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Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

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Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

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Get comfortable with being uncomfortable | Luvvie Ajayi Jones | TED

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The killing of George Floyd and following protests across the world have rebooted an important national debate about how schools teach black history, migration and the British Empire.

Once you come out of education you realise what you've missed

Petitions calling for reform of the national curriculum have gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures - and this week the National Education Union, the UK's largest teaching union, said that education "must lead the way in breaking down the barriers caused by racism".

So what do schools teach?

At present, the only study of black history in the national curriculum is in the context of the transatlantic slave trade, and, even then, its teaching as part of history at key stage 3 is entirely optional. Schools also have the option of teaching a module on migration and empire as part of some GCSE history specifications, but, again, these are optional and take-up has been low.

Last year, a report by the TIDE Project and Runnymede Trust entitled Teaching Migration, Belonging and Empire in Secondary Schools, found that just 4 per cent of GCSE history students studied the "migration to Britain" module offered by the exam boards AQA and OCR. The report called for migration, belonging and empire to be covered at key stage 3 and across different disciplines. It was published almost a year ago, but its authors say none of its recommendations has been followed up.

One of those authors is Kimberly McIntosh, a senior policy adviser at Runnymede, who also works for the Child Poverty Action Group. Although she is encouraged by the recent activism - particularly among young people - and a push for change from some individual schools, teachers and local authorities, she believes results will be "really piecemeal" if ministers do not act.

"It would be really, really helpful to have government leadership on the issue," she tells Schools Week.

But school leaders have a part to play too.

"Are they doing the same thing every year? Have they done that for the past ten, 20 years?

"Having a serious think about changing some of the things that are being taught, particularly in history, and not leaving it to BME teachers and staff to...take leadership on the issue would make a massive difference."

Events in the US and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests in the UK have boosted support for various campaigns focusing on the school curriculum, such as Fill the Blanks and The Black Curriculum.

These campaigns, and the various petitions circulating on social media, differ slightly in their approaches and what they're calling for, but they all bear the same core message: education on these issues is not good enough.

Melody Triumph, from The Black Curriculum, warns that young people face an "absence of black narratives in the classroom", which is then repeated when they go on to higher education.

"Once you come out of the education system, you realise what you've missed, and what that's done to your sense of identity in Britain."

Don't leave it to BME teachers to take leadership on the issue

Her organisation believes schools need to incorporate "black narratives, black stories and black history, whether it's music history, social history, economic and cultural history" into the curriculum. Crucially, these things should be taught "all year round", she says, not just as month-long standalone modules that are then left behind.

Triumph gives an example: thousands of men and women from the Caribbean joined the British armed forces, but their contribution is rarely recognised.

"It was Britain and black Jamaicans, not just black Jamaicans' own world war and then Britain's world war, it's the fact that they came together."

She gives another example: "If your English GCSE required you to learn something like The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon, a story about the first black Britons and their experience coming from the West Indies and Africa, that could help make it mandatory."

Calls for changes to GCSE specifications are a common thread of the campaigns and petitions. But exam boards say they are bound by content criteria set by the government. The boards also point to efforts made in recent years to broaden the teaching of black history and literature from BAME writers.

OCR, for example, says it introduced a pre-colonial African Kingdoms unit at A-level, and included "a range of authors of colour across our A-levels". The board also says that 25 per cent of schools that set its GCSE history A paper now teach the migration option.

But a spokesperson admits there is "more work for all of us to do".

AQA said it had been working with partner organisations and academic historians aimed to incorporate the recommendations of the Royal Historical Society's 2018 Race, ethnicity and equality in UK history report into its content, "not only in terms of Black British history, but the histories of all BAME peoples in the UK"

Edexcel says it has ensured its history qualifications "cover a range of cultures and countries".

WJEC says it is "very keen to include more on black British history", but adds this "depends entirely on the direction of reform both in England and Wales".

Some school leaders are already thinking about the changes they can make. At Lilian Baylis Technology School in Kennington, south London, headteacher Gary Phillips has announced plans to revise the curriculum "so that we look at the whole range of BAME contribution in all areas".

"I want to see the books that we read better reflect BAME writers and experience. I want to see more staff question their unconscious biases and question each other, including me and our governors."

But although much of the focus of media coverage has been on calls for curriculum reform, many activists and academics believe change has to go beyond the classroom.

Curriculum has to be part of a bigger conversation

Jason Todd, a history expert in the University of Oxford's education department and co-author of the teaching migration report with McIntosh and Professor Nandini Das, says that changes to the curriculum are part of a "whole package of structural changes" needed in schools. He pointed to a lack of action from government on housing, policing, schools, health, "all of those types of inequalities that BME people are currently dealing with".

"I could change my history curriculum, and make it quite dynamically black-orientated, but that's not addressing the kid who's coming into my classroom who's still being harassed by the police. The kid who's come into the classroom who's still the primary carer for his mother because they can't access healthcare because of the postcode they're in.

"So the curriculum's part of the solution, but it's got to be part of a bigger conversation."

But campaigners don't just want schools to teach about black history. They want them to teach it well, and believe this requires improvements to initial teacher education and continuing professional development.

A survey last year of teachers by the website Our Migration Story found that 78 per cent wanted additional training on how to teach migration, and 71 per cent wanted training to teach about the empire.

Last year's Runnymede report recommended that the Centre for Holocaust Education, a part-government funded institution based at University College London, be used as a blueprint for a future programme to support teachers with teaching about migration, empire and belonging.

But will this national discussion lead to change? Todd and McIntosh report no interest from the government in their recommendations, and a recent blog post from the DfE shows little appetite for change.

In the post, the department says that black history "is an important topic that schools can teach to children of all ages as part of the history curriculum". Emphasis on "can".

Campaigners, however, are cautiously optimistic.

"There's definitely been a lot more renewed interest," McIntosh says. "But I don't think that next week we're going to suddenly have migration and empire as a statutory, or even as a suggested topic.

"What is really important and exciting is that it has galvanised a much wider breadth of people. I think people are ready to take action."

Triumph says "strategising" needs to start now. "Once all this noise has died down, what are we doing to make our demands stick? We don't want a scheme or programme that lasts until the end of the year and in 2021 we're back to where we started."

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How could reform make the curriculum more diverse?

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The killing of George Floyd and following protests across the world have rebooted an important national debate about how schools teach black history, migration and the British Empire.

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This is a very useful resource when planning to provide relevant and timely conversations about issues and creating solutions through discussions using Oracy.

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The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Centre at Imperial College London is hosting a panel event around Stop Asian Hate, focusing on the experience of being East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) in the UK specifically.

The Stop Asian Hate movement emerged in the wake of increase in hate crimes against East and Southeast Asians during the COVID-19 pandemic, gaining international recognition after Asian women were murdered in March 2021 during mass shootings in Atlanta, USA. The UK has seen a similar rise in hate crimes and racially motivated attacks against ESEA people since the beginning of the pandemic, with a threefold increase in reported incidents to the police since the start of the pandemic.

In this online panel discussion, we will focus on available facts and figures of racism and discrimination against the ESEA community in the UK and the way in which ESEA people are portrayed in the media. The panel members will speak about their lived experiences and the support available in the community and beyond.

The panel includes:

Vy-liam Ng, PhD student and volunteer at End the Virus of Racism

Amy Phung, Co-founder of BESEA.N

Francesca Humi, Advocacy and Campaigns Officer, Kanlungan Filipino Consortium

Yoyo Dixon, Senior Laboratory Manager, Department of Surgery & Cancer, Imperial College London

This event will be chaired by Betty Yue, Head of Continuing Professional Development, Education Office.

This event is open to all members of the Imperial College London community. It will be moderated and will include time for questions at the end.

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Stop Asian Hate: Being East and Southeast Asian in the UK

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Join us for this online panel event looking at the experiences of East and Southeast Asian people in the UK and at Imperial.

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Runnymede is the UK’s leading independent thinktank on race equality and race relations. Through high-quality research and thought leadership, we: • Identify barriers to race equality and good race relations • Provide evidence to support action for social change • Influence policy at all levels

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The Disparities of Race for Women of Colour.

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The Disparities of Race for Women of Colour.

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75% of women of colour have experienced racism at work, and 61% report changing themselves to 'fit in'.

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Women of colour across the UK already know that experiencing racism at work is the norm.That's why we've partnered with the Fawcett Society to produce our ground-breaking research, Broken Ladders: The myth of meritocracy for women of colour in the workplace.

Broken Ladders centres the voices and experiences of thousands of women of colour at work and explores the different experiences of women from different ethnic minority groups and religions.

Our research shows that every stage of the career journey, from entering work to senior leadership, women of colour are being locked out of reaching their true potential.

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Our key findings show:

‍Institutional racism is common in all sectors and in all organisations: 75% of women of colour have experienced racism at work, with 27% having suffered racial slurs. ‍

Forced to mould to conform: 61% report changing themselves to 'fit-in' at work, from the language or words they use (37%), their hairstyle (26%) and even their name (22%). ‍

Well-being is being impacted: 39% of women of colour stated their well-being had been impacted by a lack of progression compared to 28% of white women, whilst being refused promotion led to loss of motivation for 43% of women of colour.‍

Locked out of progression: 28% of women of colour (compared with 19% of white women) reporting that a manager had blocked their progression at work, and 42% reporting being passed over for promotion despite good feedback (compared to 27% for white women).‍

Recruitment discrimination:52% of women of colour experience discrimination - such as, being asked for UK qualifications or English as a first language and being asked for ethnicity information outside of monitoring processes.

Urgent change is needed across all institutions and sectors.

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Our calls for change

The skills, abilities, and experiences of women of colour should be harnessed and celebrated or our workplaces risk losing them -resulting in a huge loss of talent. That's why we are calling on employers, the government, universities, unions and businesses to take action now.

We want employers to:

implement effective, evidence based Anti-Racism Action Plans with clear and measurable targets, and regular monitoring and evaluation of progress.

have clear and transparent processes for reporting racism, with multiple reporting routes, including options outside of line management structures.

set structures that ensure line managers deliver equitable and fair promotion outcomes for all employees and make progression routes explicit and well-known rather than based on informal networks.

We're calling on the government to:

set-up and back a business-led initiative to tackle ethnicity and gender pay gaps and accelerate change on progression and representation.

legislate to ban salary history questions and require salaries to be published on job advertisements.

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"Women of colour face a double jeopardy. From school to the workplace, there are structural barriers standing between them and the opportunities they deserve. Our landmark research exists to support these women to thrive in their workplaces, and to challenge employers to harness the talents, skills and experiences of their employees, or risk losing them.

