— Ms Walters (@MsWaltersENG) October 31, 2022

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Thinking of setting up an Anti Racist club? Here's a wee infographic from our @EqualitiesEdGCC CLPL today to give you some tips! https://t.co/ovVNVcz2iM

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Thinking of setting up an Anti Racist club? Here's a wee infographic from our @EqualitiesEdGCC CLPL today to give you some tips! https://t.co/ovVNVcz2iM

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Thinking of setting up an Anti Racist club? Here's a wee infographic from our @EqualitiesEdGCC CLPL today to give you some tips!

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Pupils in Scotland Call for Change: It’s Time for an Anti-Racist, Decolonised Curriculum

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Guest blog post: After the death of George Floyd last year, senior pupils in a Scottish school approached a teacher to start an anti-racist school club. One year later, thanks to the club’s success and the pupils’ passion and wisdom, three senior pupils were invited to present at the school’s curric…

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Intercultural Youth Scotland has a range of reports on the experiences and perspectives of Black young people and young people of colour in Scotland.

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Intercultural Youth Scotland has a range of reports on the experiences and perspectives of Black young people and young people of colour in Scotland.

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Education Restless Natives Youthwork Advocacy

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INCLUDE: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion guidance by the Equality Group at Nairn Academy

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INCLUDE: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion guidance by the Equality Group at Nairn Academy

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The Northern Alliance Equality Workstream includes representation from each Northern Alliance local authority. Members of the group have a responsibility to promote equality, diversity and inclusion and to ensure a rights approach is taken across all of the work of the group. The group supports equalities training for their local authority staff and contributes to the development and provision of policy and advice in relation to approaches to embedding children's rights.

Over the past few years, the group has worked very closely with the Equality Forum from Nairn Academy in Highland, where pupils have been surveying peers and staff across the Northern Alliance to gather local evidence of knowledge, skill and experience, to help frame guidance on equality and diversity.

The pupils themselves have written this guidance and it draws directly from the experiences of pupils and staff across the Northern Alliance. They have used the acronym INCLUDE as a title, which indicates the contents of the seven sections, each of which highlights a particular aspect that should be focused upon when considering where you are in your journey to embed equality, accept and celebrate diversity and promote inclusive practice and children's rights and participation in your setting.

Download
PDF file: Include: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Guidance (662 KB)

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INCLUDE: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion guidance by the Equality Group at Nairn Academy

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Education Scotland is a Scottish Government executive agency responsible for supporting quality and improvement in Scottish education.

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Setting up an Equalities Group guidance from Edinburgh City Council

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Setting up an Equalities Group guidance from Edinburgh City Council

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Setting up Pupil Equalities Groups FINAL - Edinburgh Council

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Example of a form to set up an Anti-racist club in secondary school

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Example of a form to set up an Anti-racist club in secondary school

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Examples of activities for Primary school groups

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Examples of activities for Primary school groups

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Anti-Racist Teaching Resources | The PART Project

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Anti-Racist Teaching Resources | The PART Project

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The Primary Anti-racism Teaching Project is a collection of free resources to support teachers create positive change while also meeting the outcomes of the curriculum.

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Culturally Relevant Pedagogy - thinking of positive "cultural events" led by children, young people and parents

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Culturally Relevant Pedagogy - thinking of positive "cultural events" led by children, young people and parents

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Culturally Relevant Pedagogy - Educator Excellence (CA Dept of Education)

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Culturally Relevant Pedagogy is a theoretical model that focuses on multiple aspects of student achievement and supports students to uphold their cultural identities. Culturally Relevant Pedagogy also calls for students to develop critical perspectives that challenge societal inequalities.

Gloria Ladson-Billings proposed three main components of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: (a) a focus on student learning and academic success, (b) developing students' cultural competence to assist students in developing positive ethnic and social identities, and (c) supporting students' critical consciousness or their ability to recognize and critique societal inequalities. All three components need to be utilized.

Three Components of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

Student Learning

The students' intellectual growth and moral development, but also their ability to problem-solve and reason.

Cultural Competence

Skills that support students to affirm and appreciate their culture of origin while developing fluency in at least one other culture.