"Women of colour know first-hand the myth of meritocracy, from the mental gymnastics of constantly code switching to being repeatedly passed up for promotion, in 2022 it is high time we invest in them. Until we do so, we will continue to lose them as they leave the workplace, resulting in a huge waste of talent." - Dr Halima Begum, our CEO

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Dr Halima Begum, our CEO

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75% of women of colour have experienced racism at work, and 61% report changing themselves to 'fit in'. ‍ Women of colour across the UK already know that experiencing racism at work is the norm.That's why we've partnered with the Fawcett Society to produce our ground-breaking research, Broken Ladders: The myth of meritocracy for women of colour in the workplace.

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Psychologists are studying the processes by which young children learn about race-and how to prevent prejudice from taking root

Cite this

Weir, K. (2023, May 18). Raising anti-racist children. Monitor on Psychology, 52(4). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/06/anti-racist-children

Racism occurs across a spectrum. It lives within individuals and between them, within institutions and across society. And at every level, children are affected by discriminatory beliefs and practices, said Farzana Saleem, PhD, an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. "Racism is learned early on in development, and children receive many messages about race and racism from a young age."

Kids pick up on what their parents and teachers say (and don't say), who and what they see on TV, what their dolls look like, and how other people are treated in their schools and neighborhoods. "Humans are sponges for their social environment," said Evan Apfelbaum, PhD, an associate professor of management and organizations at the Questrom School of Business at Boston University. Over decades, research has explored how children come to understand race-and how they learn racism. Yet the science is a long way from prescribing a formula for anti-racism. "There's a whole host of factors that can affect kids' holistic understanding of race-and so much research that needs to be done," he said.

Psychologists are among those working to fill the knowledge gap, studying the processes and influences that lead children to develop ideas about race-and how to fight back against the biased messaging they might learn so early. Dismantling White supremacy and other forms of racism won't be easy. But children can be taught to do better than their parents' generations did. "We learn racism very easily through our society," said Sarah Gaither, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University. "But we are malleable. No one is born racist."

Race in early childhood

When do children understand race? It's not an easy question, in part because "race" isn't the rigid construct it's often made out to be. "It's well established that there's no biological basis for race," said Diane Hughes, PhD, a professor of applied psychology at New York University. "Race has meaning because we give it meaning-especially in the U.S., where our history is largely structured to uphold these 'racial differences,'" she said. "We assume that there are unobservable underlying personality traits that correlate to certain physical characteristics."

Even infants have the perceptual abilities to see those physical differences and to start responding to them. International research led by psychologists at the University of Toronto showed that between 6 and 12 months of age, babies begin to show a preference for members of their own racial groups. At 7 months, babies in uncertain situations are more likely to follow the gaze of a member of their own race (Xiao, N. G., et al., Child Development, Vol. 89, No. 3, 2018). And by 9 months, they associate faces from their own race with happy music and those from other racial groups with sad music (Xiao, N. G., et al., Developmental Science, Vol. 21, No. 2, 2018). The researchers suggest these patterns may develop as a result of lack of exposure to other-race individuals during infancy-and that such implicit associations could pave the way to the development of other racial biases in early childhood and beyond.

Within the first years of life, children are bombarded with messages from their environment that shape their beliefs and judgments about other people. It doesn't take long for such messages to stick. By preschool, children begin showing both implicit and explicit bias toward members of other races. Kristin Shutts, PhD, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, found that at age 3, White children are equally likely to befriend Black or White children. But by age 4 or 5, White children are more likely to choose other White kids as friends (Child Development Perspectives, Vol. 9, No. 4, 2015).

Some evidence suggests that bias might be related to the information young children have already gleaned about social status. In a series of studies, Yarrow Dunham, EdD, at Yale University, and colleagues found that by age 3 or 4, White American children were more likely to associate both Black and Asian faces with anger, while rating White faces as having more positive emotions. Black American children did not show this same ingroup preference. This suggests that ingroup bias isn't implicit. Rather, from a very young age, children are picking up on the status hierarchy of the culture around them (Psychological Science, Vol. 24, No. 6, 2013).

By age 5 or 6, an ingroup preference-and outgroup bias-is well established, Hughes said. And those early beliefs are reinforced by what children see around them. "When they see that Black boys are the ones who get sent to the principal's office or that Black children tend to struggle more when reading aloud, they may attribute certain meanings to different racial groups," Hughes said. "Kids are operating in this universe where they're drawing a lot of conclusions about what they see."

By middle childhood, children have a more sophisticated understanding not only of race but also of racism. Though the biases they learned in early childhood are still present, older kids begin to understand that race may be a taboo topic. "It's around ages 9 to 11 when kids seem to really start understanding the social guidelines about what is and isn't considered culturally sensitive and what constitutes discrimination," said Apfelbaum. He, Kristin Pauker, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Hawai'i Mānoa, and colleagues showed this with an experiment modeled on the game Guess Who?, where kids ask yes or no questions to guess the person in an array of faces that their opponent has picked. In this version, about half of the faces were Black and half were White, so asking about race early on was an effective strategy to narrow down the field. But the researchers found that while 8- and 9-year-olds asked frequently about race, a majority of 10- and 11-year-olds avoided the question (Developmental Psychology, Vol. 44, No. 5, 2008).

"Older kids begin to understand the race question as something more than just a way to win the game. They're more concerned with how they're viewed with respect to social conventions and cultural sensitivity," Apfelbaum said. "It shows the age at which behavior starts to shift. And that suggests it's one important time to think about interventions by educators and parents."

Racial-ethnic socialization

As children grow and learn, messages about race come from all corners: news media and entertainment, teachers and peers, community interactions, and, of course, families. All children, including White children, learn about race through a process known as racial-ethnic socialization, and scholars say that addressing socialization more purposefully will be necessary for dismantling racism.

But for families of color, racial-ethnic socialization also serves the critical purpose of preparing children for the racism and discrimination they may encounter. "Racial socialization in non-White families occurs in the context of structural inequality and oppression. It's proactive, but it also has protective goals," Hughes said.

Researchers have most commonly studied four aspects of racial-ethnic socialization, based on a framework developed by Hughes and colleagues: 1) cultural socialization (messages about racial pride and heritage); 2) preparation for bias (discussions of discrimination and how to cope); 3) promotion of mistrust (teaching children to be wary of other racial groups or environments); and 4) egalitarianism (avoiding discussions of race and valuing individual qualities over racial group membership) (Developmental Psychology, Vol. 42, No. 5, 2006). "Based on interviews and surveys with hundreds of parents over the course of more than 25 years, we find much of what parents and adolescents discuss in family conversations about race involve these four aspects," Hughes said.

Of those four categories, cultural socialization has been shown to be most consistently associated with positive outcomes, according to a review of 259 studies by Adriana Umaña‐Taylor, PhD, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (Journal of Marriage and Family, Vol. 82, No. 1, 2020). Research has shown cultural socialization linked to positive outcomes in children from a variety of backgrounds, including Black, Asian American, and Latinx, Umaña‐Taylor said. "There's considerable evidence that cultural socialization is linked positively with mental health and academic outcomes."

Preparation for bias can also be helpful, Umaña‐Taylor said, "likely because it prepares kids with coping strategies for the experiences of marginalization they might encounter." But promotion of mistrust, while similar, is sometimes linked with youth maladjustment, she said. "That may be because while both approaches recognize the societal structures of racism and discrimination, promotion of mistrust isn't accompanied by coping strategies."

Families of all racial and ethnic backgrounds draw on these strategies when talking about race with their children, but some groups are more likely to choose one approach over another. "The racial-ethnic socialization strategy of egalitarianism-the idea that we're all one big happy human race-is used most often by White families," said Riana Elyse Anderson, PhD, an assistant professor of health behavior and health education at the University of Michigan. Black families, on the other hand, are more likely to blend messages of racial heritage and pride with preparation for bias, she added. And those messages can balance each other out in helpful ways. "By and large, if you combine pride messaging and preparation for bias, you see better psychological and academic outcomes in children," she said. "Teaching pride without warning can cause children to run into challenges they're unprepared for. But focusing only on bias and discrimination can drive anxiety or depression."

Families of color are often well versed in having explicit conversations about race, Anderson said. Still, research points toward ways to make the discussion more productive. In a paper still in press, Anderson found that greater racial-ethnic socialization competency among Black parents was associated with better psychosocial outcomes in their adolescents. To improve competency, she and psychologist Howard C. Stevenson, PhD, an expert on racial stress and trauma at the University of Pennsylvania, developed the Engaging, Managing, and Bonding through Race (EMBRace) intervention. The five-session intervention blends trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy with racial socialization messages to help parents address their racial stress and trauma so they can better approach racial socialization with their children (Family Process, Vol. 58, No. 1, 2019). "We want to address parents first, helping them unpack some of this before we help them think about what they might say or do differently as a parent," Anderson said.

The problem with color blindness

White families, meanwhile, have the luxury of approaching discussions of race from their privileged position in U.S. society. "On average, White parents avoid talking about race with their kids at all," Hughes said. "They don't have to protect their children from oppression and racism."

If they do bring up race, they often put off the conversation until kids are older. With Skidmore College psychologists Jessica Sullivan, PhD, and Leigh Wilton, PhD, Apfelbaum uncovered one reason why: Parents mistakenly don't think their kids are ready. The researchers surveyed U.S. adults and found participants estimated that children develop the capacity to process and understand race at around age 5, though research suggests they're capable of understanding the concept as toddlers. The belief that children weren't developmentally ready was the strongest predictor of delaying discussions of race, the researchers found (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Vol. 150, No. 2, 2021). "There are potentially years during which kids are starting to think about race and coming to their own impressions of what it means before parents broach the topic," Apfelbaum said. "It's a missed opportunity for parents to help frame that discussion in constructive ways."

Children are exposed to race and systemic racism from an early age, Hughes said, and avoiding or delaying the conversation leaves kids to fill in the blanks on their own. "Kids see structural inequality all around them-in the media, in their neighborhoods, in school," she said. Even when schools are integrated, kids see de facto segregation. They see kids of the same race sitting together at lunch or joining the same clubs and activities. "There are all of these things causing kids to attach meaning to race, and nobody is correcting their inferences," Hughes said. "If they're told everyone has equal opportunities but see these differences, they draw their own conclusions and attach deeper meaning to external appearance."

Promoting a more egalitarian or "color-blind" view can have negative consequences for interracial interactions. Hughes has found that when parents teach color-blind attitudes, their children are less likely to report friendships with children of other races. "My guess is that teaching egalitarianism allows kids to maintain a sense of privilege. Kids might think if race doesn't matter, they'd rather be with the group that has better outcomes," she said.

Color blindness can also make people less sensitive to recognizing discrimination. Apfelbaum, Pauker, and colleagues introduced elementary school children to stories that taught either a color-blind mindset or a mindset that emphasized valuing diversity (Psychological Science, Vol. 21, No. 11, 2010). "Children exposed to the value-diversity message were more likely to recognize discrimination when it occurred," Pauker said. "And they were more likely to describe what they saw in a way that made teachers more likely to intervene."

Although children begin learning about race from very young ages at home, schools are critical settings for teaching about race and discrimination. "It is clear that schools, like families, convey messages across multiple methods of expression. Images displayed in the classroom, curriculum choices, policies, and practices are just a few examples of how racial-ethnic socialization is transmitted within the school context," said Saleem.

"Kids look to teachers to understand how to navigate racial norms and what's appropriate to say and do," Apfelbaum added. And what teachers don't say is often as important as what they do say. Pauker and Elizabeth Brey, PhD, of the University of Hawai'i Mānoa, explored the role of teachers' nonverbal behavior in a study in which they assigned children ages 5 to 8 to either orange or green groups. (Because students already have preconceived ideas about race, the researchers invented these groups as a proxy for social categories.) After observing how other kids from each group were treated by teachers, children answered questions about new students from each group. When asked who was smarter, they picked students who had been in the group that received positive nonverbal feedback from teachers, such as smiles and nods (Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, Vol. 188, 2019). "When children have conflicting sources of information, they often rely on nonverbal behavior to provide them with information," Pauker said. "They form stereotypes based on how the teacher is interacting with other students."

Yet educators can certainly have positive impacts as well. "When the school climate is one where different cultures and backgrounds are celebrated and valued, students are better adjusted," said Umaña‐Taylor. She developed an eight-session, teacher-led intervention called the Identity Project that provides adolescents with tools and strategies with which to consider their racial and ethnic backgrounds as they explore concepts of their own identity. The intervention was linked to improved psychosocial functioning one year later (Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Vol. 47, 2018). "The intervention promotes positive identity development for all students, including White students and students of color," she said. "That has significant implications for their own adjustment, and for society as a whole, since people who have a clearer sense of themselves are more willing to engage with those who are different from them."

Teaching the value of diversity

For parents, teachers, and other adults who want to help children understand race and racism, awareness is a good start. White parents who are more aware of racial bias are more likely to discuss race with their children (Perry, S. P., et al., Journal of Social Issues, Vol. 75, No. 4, 2019). But awareness is a first small step on a long journey.

Hughes runs community workshops to help parents learn to talk about race with their children, and she said that while most attendees are well intentioned, they're often anxious about how and when to start the conversation. Her advice: Just start. "The fear of talking about race makes parents avoid talking about it at all. But you can't just react to situations as they arise or wait for your kids to ask questions. You need to be intentional about what you want your kids to know about race," she said. "If you can't find exactly the right words, don't worry. Childhood happens over a long period, and you get to keep practicing this conversation."

Meaningful intergroup contact is also important for teaching acceptance, Gaither said. Yet it's not enough to simply sit next to a Black man on a bus or chat with a Latinx grocery clerk. "It has to be meaningful, long-term contact. Being exposed to adults and kids from different backgrounds is one of the best tools psychology has to offer for developing positive attitudes about other groups," she said.

In many communities, that's challenging. "It can be effortful for parents to find opportunities for kids to see people who look different than they do," Gaither said. Choosing diverse communities and schools, interacting with babysitters or teachers from other groups, even pen pal programs that connect children from different backgrounds can all be ways to start breaking down barriers, she added. Parents would also do well to look critically at their own interactions. "If you're telling children you value diversity but you have no diversity in your friendships, kids pick up on that conflicting information," Pauker said.

Teachers, too, should be having conversations about race with even very young students, Hughes said. But most teachers are White, and there's a need for more tools to help them include race and diversity in their curricula. "Teachers need practice, and they need training on talking about racial issues in their classrooms," she said.

Efforts are being made to meet that need. The Southern Poverty Law Center's Learning for Justice project (formerly Teaching Tolerance) is in its 30th year working to eradicate hate by fighting intolerance in schools. The project, which provides free resources and guidance to help educators work against racial injustice and encourage student and community action, has plans to expand its reach to caregivers and other communities in 2021. Many other researchers are also tackling the problem. Among them is Umaña‐Taylor, whose team developed a teacher professional development program, Equipping Educators for Equity Through Ethnic-Racial Identity, that prepares educators to have discussions about race, ethnicity, and identity with their students.

"Professional development programs such as these will be essential to create equitable and just schools where all student can thrive," she said.

Prejudice is malleable

Although it's important to start teaching anti-bias messages as early as possible, it's also valuable for children to understand that racist beliefs don't have to be permanent. In a not-yet-published study, Pauker, Apfelbaum, and colleagues applied a growth mindset approach to the way children think about prejudice. "Just because you or someone you know said something prejudiced doesn't mean you'll be that way forever," Apfelbaum said. "Our preliminary research suggests that seeing prejudice as something that can change gets kids to stay interested in interacting across racial lines because it lowers the stakes that any mistakes they make will be a blemish that stays there forever."

While there's been a recent uptick in parents and educators wanting to address racism, it's unlikely there will ever be a universal curriculum for teaching children about race, Gaither said. "There's no one-size-fits-all model. A lot of people want to create change, but we need data about what changes will work for a particular group or school." Rushing to make changes that aren't yet proven could end up doing more harm than good, which is why psychological research is so critical, she added.

Among the many outstanding questions is how best to help multiracial children process their beliefs and experiences with race and identity. A review of the literature on racial-ethnic socialization in multiracial families found most parents do not discuss multiracial identity with their children (Atkin, A. L., & Yoo, H. C., Developmental Review, Vol. 53, 2019). Those conversations probably aren't being addressed sufficiently at school, either. "They are the fastest-growing youth population in the U.S., yet we don't exactly know how they fit into these curricula and interventions," Gaither said.

Even as the research continues, adults must keep up the hard work of confronting their own biases and teaching their children to do the same, Anderson said. "People often have the intent, but they don't sustain it. The books everyone purchased last summer [after George Floyd's murder] are now dusty," she said. To raise anti-racist children, parents, caregivers, teachers-and psychologists-have to work to keep the effort top of mind. "It starts with us as adults," Anderson said. "As professional psychologists, we need to be consistently interrogating ourselves and those around us. There's no way we'll be competent providers if we haven't first talked with ourselves."

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Further reading

RECASTing racial stress and trauma: Theorizing the healing potential of racial socialization in families
Anderson, R. E., & Stevenson, H. C., American Psychologist, 2019

RESilience Initiative
APA, 2018

Resilience in African American children and adolescents: A vision for optimal development
APA, 2008

Something happened in our town: A child's story about racial injustice
Celano, M., et al. Magination Press, 2018

Talking to children about racism: Breaking the cycle of bias and violence starts at home
Hughes, D. L., et al., Child & Family Blog, 2020

Recommended Reading

Contact APA

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Psychologists are studying the processes by which young children learn about race. Dismantling White supremacy and other forms of racism won't be easy, but children can be taught to do better than their parents' generations did.

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There has been a great deal in the media recently on the subject of race. Families may have been discussing issues of race at home, and young children will be picking up messages about race. What does this mean for us in the early years? Race affects everyone - adults and children. We know that children's early experiences can affect the rest of their lives. Early years practitioners have both a legal and moral duty to take into account a child race and ensure every child develops a positive sense of self and is able to fulfil their potential.

Race is a social construct. There is only one race - the human race but society has separated people according in to different groups and uses specific words to describe each group as we have seen used in the media recently - white and BAME - Black Asian Minority Ethnic.

Why do we need to be proactive and talk about race in our settings?

Every setting is different - some may have children from many different backgrounds with different skin tones and colours. Others may not be so diverse.

Whatever our setting, we need to remember that we live in a world that is diverse. Children will see, hear, and learn about race in many ways - through their own lived experiences, TV programmes and other media, books, through conversations at home and in settings. We need to acknowledge this and ensure that children are receiving positive messages around race. We also need to challenge negative messages so children and adults respect and value themselves and each other.

Everyone's experiences are affected by race. Some people from BAME backgrounds may experience discrimination and racism. The Steven Lawrence inquiry report by Macpherson (1999) said 'racism in general terms consists of conduct or words or practices which disadvantage or advantage people because of their colour, culture, or ethnic origin. In its more subtle form it is as damaging as in its overt form'.

As early years practitioners we often like to think that race plays no part in young children's lives. Some settings say 'young children do not notice race and we treat everyone the same here'. However, if we take a 'colour blind' approach in our settings we can unintentionally disadvantage all children. We need to acknowledge that everyone notices the colour of a person's skin and that race is an important part of an individual's identity. We might be surprised at how early children start to notice skin colour. Katz and Kofkin (1997) found that babies of six months old looked longer at a face of a different skin colour than they did of an unfamiliar face who had the same skin colour as them. More recent research by Professor Kang Lee of the University of Toronto says that two of his recent studies (2017) indicate that racial bias may arise in babies as young as six to nine months of age. So rather than treating everyone the same, we need to see people as individuals and treat people equally.

What can we do to support all children and ensure we are giving positive messages about race?

Children will ask questions and make comments. We need to think about how we respond to these. We need be proactive and talk about race in an accurate and age appropriate way because, if we don't, children will pick up messages from other people and places. We also need to be aware of our own attitudes and biases. We all have them and professional discussions in training, staff meetings and supervision can help explore these and what they mean for practice. Having a diverse staff team reinforces positive messages to children and families as does talking to parents about their experiences and sharing what we are doing in our setting.

Many settings have some amazing resources and we need to think about how we incorporate race into all areas of the curriculum e.g. having varied skin tone crayons and paint; doing self portraits; pictures, art work and material from all around the world; role play resources e.g. hair extensions, a variety of combs, hair coverings and hair magazines in the hairdressing corner; a variety of different music styles; resources for hair and skin care e.g. sand hats, hair coverings; positive images and use of language in books; use of children's photos e.g. on table mats, in maths games; using persona dolls, taking about feelings and much more.

We need to use resources well. It is possible to use resources in a negative way e.g. thinking that acknowledging black history month is all we need to do; practitioners making negative comments when putting out resources or not sitting down and using them in a positive way. Whilst no early years practitioner would consciously do anything to disadvantage children, we need to be aware of our actions. Children also pick up messages from what they don't see and hear and this can be damaging for all children's development. We need to actively recognise and celebrate difference and diversity.