Critical Consciousness

The ability to identify, analyze, and solve real-world problems, especially those that result in societal inequalities.

Resources

Django Paris and H. Samy Alim eds., Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies: Teaching and Learning for Justice in a Changing World, Chapter 8, Teachers College Press (2017)

Gloria Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). The Dreamkeepers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishing Co.

Gloria Ladson-Billings, "Toward a Theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy" (PDF) , American Educational Research Journal, Vol. 32, No. 3 , accessed January 2020.

Questions: Teacher and Leader Policy Office | TLPO@cde.ca.gov | 916-445-7331

Last Reviewed: Thursday, March 09, 2023

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Culturally Relevant Pedagogy helps students to uphold their cultural identities while developing fluency in at least one other culture.

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Does anyone have any experience of setting up an anti-racism club with younger children?  Primary age children?

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Does anyone have any experience of setting up an anti-racism club with younger children?  Primary age children?

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Animated video, accessible to children and young people, telling the story of the Building Racial Literacy programme.

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Animated video, accessible to children and young people, telling the story of the Building Racial Literacy programme.

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Story of the Building Racial Literacy Programme

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This website run by Education Scotland brings together advice and resources to deal with racist incidents and curricular resources.

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This website run by Education Scotland brings together advice and resources to deal with racist incidents and curricular resources.

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Promoting Race Equality and Anti-racist Education

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A working group established as part of the Scottish Government's Race Equality and Racism in Education Programme is currently considering the issues raised in this section. The materials below will be revised as necessary to reflect the outcome of the working group. The last update has been made in June 2022.
The Scottish Government Race Equality Framework identifies the following goal:

'Minority Ethnic pupils have confidence in, and are effectively supported by, approaches in schools to prevent and respond to prejudice-based bullying and racist behaviour or incidents'.

Learners will have formed a view on whether both racist bullying and racist incidents are taken seriously by how they see anti-racism meaningfully embedded in the life of the learning community. A rights-based approach will reinforce to learners that they all have the right to be protected from violence and abuse.

What is racism?

INTERPERSONAL RACISM

Prejudices, individual actions and discriminatory behaviours where a person makes assumptions about the abilities, motives and intents of other people based on race. This set of prejudices can lead to cruel actions (e.g. racist hate speech) and unintentional actions towards a person or a group of people.

INTERNALISED RACISM

This occurs as a result of subliminal messages of racial inferiority and superiority present in society. This can cause Minority Ethnic people to internalise negative messages about their own abilities and intrinsic worth.

INSTITUTIONAL RACISM

When institutions and organisations discriminate against Minority Ethnic people to limit their rights. The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry (Macpherson report) defined it as:

'The collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture or ethnic origin. It can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping which disadvantages Minority Ethnic people.' (6.34)

STRUCTURAL RACISM

This refers to the economic, political, social and cultural structures, actions and beliefs that systemise an unequal distribution of privilege, resources, safety and power in favour of the dominant racial group at the expense of all other racial groups. Examples of this can be found in the over-representation of certain Minority Ethnic groups in poverty, unemployment and Covid-related deaths .

And finally, is xenophobia the same as racism?

'Xenophobia is the fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners, whereas racism has a broader meaning set including a belief that racial differences produce the inherent superiority of a particular race. Although they are similar, they are different enough that it is possible for one to be both xenophobic and racist'.

Issues to consider with the term 'racist bullying'

The Scottish Government's working group looking at Racism and Racist Incidents in education has dropped the term 'racist bullying' based on feedback from members and communities of colour. The use of the term 'bullying' instead of 'racism' can cause offence because it can lead to the dilution and avoidance of the issue of racism. Members from the working group noted the reporting of 'bullying' can lead to the under-reporting of racist incidents taking place in education. Educators should be mindful of conflating racism with bullying. Until the publication of more inclusive guidance on dealing with racism and racist incidents, this page will continue to reference and recommend current anti-bullying policies and guidance for immediate support.