Acknowledging race is an important part of our role as early years practitioners in which ever part of the country or whatever setting we work in. We need to think about how we incorporate it into every aspect of our work e.g. policies and procedures, planning, every area of the curriculum, the learning environment, recourses, teachable moments. Everyone needs to talk about race, it is not just one person's role. We need to talk together as a staff team, with children, families and others. Sometimes we will make mistakes and get things wrong. It is what we do with these mistakes that is important so we learn from them and constantly reflect on, audit and evaluate our practice. Most importantly we need to empower children to respect and value themselves and each other and ensure they develop a positive sense of identify and feel proud of who they are.

About the author

Rosalind Millam is a trainer, consultant and author. She is a CPD registered presenter and has written a book on Anti-Discriminatory practice published by Contiuum. For more information about her visit - www.rosalindmillam.co.uk

Further resources from PACEY

​Take a look at our ' Promoting positive diversity' spotlight which has lots of other ideas and additional resources you can encorporate into your setting. We also have a variety of dolls available in the PACEY shop which you could use in your setting.

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BLOG: Talking about race in the early years

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There has been a great deal in the media recently on the subject of race. Families may have been discussing issues of race at home, and young children will be picking up messages about race. What does this mean for us in the early years?

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Research and pedagogy discusses how children from a very young age notice difference and race.

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Research and pedagogy discusses how children from a very young age notice difference and race.

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A useful website for relatable lesson for the future you may need to conduct.

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The following lessons are from the PSHE Scheme You, Me, PSHE
Year 3 - Keeping safe and managing risk Years 1, 3, 4 and 6 - Identify society and equality
The following lessons are from the MindMate Champions scheme of work
Year 1 - Being the same being different Year 5 - Being the same being different Year 6 - Being the same being different
Resources for Secondary Schools

The following lessons and resources are from the Secondary PSHE toolkit
Year 8 Human Rights and Equality Year 9 Human Rights and Hate Crime
The following lessons are from the MindMate Champions scheme of work
Year 7 - Being the same being different Year 8 - Being the same being different Year 11 - Being the same being different
The information and materials listed below are provided by Leeds City Council in good faith. All information and materials are for your general information and use only and do not constitute any advice or recommendation. You should not rely upon any information or materials in making or refraining from making any specific decision for your setting. Leeds City Council does not guarantee the accuracy or validity of the information and materials listed below, nor does it guarantee the quality or fitness for purposes of any works, goods or services that may be provided by any third party. To avoid doubt, no liability is accepted in this regard, and we recommend that you quality assure each resource.

Being Black & Being Me

Being Black & Being Me is a film created by Tamirah, a young black woman who volunteers at Youthwatch & Black Lives Matter Leeds and wants to improve the lives of black people and make a positive impact on this world.

The NEU's framework for developing an anti-racist approach

The NEU framework has been designed to help you explore ideas around race equality and plan how to tackle racism with children, young people and staff.
It offers discussion starters in your workplace to help:

Empower Black staff and pupils to explore and express what matters to them.

Support young people's right to speak out and engage as active citizens with the issues around racism that they care about.

Challenge racial inequalities and oppressive racial norms and assumptions.

Show Racism the Red Card:
The Red Card
Show Racism the Red Card are offering 4 webinar modules at £20 per delegate with the two main union memberships.

PSHE Association: Challenging Racism through PSHE Education:
Challenging Racism through PSHE Education
Links to external resources:
Flocabulary: Racisl Justice Resources
Choose from 20+ free videos that support antiracist teaching & learning.
15 classroom resources for discussing racism, policing and protests Parent's Guide to Black Lives Matter 21 Anti-Racism Videos To Share With Kids
These videos help to explain complex topics to young audiences
Windrush Resources
IntoFilm have compiled a wide range of resources to help teach your students about the Windrush Generation, from films, to creative writing activities.
IntoFilm BLM Articles and Assembly
IntoFilm have compiled two articles around police brutality and experiences of racism for secondary students to read, plus an interactive assembly resource that uses the film Selma to open discussion about the Civil Rights movement.
Parent Zone: Resources to help you talk to your child about racism
There's never been a better time to talk to children about prejudice, diversity and inclusion. Parent Zone have pulled together a list of the best resources to help kickstart the conversation.
A Video Game About Conflict Resolution Helps Develop Empathy for Refugees
This is the first time a study of this kind has been conducted to understand if there is a difference in the way the football media talks about players of different skin colour. RunRepeat, in partnership with The Professional Footballers' Association conducted a study on racial bias within football commentary. They analysed 2,073 statements from commentators in 80 football matches from the 2019/20 season.

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The following lessons are from the PSHE Scheme You, Me, PSHE Year 3 - Keeping safe and managing risk Years 1, 3, 4 and 6 - Identify society and equality The following lessons are from the MindMate Champions scheme of work Year 1 - Being the same being different Year

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For Dr Jon Tan, a Senior Lecturer in Education at the Centre of Race Education and Decoloniality, this isn't something new. "There is longstanding documentation of violence and discrimination that is also very traditionally underreported amongst this community."

A survey run by YouGov in June 2020 found that out of a sample size of 1,270 adults of diverse ethnic heritage in the UK, 60% of respondents of Chinese ethnicity declared that they experienced racism at school, college or university , and in an in-depth study of the experiences of racism amongst East and South East Asian people in the UK, conducted in March 2021, school was identified as one of the settings where racism is experienced most .
So how can teachers help support their students of East and South East Asian descent who might have experienced incidents of racism?

Consider incidents as learning opportunities

"It's important that schools consider these incidents as learning opportunities," Jon says. "For teachers for continuing professional development, for schools as learning organisations and for young people in terms of sharing cultural knowledge."

"I'm particularly concerned about how the issues around Covid-19 have been represented in the media, about the eating of certain animals. There is a job for schools to do about the understanding of these issues - opportunities to have discussions around different cultures and how the transfer of diseases from animals to humans work, to reset the balance in terms of how these conversations around viruses and transmission are represented."

Craig Perkinton is a mixed-race white and Malaysian teacher who taught at primary in the UK and is now based at an international school in China. He says: "Teachers need to be honest with themselves about their own ignorance of a pupil's culture and seek education to rectify it, and we should allow time for open and fair discussion as part of P4C (Philosophy for Children) and circle times."

Having been both a student and a teacher in the UK, he is mindful of his experience and how assumptions and stereotypes can be problematic, even when they appear to be positive. "I've had things like: 'You must be good at maths.' and 'Of course you're good at the piano - you're Asian.'" He attributes that in part to lack of knowledge amongst his peers growing up, but it raises a key point about not assuming culture based on a person's heritage.

Doing your own research is key, and pressure shouldn't be put on the students to do the educating, Craig asserts. Teachers shouldn't "use the Chinese children in school to help support learning about Chinese culture".

And the same could be said for teachers. "When you perhaps have teachers from that community within that school environment, we have to be careful about their responsibility as a role model," Jon says. "There is a sense that because the community is so underrepresented in teaching, that there is a weight of responsibility and expectation that is often put upon that individual to equip the rest of the teaching staff with knowledge. We do have to put in place support for those people."

"Schools shouldn't turn to their teachers of colour to be race experts," Professor Vini Lander, the Director of the Centre for Race, Education and Decoloniality, adds. "White teachers should be allies, but they should also have courage and lead the way. It's not enough to say you're not racist. You have to be actively anti-racist."

Craig has similar thoughts. "We need to stop the idea that people from outside of a particular culture cannot interact because they feel embarrassed, worried or guilty. By creating the right relationship with your pupils, you open up channels of communication with the pupils and their families."

Be ready

And whilst it's important to learn from these incidents, the educators we spoke to also highlighted the significance of a whole-school anti-racist culture in supporting children of all backgrounds.

"Teachers need to have an ongoing discussion about racism, look at the socio-political climate, and almost pre-empt the incidents," says Vini. "There are now lots of discussions around the Indian Covid-19 variant. Is there something that teachers can almost pre-empt? Know that racism is going to be a possibility. Do you know your school's anti-racism policies?"

"All staff need to be prepared to act and be confident in the actions that they take," Vini adds. "Not just teachers, but the whole school - dinner supervisors, site managers, TAs, other people in the school community as well - the shopkeeper, the governors. Is there a governor whose remit includes looking after the welfare of minority ethnic groups? Is the school sensitive to how the children are feeling, for example, about George's Floyd's death last year?"

"Does the curriculum address issues of race and racism? Reflect this in the pedagogy and the whole curriculum - so you're sending out messages to everyone who walks through the doors of your school."

And it's not just about combating racism, but more widely about inclusion and celebrating diverse experiences and perspectives. "In my personal opinion, we don't teach empathy in schools," Craig says. "There needs to be more emphasis on teaching empathy as a skill that needs to be practised through role play and discussion."

He also thinks that more multi-cultural teaching needs to be done. "It can't be an additional extra, like the Shang Dynasty as an optional history focus," but really including more diverse perspectives and examples in topic work, or significant inspirational figures from different backgrounds in the study of history, science and literature.

Communicate that racism isn't tolerated

"Never allow an incident of racism to go unchallenged," says Vini. "This builds trust amongst all children, staff and parents of minority ethnicities. You need to have a zero tolerance approach."

She's worked with some young people over the years who have lost trust in these support systems. She shares some of the things young people have said to her. "Some teachers tell us to ignore it. Some teachers tell us: 'You're better than that.' Some teachers say: 'It's just name calling'. Tell them not to give us another assembly on it."

Craig recommends being mindful of the child's position and the danger of singling them out. "As a student," he recalls, "I didn't want any extra attention. We should have more general open discussion as part of the curriculum, rather than specially created events."

"Racism causes trauma and hurt," Vini stresses. "It doesn't matter if you're five, 35 or 85 - you don't get used to it. It's an issue of health and safety, and of the wellbeing of that child. Is your school a safe space for that child? See it in the round. See it as an issue of wellbeing, not just of the child, but of your institution."

And it's not the responsibility of a single teacher to address this. "One thing with issues about racism generally is that teachers, when they experience an incident of racism, can feel very isolated and ill-equipped to have the conversation," Jon says. "It's important for schools to approach these things as a collective resource, a collective response, instead of it being put upon a particular member of staff."

"Some schools haven't got a mechanism for documenting these incidents, and there is a reluctance to document these incidents when you haven't got a pathway to addressing these issues, but schools have an accountability to their students to try and help."

At present, there is no legal requirement on schools to report racist incidents to their local authorities, but some schools and local authorities might have individual arrangements in place.

Work with parents and families

"Be alert to whether it's always the same children," Vini advises. "Is there work to be done with families via parental engagement?"

"If you're going to change the environment, there should be an element of restorative action, both with the victim and the perpetrator, and potentially with their families. Listen to the pupils and parents."

"Expect some pushback from parents, as the child might be repeating views that they might have heard outside school. A common thing you hear from parents is: 'They didn't hear it at home.'"

"It's actually quite uncommon for East Asian and South East Asian communities, who are traditionally quite private in their dealing with racism, to have these conversations," says Jon. "Schools in working with these communities have to develop this sense of trust and openness and that there will be a pathway for dealing with these issues. Be open that the school as an institution is undergoing a learning journey that could be helped by these communities and that perhaps they can build a more trusting relationship."

Recognise that this is a process

It's important to acknowledge that this isn't an issue that can be solved overnight. Vini thinks it's all about developing racial literacy and confidence as well as having the knowledge and understanding of how racism operates. "I've been in education for 30 years and I've seen cycles of people's racial awareness. There is a feeling that the problem has been fixed and then that awareness goes away. Tackling racism and developing race equality is always a work in progress. We have to always keep trying because racism changes and is denied."

Jon agrees. "It's about trying to find ways in which these conversations can become part of a supporting fabric of a school's professional community. They're ongoing conversations, not responses to something that is an isolated particular incident. These are issues that require long-term strategic investment in terms of professional time. There is a level of teachers wanting to know: 'What do I do now?', but to some extent, these discussions have to be built as an ongoing conversation."

But there is hope. In the wake of George Floyd's death, Vini set up an anti-racist school award, with 70 schools signing up. She is heartened by the fact that schools have signed onto the award with real commitment. "There is a good take up of the CPD that I've delivered to schools. Talking to teachers and head teachers, they see the problem on the ground and they want to address it."

And Jon sees this as an opportunity to tackle some wider issues in the perception of East and South East Asian communities in society. "It feels, from a person who comes from a Chinese mixed heritage background, you see a very cynical representation of Chinese communities in all sorts of ways, and that's historical. There's a bigger conversation that needs to happen about the representation particularly of Chinese communities. Perhaps this is an opportunity now to address some of these longstanding, unconscious and sometimes very conscious biases."

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Supporting your students of East and South East Asian heritage

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In the wake of Covid-19, East Asian and South East Asian communities have experienced increased racism, even on school grounds. How can teachers help?

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When it comes to decolonising the school curriculum, teachers can serve as important agents for change. Martin Johnson and Melissa Mouthaan, both researchers at Cambridge Assessment, explain the role that teacher training and development can play in decolonisation efforts. Why teacher training is important to decolonisation
In 2020, researchers in the Education and Curriculum strand at Cambridge Assessment's Research Division launched a collaborative project with OCR to assist the exam board in identifying ways to decolonise within its scope of activities. One of the areas we examined was teacher training and professional development, as our initial research indicated that this is an important but overlooked issue in the research literature on decolonisation.

A significant element of the collaborative project was to identify what we understood "decolonisation" to be in education. Our review uncovered many different definitions, with many of these focusing on activities in the Higher Education sector - however our focus here is on decolonisation in schools and classrooms.

In education, decolonisation involves acknowledging and critically examining the influence of colonial legacies on education systems as a whole, and its various sub-components such as knowledge and the curriculum. There is a consensus that decolonisation is by definition an iterative and ongoing process. Linda Tuhiwai Smith points out that this process focuses on the "bureaucratic, cultural, linguistic and psychological divesting of colonial power". By interrogating the biases and assumptions that underpin current education arrangements, the decolonisation process opens education up to reflecting alternative knowledge systems, philosophies and perspectives. While the decolonisation debate has been particularly prominent in institutions of higher education, decolonising education is relevant at all education levels. Ultimately, this opening up looks to transform the "what" and the "how" of teaching, so that students are better equipped to navigate a diverse world.
Issues that can affect the extent to which teacher training and development can influence curriculum decolonisation
In this blog, we examine the reasons why teacher education is a key area for consideration in the development of any decolonised curriculum. We also discuss some of the barriers that currently exist for supporting teachers in delivering decolonised curricula to their pupils - and this leads us to develop some recommendations for how teacher development should engage with decolonisation.

Teacher training is a key point of influence in the cycle of reproduction of ideas. As such, it has the potential to confront and disrupt the cultural reproduction of Eurocentric or colonial narratives in education. It also occurs at a pivotal place in the education system. Although it is often located in the Higher Education sector, teacher training is a place where practitioners from across all sectors of education can share and explore their perspectives.

Our research found that, implicitly or explicitly, teachers are cast as key actors in any classroom decolonising process. Carefully curated teacher training - and spaces/places to learn about and discuss race, identity and hegemonic beliefs - can therefore help mobilise teachers as agents of change, and ensure they are well-equipped to implement this process in their classrooms. This is also important as teachers are uniquely placed to understand their students' needs, and act as positive role models for a diverse student body.
Recommendations for engaging with decolonisation in teacher training
Because teachers are a major component of this "change making", decolonisation requires they have a developed awareness of issues around race and (historical and ongoing) colonial experiences and power relations. To support this awareness-raising, teacher training is an important mechanism that invites educators' systematic reflection on the complex systems of colonisation, while helping teachers to recognise present day systems of race domination, including the impact on students. Within this context, it is important to understand teachers' own perceptions of the decolonisation process, in order to overcome potential obstacles to implementing a decolonised curriculum. This will help to ensure diverse content is central to the enacted curriculum, rather than remaining at the margins.

In many education frameworks, such as in the UK, the teaching of histories of empire and migration remain optional and therefore dependent on the inclination of curriculum leads and individual educators. Understanding teachers' perspectives, interest, reluctance, and confidence in implementing a decolonised curriculum is therefore of crucial importance.

The process of professional development should engage with teachers' perspectives as a starting point, but this activity is challenging as it requires teachers critically reflecting on their own worldviews and positionalities - things that they have developed through their lived experience. This process is complex as many of the perspectives that teachers have acquired are likely to remain invisible until deep reflection takes place. Confronting and questioning one's taken for granted perspectives requires both confidence on the part of the teacher as well as access to high quality resources. The creation of such resources involves an investment of finances and time, and once created there needs to be clear pathways of access for teachers.

It also needs to be acknowledged that there are limits to the degree of agency that teachers have in attaining decolonisation. For example, while teachers often have agency in content curation, the selection of the knowledge covered in national curricula is beyond the scope of influence of teachers and teacher trainers. There are also accountability incentives in national education systems that undoubtedly influence teacher practices. Education systems that are characterised by high stakes accountability measures (such as performance league tables) can tend to dissuade teachers from taking risks and introducing new content. Overcoming these limitations may require structural changes that are beyond the scope of teachers' control (for example the mandated inclusion of decolonised content in curricula or assessments). While there is no simple redress to this structural challenge, it is vital that teachers are supported in decisions to introduce diverse content in the classroom. In addition, efficient use must be made of the spaces and flexibility within national curricula for local, additional and decolonised knowledge.

Our discussion above has highlighted key areas where teacher training initiatives can be adapted to accommodate decolonising principles. This is not to say that such adaptation is necessarily straightforward. Here, we outline some key recommendations.

1. Confronting issues of racism directly. An initial important consideration is for racism and colonialism to be confronted directly in teacher training. Our analysis makes two specific recommendations regarding teacher training:

ii. Incorporate awareness-raising on racism and colonial structures, and

ii. Enable educators' critical self-reflection on their positionality in systems of race.

In many instances, programmes for teachers' continuous professional development opt for politically safe, strategy-based instruction, or issues of race are masked by the use of linguistic terms relating indirectly to "diversity". However, these types of initiatives may fail to provide the appropriate training. At the same time, we note that our recommendations place a responsibility for professional reflexivity on teachers that is challenging, where some may find such conversations uncomfortable.

2. External resources and their use. While improved teaching resources are not in themselves a panacea, the provision of high-quality textbook material can help make meaningful changes. Well-designed learning resources can enable diverse learning without overloading students with additional reading. A learning resource of high quality is underpinned with evidence-based models of learner progression, pedagogy and didactics that ensures the logical sequencing of materials and stimulates learning. Textbooks are also known to serve as useful tools in decreasing teachers' workloads. Teacher training initiatives can reinforce the importance of using high quality learning materials as a support in classrooms and promote the informed and strategic use of textbooks as a pedagogic tool.

3. Decolonisation is a process. It is clear that decolonisation involves a long-term commitment of effort and reflection. Perspectives that have developed in a society with a well-established colonial legacy are not easy to displace. As part of this process of deep reflection there should be ongoing opportunities to research how teacher training is continually engaging with decolonisation. This could involve the observation of training programmes, conversations with teachers about decolonised learning materials, and qualitative evaluations of teachers' shifting perspectives.

These recommendations are of course not an exhaustive list. However, we find that these are good starting points for making inroads into decolonising education in the area of teacher training.

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The Runnymede Trust | Decolonising the curriculum: the importance of teacher training and development

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When it comes to decolonising the school curriculum, teachers can serve as important agents for change. Martin Johnson and Melissa Mouthaan , both researchers at Cambridge Assessment, explain the role that teacher training and development can play in decolonisation efforts.

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A BBC Bitesize article pertaining to children's perspectives and emotions about the curriculum and decolonising it.

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Colonialism is an important part of British history. At its peak, the British Empire was the largest and most influential empire in the world. We are taught about the British Empire as part of Key Stage 3 History, but these sixth formers feel that parts of Britain's colonial history are being left out. For example, the role Britain played in taking enslaved Africans to the Americas .

In Year 8... my teacher started the lesson by proclaiming that slavery has nothing to do with race. I remember feeling so angry.

These activists feel it is important for all pupils to understand the British Empire's use of violence against its colonies , and its uncomfortable views on race . They believe learning about history helps us to stop repeating the same mistakes .

Learning about colonialism also helps us all to understand how modern day society was formed. Many people moved from British colonies overseas to set up a life in Britain.

My parents had taught me stuff about my own heritage, so when I saw it being actively absent in the classroom, it made me feel like I was absent in history itself.

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Colonialism is an important part of British history. At its peak, the British Empire was the largest and most influential empire in the world. We are taught about the British Empire as part of Key Stage 3 History, but these sixth formers feel that parts of Britain's colonial history are being left out.

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Critics have hailed the release of Ms Marvel, Disney's first on-screen Muslim superhero story, as a "joyful" slice of "pop culture history".

The show centres around geeky teenager and Avengers comic book fangirl Kamala Khan, played by Pakistani-Canadian newcomer Iman Vellani.

She struggles to fit in until she gains superpowers, becoming Ms Marvel.

The paper's TV critic Lucy Mangan wrote: "Normally, you would fear for a young actor, but Vellani seems so born to the purple [the colour of her powers] that you almost have to shrug and say, as an elder might to a nascent superhero in - oh, I don't know, the MCU [Marvel Cinematic Universe] perhaps - that it is her destiny."

Mangan said the two available episodes of the six-part Disney+ series were "full of charm, wit, warmth, brio and truth".