What is a racist incident?
While the guidance below refers to 'racist bullying,' educators should be mindful of the potential dilution of the issue of racism as noted in the above section, Issues to consider with the term 'racist bullying.'
The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry (Macpherson report) defined a racist incident as 'Any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person'. There must be a clear message that such incidents will be addressed. Research shows that learner confidence, however, appears to be low, both in the belief that staff have knowledge of the correct processes to follow and also in the efficacy of staff responses. This same research includes an explanation of gas-lighting in schools whereby staff undermine the lived experiences of learners of colour, causing them to question these experiences. To counteract this, learners need safe spaces to explore their identities and experiences and staff will benefit from professional learning to improve their knowledge of process and their confidence in responding to racist incidents. School leadership and local authorities have a crucial role in ensuring there is a clear understanding of what constitutes a racist incident and how this should then be addressed. Learners were similarly low in confidence that Islamophobia would be dealt with effectively.

How should settings respond?

All staff have a responsibility for all children and young people's health and wellbeing. Any reported or witnessed incident of racist bullying or racism should be acted upon immediately. This should firstly involve a discussion with the child or young person who has reported the incident or with the child or young person who experienced the abuse. Staff should ensure that the views of the young person who has experienced abuse are at the heart of their response. This includes their views on next steps. This is an important way in which staff can support the young person to regain a sense of agency. They should further consider what action is then required, in line with the school policy and process.

Education settings, organisations that provide services for children and young people and local authorities should each have an anti-bullying policy which reflects the national guidance ' Respect for All: The National Approach to Anti-bullying for Scotland's Children and Young People'. The national guidance provides the overarching framework for all adults working with children and young people to address all types of bullying, including prejudice-based bullying. Since August 2019, there has also been a new national approach to recording and monitoring incidents of bullying in schools. This guidance emphasises the importance not only of recording but of ensuring appropriate action in response to incidents. The national guidance on addressing inclusion and effectively challenging racism in schools also provides information and guidance to school staff on addressing racist bullying and racist incidents in Scottish schools and has been written to complement Respect for All. It makes clear that it is important to maintain a way of addressing and recording racist incidents which are not part of racist bullying. This may be for example when racist opinions are expressed though not directed at any one individual. Regardless of whether there are Minority Ethnic young people present, this should be addressed and recorded as a racist incident.
While the guidance below refers to 'racist bullying,' educators should be mindful of the potential dilution of the issue of racism as noted in the above section, Issues to consider with the term 'racist bullying.'
A community response to changing attitudes will be more powerful than a setting working alone with learners as it is recognised that children and young people learn from the words and actions of those around them.

When is racism a hate crime?

Bullying can be motivated by prejudice similar to hate crime; however it is important to note that bullying itself is not a crime. The distinction is when criminal conduct has taken place, such as threats, harassment, verbal abuse, written abuse, physical assault, graffiti or a breach of the peace that has been motivated by prejudice. (Citizens Advice Scotland (2020), Racist and religious hate crime) Hate crime is defined through the law as a crime motivated by malice or ill-will towards individuals because of their actual or perceived disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or transgender identity. In 2020/21 in Scotland, there were 3,285 racist hate crimes, a 6% rise from the previous year with a 4% rise reported the year before. It is widely accepted that hate crimes are vastly underreported.

In Scotland, there is a presumption against criminalising children and young people wherever possible unless it is in the public interest. This was reiterated during Lord Bracadale's Independent Review of Hate Crime Legislation. While recognising the complexity between bullying and hate crime, it was concluded that bullying should not be criminalised under hate crime legislation and the issue should be addressed through policy and policy implementation. The report states that hate crime by children requires a multi-agency response and should focus on behavioural change programmes in order to avoid putting children and young people through the criminal justice system. Adults and children and young people can seek appropriate advice and guidance from Police Scotland if they feel a crime may have taken place.

Reflective questions

How do we ensure that all members of our learning community have a clear understanding of what constitutes both racism and racist incidents?

To what extent are staff, parents and learners clear about the processes and confident in addressing racism and racist incidents?

What long term approaches are adopted to achieve attitude change amongst learners and prevent potential racism and racist incidents?

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Dealing effectively with racism and racist incidents

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A working group established as part of the Scottish Government's Race Equality and Racism in Education Programme is currently considering the issues raised in this section. The materials below will be revised as necessary to reflect the outcome of the working group. The last update has been made in June 2022.