Marvel superheroes have been leaping off the pages of comic books and onto TV and film screens since the 1970s, but more recently there have been attempts made to diversify its characters.

Early in the new series, Khan notes the lack of superheroes that look like her. "It's not the brown girls from Jersey City who save the world," she sighs, focusing her attentions on being an artist, vlogger and Avengers superfan instead.

However, that that soon changes when she happens upon an old bracelet that belonged to her reputedly mystical great-grandmother.

"The bangle allows her powers to be tied to Kamala's Pakistani heritage and the trauma of Partition in particular," Mangan continued.

Journalist Dan Einav described the series, which depicts the Khans as an ordinary family, as "a small yet significant piece of pop culture history".

He wrote: "That Kamala is a practising Muslim of Pakistani origin isn't treated as incidental.

"Like the recent Pixar film Turning Red (and everything from Bend It Like Beckham to The Big Sick), the series humorously and sensitively reflects on the cultural gulf between parents rooted to tradition and children caught between their sense of identity and the desire to assimilate."

Alan Sepinwall's review of the streaming adaptation said that, in the first two episodes, she is still a "fascinating" character in the context of an on-screen teen drama, but cast doubt on her "uninspired" superhero credentials.

"The best and worst thing I can say about Ms Marvel is that there are long stretches where it's easy to forget it's a Marvel show," he wrote.

He added: "The show's first two instalments do such a strong job of establishing Kamala, her family, her friends... and the local Muslim community, that the MCU tie-ins can feel almost beside the point."

Her newfound superpowers, he underlined, serve as "a metaphor for Kamala trying to expand what she can be beyond familial and societal expectations".

She noted how her Pakistani heritage was something she had been "very dismissive about" and "disconnected from" before making the show.

Critic Nick Hilton wrote: "I'm not here to review good intentions - indeed, Marvel is such a rampantly commercial enterprise that there are doubtless cynical motives at play here - but it's refreshing to see such commitment to creatives of South Asian origin leading a high-profile project."

He noted that the series was written by British-Pakistani comedian Bisha K Ali and directed by Belgian duo Adil & Bilall. "The creative influences are far more Michel Gondry and Edgar Wright than anything from South Asian film, but the whole thing is infused with a deep love of South Asian culture all the same," he said.

"But I suppose the only real question is whether this works as a superhero property."

"For those who can roll with the punches of the awkward-but-relatable approach, there is much promise here."

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Ms Marvel: Critics praise Disney's 'joyful' first Muslim superhero story

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Critics have hailed the release of Ms Marvel, Disney's first on-screen Muslim superhero story, as a "joyful" slice of "pop culture history". The show centres around geeky teenager and Avengers comic book fangirl Kamala Khan, played by Pakistani-Canadian newcomer Iman Vellani. She struggles to fit in until she gains superpowers, becoming Ms Marvel.

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A British Briefing Paper on Islamophobia

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A British Briefing Paper on Islamophobia

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NASUWT

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A framework to support action

Resources disclaimer
Background
The NASUWT's position on anti-racism and decolonising the curriculum
Principles guiding the NASUWT's approach to decolonising the curriculum
Colonisation and decolonising
Decolonising the curriculum: what and how
A whole-school approach to anti-racism and decolonising the curriculum

Background

In April 2021, the NASUWT's national conference passed a resolution calling on the Union's National Executive to take action to decolonise the curriculum. This included four broad actions:

1. work with campaigners to press for inclusive curriculum frameworks and entitlements;

2. publish materials and resources on decolonising the curriculum;

3. lobby governments and administrations to secure inclusive curricular entitlements; and

4. engage with teacher training providers to embed anti-racist teaching.

This framework [1] forms part of our response to that resolution and has been developed to support teachers and school leaders to decolonise the curriculum as part of anti-racist practice in their schools. It also aims to be a useful tool for NASUWT activists campaigning and bargaining for action on decolonising the curriculum and anti-racist practice. Further, it is intended to support activists to engage with all members and improve representation through our structures.

The framework is a web-based resource that includes links to resources which may help teachers and leaders take action to decolonise the curriculum as part of an anti-racist approach. We plan to add to these resources as the work is taken forward.

The NASUWT's position on anti-racism and decolonising the curriculum

We are committed to anti-racism and to challenging the hostile racist environment that NASUWT members face. Decolonising the curriculum forms part of that work.

We recognise that both the formal and informal curriculum contribute to what is taught and learned about identities, culture, racism, prejudice and hatred, rights and respect, and equality of opportunity. The formal and the informal curriculum have vital roles to play in creating inclusive schools and society.

The experiences of Black[2] learners and Black teachers and leaders cannot be treated in isolation from wider school organisation and the curriculum. The curriculum, along with school policies, procedures and practices, have critical roles to play in tackling and preventing discrimination and segregation, advancing equality and fostering good relations between learners and staff with different protected characteristics.

We recognise that the injustices of today have their roots in the injustices of the past, and decisions and actions taken today have implications for justice and injustice. We believe that action to decolonise the curriculum must start with creating the conditions for a decolonised anti-racist education to exist and flourish.

Principles guiding the NASUWT's approach to decolonising the curriculum

Our commitment to decolonising the curriculum is underpinned by 'six R's':

Colonisation and decolonising

Colonisation describes the ongoing process where one group of people takes control of another group of people. Decolonising:

recognises that colonialism, imperialism and racism have impacted on and shaped political, economic and social structures and institutions in the UK and that curricula reflect and reinforce this colonial, imperial and racist past;

interrogates assumed knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and practices and seeks to broaden perspectives. This includes incorporating the views, perspectives and experiences of those who are, or have been, marginalised or oppressed;

involves supporting learners to think critically about evidence, equality, rights and justice and to challenge discrimination, disadvantage and injustice; and

requires action to ensure that the school environment values and empowers all learners and staff and does not disadvantage or exclude some groups.

Decolonising the curriculum: what and how

In simple terms, decolonising the curriculum is a process that involves addressing two key questions:

What should be taught? This includes curriculum content and sources of knowledge.

How should the curriculum be taught? This includes consideration of how content and knowledge are critiqued, as well as wider considerations about pedagogy.

Decolonising the curriculum involves looking at representation across the whole curriculum. It also involves helping learners understand and engage with issues of representation, rights, power, equality, inclusion and justice.

The following questions are intended to help teachers and leaders reflect on the current curriculum and the changes they need to make. It is important to recognise that decolonising is an ongoing process. Therefore, teachers and leaders may find it useful to return to these questions periodically.

1. What steps can you take to include the knowledge, ideas, experiences and perspectives of disadvantaged and marginalised people and communities?

2. What further steps can you take to support learners to think critically about evidence, representation, equality and power relationships and to take action to challenge discrimination and injustice?

A whole-school approach to anti-racism and decolonising the curriculum

Action to decolonise the curriculum should form part of a whole-school approach to tackling racism, discrimination and injustice. This includes recognising the intersectional nature of colonisation, discrimination and oppression.

The following questions are intended to help leaders, teachers and NASUWT Representatives reflect on whether the school provides the environment for ant-iracist and anti-discriminatory education and decolonising the curriculum to flourish.

Leadership of the curriculum

What are the barriers to teaching a curriculum that is representative of different knowledge and perspectives, which equips learners to think critically and take action to challenge, discrimination and injustice, and how can they be overcome?

What action should be taken to strengthen representation and the teaching of equality, rights, justice and inclusion across the curriculum?

Staff development and support

Culture, ethos and engagement

Evaluating impact

How do the results of evaluations inform plans and decisions about the content of the curriculum, how the curriculum is taught, staff development and support, the involvement of Black teachers, learners and communities, and the leadership and management of equality, diversity and inclusion?

What steps should be taken to strengthen the school's work to challenge discrimination and injustice, improve representation, and secure equality and inclusion?

Footnotes
[1] Resources disclaimer: We have identified a number of resources that may be useful to teachers, school leaders and NASUWT activists undertaking work to establish and implement anti-racist practice and decolonise the curriculum. However, we are not endorsing the resources and the views expressed in the resources are those of the individuals or organisations and may not reflect NASUWT policies.

The resources that we have included provide information and evidence about the experiences and issues affecting Black teachers and learners. Some of the resources are intended to support teachers and leaders to reflect on their practice and to provide prompts and ideas for possible action.

We plan to add to the resources over time. If you have identified any resources that you think other teachers, leaders and activists will find useful, then please let us know by emailing the NASUWT.

[2] The NASUWT uses the term Black in a political and inclusive sense to describe those who self-identify as African, Caribbean and Asian and those with a common and direct history of racism, racist oppression and diminished opportunities in today's society.

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Anti-racism and Decolonising the Curriculum

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A framework to support action Resources disclaimer Background The NASUWT's position on anti-racism and decolonising the curriculum Principles guiding the NASUWT's approach to decolonising the curriculum Colonisation and decolonising Decolonising the curriculum: what and how A whole-school approach to anti-racism and decolonising the curriculum Background In April 2021, the NASUWT's national conference passed a resolution calling on the Union's National Executive to take action to decolonise the curriculum.

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On the Shared Area under: Curriculum Leaders Team, 2021-2022, Towards an Anti-Racist Classroom, Planning you will find the first lesson slide, lesson feedback form, a lesson overview and ground rules and an extensive list of books.

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On the Shared Area under: Curriculum Leaders Team, 2021-2022, Towards an Anti-Racist Classroom, Planning you will find the first lesson slide, lesson feedback form, a lesson overview and ground rules and an extensive list of books.

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On the Shared Area under: Curriculum Leaders Team, 2021-2022, Towards an Anti-Racist Classroom, Planning you will find the first lesson slide, lesson feedback form, a lesson overview and ground rules and an extensive list of books.

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On the Shared Area under: Curriculum Leaders Team, 2021-2022, Towards an Anti-Racist Classroom, Planning you will find the first lesson slide, lesson feedback form, a lesson overview and ground rules and an extensive list of books.

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On the Shared Area under: Curriculum Leaders Team, 2021-2022, Towards an Anti-Racist Classroom, Planning you will find the first lesson slide, lesson feedback form, a lesson overview and ground rules and an extensive list of books.

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On the Shared Area under: Curriculum Leaders Team, 2021-2022, Towards an Anti-Racist Classroom, Planning you will find the first lesson slide, lesson feedback form, a lesson overview and ground rules and an extensive list of books.

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A simple but effective video to explain Racism to young children. It is useful for discussion and Oracy.

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Sesame Street: What is Racism? | #ComingTogether

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A simple lesson to develop the children's Oracy about skin colour and noticing difference.

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Reflective lesson feedback form. Use to evaluate each lesson.

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Reflective lesson feedback form. Use to evaluate each lesson.

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A reflective document to record children's input and the impact of each lesson. Write a brief summary.

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Thousands of people have joined anti-racism demonstrations across the UK.

The protests, sparked by the death of George Floyd in the US, were held in cities including London, Manchester, Cardiff, Leicester and Sheffield.

In London, protesters knelt for a minute's silence before chanting "no justice, no peace" and "black lives matter".

The majority of the day's protests were peaceful but in the evening there were disturbances outside Downing Street.

BBC home affairs correspondent Tom Symonds said the protest was largely over when missiles and fireworks were thrown at a police line.

Police horses were used to regain control, but one horse galloped ahead and its rider fell to the ground after hitting her head on a traffic light. Her injuries are not life-threatening, the Metropolitan Police said.

Fourteen people were arrested and 14 officers were injured after a smaller group became "angry and intent on violence", the force added.

The protests went ahead despite officials advising against mass gatherings due to coronavirus.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the social distancing advice was "for the safety of all of us", while Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said the protests were "unlawful".

Thousands of people gathered in the capital, the majority donning face coverings and many with gloves.

Some held signs made reference to coronavirus, including one which read: "There is a virus greater than Covid-19 and it's called racism".

Protests began in the US after a video emerged of Mr Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, being arrested by four officers on 25 May in Minneapolis.

An officer has been charged with murder while three of his colleagues stand accused of aiding and abetting the killing.

At a protest in his hometown of Watford, Britain's world heavyweight champion boxer Anthony Joshua told the crowds: "We can no longer sit back and remain silent on this senseless, unlawful killing and sly racism on another human being."

In central London, protesters dropped to one knee and raised their fists in the air outside the US embassy amid chants of "silence is violence" and "colour is not a crime".

Sarah Law, 27, said: "I don't want my future children to experience what I have. It's time for us all to unite together regardless of our race and stand up for what is right."

O'Neall Rawle, a 27-year-old teacher from Leicester, said he was protesting because he was "exhausted of being treated as a second class citizen" and "to hopefully spark some change".

Elsewhere, several hundred people marched in Newcastle, while many more took part in an online protest organised in the north-east of England.

How Floyd's death resonated in the UK

What does the law say about protests?

Coronavirus regulations for England don't specifically mention protests but do restrict "public gatherings" to no more than six people - that would make large protests illegal.

Police officers can hand out fixed-penalty notices (starting at £100) to people who won't follow the health regulations. They can also arrest and charge someone with an offence.

Whether they do this in practice is another matter and policing large protests during the coronavirus pandemic presents a challenge.

Dame Cressida has said officers will "seek to uphold the law" but will have to make a "case-by-case" decision on what to do.

She told the London Assembly on 3 June that if they had tried to enforce a mass dispersal at last weekend's protests, "we would probably have ended up with very serious disorder".

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George Floyd death: Thousands turn out for UK anti-racism protests

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Thousands of people have joined anti-racism demonstrations across the UK. The protests, sparked by the death of George Floyd in the US, were held in cities including London, Manchester, Cardiff, Leicester and Sheffield. In London, protesters knelt for a minute's silence before chanting "no justice, no peace" and "black lives matter".

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Government document. An interesting perspective. The Commission’s report sets out a new, positive agenda for change. It balances the needs of individuals, communities and society, maximising opportunities and ensuring fairness for all.

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Government document. An interesting perspective. The Commission’s report sets out a new, positive agenda for change. It balances the needs of individuals, communities and society, maximising opportunities and ensuring fairness for all.

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Child Q...unfortunately she is not alone.

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Child Q...unfortunately she is not alone.

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Child Q: School apologises for strip-search of black schoolgirl

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The school's governing body says teachers were not aware a strip-search was taking place.

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A Black schoolboy had to have his finger amputated after he was injured while fleeing school "bullies".

Shantal Bailey says her son, Raheem Bailey, 11, has experienced racial and physical abuse since he began attending Abertillery Learning Community, in Wales, in September 2021.

Ms Bailey complained to school staff on Monday after Raheem told her he was threatened with detention, despite him being the victim. She said she was reassured the matter would be dealt with by the following morning.

However, on Tuesday, Raheem was beaten by a group of children at morning break time, his mother said.

In his desperation to escape the situation, he attempted to flee the school grounds but caught his finger in a fence, resulting in his finger breaking in two.

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"Raheem was attacked and beaten by a group of children whilst in school. He was pushed to the ground and then repeatedly kicked," Ms Bailey said.

"Consequently, Raheem made a desperate attempt to leave the school grounds in order to escape the situation. I received a phone call from Raheem and then the school informing me of the incident."

Staff members at the school informed Ms Bailey that an ambulance wouldn't arrive for two hours so they were taken to A&E in the school bus.

"Raheem, his baby brother and I were taken to a minor injuries unit by the school bus, despite them knowing that his injury was severe," she added.

"We spent the next five hours waiting for an ambulance to transfer us to the location where he would undergo surgery, in Swansea, 50 miles away from his home and school.

"As time rolled on, it became more apparent that the possibility my son was going to lose his finger was a real one. The doctors then confirmed this was likely. I had to explain this to him while he sat there in agony."

Despite six hours of surgery to try to save Raheem's finger, it had to be amputated. Ms Bailey is currently crowdfunding to purchase a personalised prosthetic finger for her son.

"From the day of the incident until now Abertillery learning community have not reached out to me to check on his well-being," Ms Bailey said.

A spokesperson for Abertillery Learning Community said: "We are currently working closely with Gwent Police and the local authority to establish the full details of the incident.

"The well-being and safety of our pupils and staff remains of paramount importance. We will not be commenting further at this time."

Gwent Police confirmed it was looking into the incident.

"A multi-agency meeting has taken place and we're working with the school as part of our ongoing enquires," a spokesperson told The Independent.

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A Welsh government spokesperson said: "We condemn bullying and racial harassment in any form and expect allegations and incidents of bullying and racism to be fully investigated by schools with appropriate action taken to address the matter and prevent further instances from happening.

"We understand that this incident is being investigated by the school and the local authority, and that Gwent Police are involved and carrying out an investigation. As such, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage."

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Black boy, 11, loses finger while fleeing 'school bullies'

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A Black schoolboy had to have his finger amputated after he was injured while fleeing school "bullies". Shantal Bailey says her son, Raheem Bailey, 11, has experienced racial and physical abuse since he began attending Abertillery Learning Community, in Wales, in September 2021.

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Racism is endemic in health and care with White nurses twice as likely to get promoted as Black and Asian staff, RCN survey results unveiled today (8 June) show.

The UK-wide survey of almost 10,000 nursing staff found that White respondents and those of mixed ethnic background across all age groups were more likely than Black and Asian colleagues to have received at least one promotion since starting their nursing career.

The difference appears most stark among those aged 35 to 44. While 66% of White and 64% of respondents from mixed ethnic backgrounds in this age group said they'd been promoted, this dropped to just 38% of Asian and 35% of Black respondents.

Registered nurse Olanike Babalola said: "I've experienced a lack of promotion several times. When I was doing my top-up degree, I did management of diabetes at level six. Since then, I've been looking for an avenue to work as a diabetes specialist nurse. I've applied three times and done interviews and it's got to the point where I don't bother anymore.

"Although I've got so much knowledge, I'm not given the opportunity to put that knowledge into practice. You find that they give the opportunities to the White nurses, rather than to you. It's actually racism, discrimination."

Our biennial employment survey showed structural racism is having a devastating impact on minority ethnic nursing staff in other ways too. It also found that Black respondents working in both hospital (39%) and community (32%) settings are more likely to report having experienced physical abuse than respondents of other ethnic backgrounds.

We're calling on the UK government to seize the opportunity of its planned reform of human rights legislation so that health and care organisations, regulatory bodies and inspectorates are required to tackle racism, including in the workplace.

This could include a legal requirement to eliminate disparities in recruitment, retention, and career progression or a greater responsibility for employers to protect minority ethnic groups from racism in all its forms.

We also want the COVID-19 inquiry to get to the bottom of why a high number of ethnic minority nurses died during pandemic, including any structural reasons.

It comes as delegates at RCN Congress in Glasgow have heard harrowing accounts of the racism nursing staff have experienced at work during the pandemic.

Agency nurse Roseline Sanni-Ajose said: "COVID-19 has been terrible for Black and minority ethnic nurses in the country. At the start it seemed all the Black nurses, particularly if they were agency staff, were always allocated to the red (high risk) areas.

"Due to the shortage of PPE, we weren't given adequate masks and were told to reuse our protective clothing and wear a gown all day, even if we'd been exposed to COVID-19 patients."

RCN Diversity and Equalities Co-ordinator Bruno Daniel added: "The pandemic has shone a spotlight on structural racism in health and care services and we must seize this opportunity to stamp out this vile behaviour once and for all.

"The UK government and devolved administrations must properly acknowledge and address this problem and the devastating impact it has on Black and minority ethnic staff and patients."

Our cultural ambassador programme aims to make sure nursing staff from minority ethnic backgrounds are treated fairly and are supported to challenge discrimination and cultural bias at work. Find out more about the programme and how it works in practice.

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Black and Asian nurses overlooked for promotion due to structural racism, RCN research reveals | News | Royal College of Nursing

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Racism is endemic in health and care with White nurses twice as likely to get promoted as Black and Asian staff, RCN survey results unveiled today (8 June) show. The UK-wide survey of almost 10,000 nursing staff found that White respondents and those of mixed ethnic background across all age groups were more likely than Black and Asian colleagues to have received at least one promotion since starting their nursing career.

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Challenging and tackling Racism in the classroom.

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Challenging and tackling Racism in the classroom.

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In 2020, the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down and rolled into the water at Bristol's docks.

The controversial protest came at the height of anti-racist demonstrations across the UK after the death of George Floyd in the US.

It gave an added impetus to efforts of schools in the city to address the past and its impact in the present.

A network of history teachers came together to write and publish a book about Bristol's involvement in the slave trade.

And Tanisha Hicks-Beresford is one of the teachers continuing the work of creating a more inclusive education for pupils. Some call the approach decolonisation.

"I went to school in Bristol and there was hardly any representation of people who look like me," she said.

Across the city there are more than 3,000 teachers, and Tanisha says those who are black are in a tiny minority.

She came into teaching, wanting pupils to have a very different experience from her own education.

"The emotional impact is huge when the only history you're taught is that you come from slaves, and that everybody else comes from kings and queens. So you start thinking am I less than everybody else?"

Now she teaches citizenship and English at Bristol Cathedral Choir secondary school, which draws its pupils from many different communities across the city.

Combatting negativity

Tanisha wants to redress what feels like a stream of negative stories in the news, from the death of George Floyd to the recent controversy over the strip search of a black teenage girl known as Child Q.

She describes it as bringing "black joy" into the classroom.

"It's not just about racism, there's so much more to this world. You don't want our students to come out and just feel 'I'm oppressed'. They need to see themselves in the world, and be agents of change."

In practical terms, she encourages pupils to discuss and celebrate each other's culture and family histories.

Tanisha looks for examples of black people shaping their own destinies, whether in campaigning for the abolition of slavery, to writers who bring different stories reflecting a wider cultural range of experiences.

It is an approach taken across the school, with teachers looking to add lesson content that connects with the backgrounds of more of its pupils.

So in history, the Haitian revolution and ancient African kingdoms have been added, while in English literature an anthology of short stories by writers from diverse racial backgrounds is included.

In the art department, teenagers are working on a mural inspired by the style of the AfriCobra art movement that began in Chicago in the 1960s to find creative expression for black identity.

It is a montage of contemporary role models from Barack Obama to Marcus Rashford.

In music, West African percussion instruments are among the additions.

Decolonisation

This search for references, examples and books that reflect the range of racial backgrounds in a school is part of what some describe as decolonising lessons.

Including different perspectives on some parts of British history, including colonisation and slavery, is also now commonplace in schools.

Year 7 English pupil Arthur, 11, said he felt it was important for him and his classmates to learn about the history of their families and the countries from which some had come to the UK.

"It gives us an understanding how our city became what it is now."

Respectful debate of different views is encouraged here.

Teah said: "It's really diverse our world, it's quite cool to learn about different races and religions. It really solves the puzzle of our world."

There is no agreed understanding of what decolonising learning means, and some think it is an unhelpful label for making sure lessons are relevant and relatable.

Up to the beginning of GCSE courses, schools have some leeway to look for creative ways of reflecting their pupils' backgrounds and different cultural perspectives in what they teach.

After that, what is taught in lessons is largely driven by exam boards.

Pearson exam board told us it is continually reviewing content, so from this autumn four new texts will be added to A-level English literature, including Les Blancs by Lorraine Hansberry and Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie.

It follows changes already made to its English literature GCSE curriculum, which have led to 25% of the texts specified being by authors from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Political row

Many schools are quietly getting on with reviewing what they teach, while a rather more heated and politicised row rumbles on.

In February this year, the government published the first guidelines for England's schools on how to interpret their long-standing duty of political impartiality.

The guidelines say when teaching pupils about racism, "teachers should be clear that racism has no place in our society".

But they also warn where schools want to teach about organisations with a more campaigning stance, such as Black Lives Matter, "they should be aware this may cover partisan political views".

It cites the call to defund the police as one of these partisan views which should be balanced with an opposing view.

Teachers have warned the guidelines could have a chilling effect on debating controversial subjects with older pupils in lessons, something the government denies.

At the annual meeting of the National Education Union on Monday, teachers debated what are described as government attacks on the "woke agenda" and Black Lives Matter.

Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said schools had an important role as places where children learned to be citizens.

"I do think the government's war on woke is being weaponised against the complex exploration of these issues in the classroom," she said.

Ministers have also faced calls to ensure that what is taught in schools through the national curriculum reflects a more diverse range of cultural views than has been the case.

It has promised a new model history curriculum to help teachers teach "migration, cultural change and the contribution made by different communities" by 2024.

The BBC understands the group of independent advisers for the work has not yet been appointed.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "We are developing a new model history curriculum that will support the teaching of high-quality, knowledge-rich content.

"It is not being designed to 'decolonise the curriculum'. Its purpose is to tell the story of how the United Kingdom came to be, and how we shaped, and were shaped by, our relationships with the rest of the world."

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The teacher trying to add 'black joy' into lessons

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In 2020, the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down and rolled into the water at Bristol's docks. The controversial protest came at the height of anti-racist demonstrations across the UK after the death of George Floyd in the US.

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A thought provoking article. A useful website with a wealth of information.

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Colleges and employers have diversity and inclusion policies in place but to what extent do they deliver? While those of us working with young people of Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage want to see colleges successfully implement these policies, the FE sector continues to be acutely affected by the savage cuts of austerity. In this context, the impact of the sector's policies to combat racial inequality has yet to be seen.

But it's not just cuts to funding feeding this issue. There's a huge question around the will to deliver - and who would drive it, given the lack of diversity in FE leadership roles. The Association of Colleges (AoC) has estimated that in 2020, only around a dozen of 239 FE colleges in England were headed up by Black, Asian or Mixed Heritage leaders. This decline, slashed from 13% in 2017 to around five or six per cent by 2020, happened at a period when 30% of students are from ethnically diverse communities (AoC 2019/20).

Policies are one thing but the will of college leaders to implement them just isn't evident. There are fewer of those in leadership who might ensure all staff are trained and supported in the delivery of equality and diversity practice - with action monitored, so that the experience and achievement of students can be measured.

Department for Education figures show that of all apprenticeship starts in 2019/20, 13.3% were Black, Asian and ethnically diverse young people. Such apprentices in the 16 to 18-year-old group made up just 7.8% of new apprentices starting in 2018/19, down from 8.6% the year before, according to research of official data by further education publisher FE Week.

The Black Further Education Leadership Group (BFELG) wrote an open letter to the government in August 2020, as it views systemic racism in FE to have "gone backwards". Robin Landman OBE, Black FE Leadership Group, and CMI Race advisory committee member, (Chartered Management Institute) in discussion with Ann Francke OBE, CEO of CMI, said: "For a lot of employers, unfortunately, they think apprentices are going to be White, that's the starting point. Employers may not set out to be overtly racist but the figures speak for themselves. How is it possible to have 30% of FE students intake be Black, Asian and ethnically diverse, but they fill only around 10% of apprenticeships? That doesn't make sense."
In employment, the reality is stark: young Black and Asian people are at least twice as likely to be unemployed as their White peers, whatever their qualification level.
There have been many more initiatives since Action for Racial Equality (ARE, formerly Black Training and Enterprise Group, BTEG) was established 30 years ago, but none has tackled - let alone transformed - race disparities in apprenticeships. To develop a more equitable labour market, where no one is prevented from getting a job or advancing their career because of their ethnicity, ARE calls for clear equalities targets to be set for apprenticeships. At least 15% of all new apprentices should be from Black, Asian or Mixed Heritage backgrounds. In London, the target should be at least 40%.
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Data collection is essential - inequality can't be addressed when its extent is not known. ARE calls for data on ethnicity to be collected and published in publicly funded employment support programmes. This would include how many people are helped into work by Jobcentre Plus and how many people from priority groups are supported into employment through the Work Programme.

It seems that many employers, especially in STEM-related sectors, do not recognise the benefits of ethnic diversity. It also appears that FE colleges and other organisations working with employers have been reluctant to challenge unfair recruitment practices. Racial bias in recruitment remains conscious, unconscious and widespread. This has to change.
Too many employers, training providers and colleges are still stuck on the first rung of the race equality ladder: they have an equality or diversity and inclusion policy but go no further.
I facilitated a workshop in Bradford for textile employers,  organised by the council and an FE college. The college had built good relationships with textile employers offering high-tech jobs. Despite Bradford's ethnically diverse population, the employers said they were unable to recruit talent from Asian communities. Listening to the employers it was clear that they were ready to reach out but there was no data on why they struggled to recruit. They said Asian people were "not applying" to their firms, although none was conducting any ethnicity monitoring to see what the actual application rates were.

The workshop prompted a council-led initiative to help employers adopt fair recruitment practices. This should happen routinely, although perhaps it is difficult for certain stakeholders to play this role because they have not always got their own house in order when it comes to race equality.

Employers in growth sectors need practical support to improve recruitment and implement workforce ethnicity monitoring. Guidance is freely available, such as the Greater London Authority's  Inclusive Employers Toolkit  for construction and technology. With the lack of trained applicants in sectors such as construction, employers should be seeking to recruit from the broadest talent pool, where young people of Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage are taking up apprenticeships but not being able to continue through to their chosen careers.

ARE wants much more to be done to tackle poorer success rates for Black and Asian apprenticeship applicants. Application data should be shared with employers and colleges - but first it has to be collected. We also call on the Department for Education to set a challenging target - one requiring entirely new ways of working - for the number of 16-18-year-old Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage apprenticeship starts in growth sectors over the next four years.

The FE sector can - and should - be a catalyst for change. We published a briefing paper in July 2021, Ethnic Minority Young People and Apprenticeships in England, to present in more detail the available data: ARE calls on the FE sector to join us in calling for action to effect such transformation and proposes the following recommendations to make this happen.

The government should lead action with employers to tackle the continued under-representation of ethnic minority young people on apprenticeships in higher value sectors such as construction and engineering

A renewed drive is needed to create more apprenticeships in higher value sectors in London, along with pilot initiatives to test ways of supporting young Londoners to take up apprenticeship opportunities in high value sectors in other regions.

In order that disparities in apprenticeship application success rates can be tracked, the government should require all employers with 50+ employees to monitor and publish information about apprenticeship applications and appointments by age, gender and ethnicity.

A national review of take up of Jobcentre Plus (JCP) services by ethnic minority young people is urgently needed, with action to address barriers deterring some communities from accessing employment support and opportunities only available through JCP.

The government should publish data on degree-level apprenticeships, with breakdowns in application, start and completion rates by gender, age and ethnicity.

Jeremy Crook - chief executive, Action for Racial Equality

This article is revised and updated from an earlier piece, published in FE Week, 08/11/20

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Colleges and employers have diversity and inclusion policies in place but to what extent do they deliver? While those of us working with young people of Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage want to see colleges successfully implement these policies, the FE sector continues to be acutely affected by the savage cuts of austerity.

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This Anti-Racist Pledge aims to send a clear and consistent message that racism will not be tolerated in Tower Hamlets.

The Tower Hamlets Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Inequalities Commission concluded that racism still exists within institutions and structures in the borough, and challenges institutions who sign this pledge to achieve race equality in their organisation at pace.

Organisations will work together to make radical changes that close inequality gaps by advancing opportunities and ensuring the experience of racism within structures and institutions is eradicated.

Your commitment

Organisations who sign up to the pledge will commit to an ambitious set of shared principles and actions. Committing to be an anti-racist organisation is a commitment to:

not tolerating racist behaviour and calling acts out as racist

training employees on what being anti-racist means

address racial inequality and improve opportunity and access to services and employment.

It complements the ambitions of the borough's No Place for Hate Pledge and signifies a commitment to challenging all forms of discrimination wherever it may exist in the borough.

Organisations pledges

See which organisations have signed the Tower Hamlets Anti-Racist Pledge

Answer:

Commitment

Data

THH have made the commitment and have in place EDI arrangements, the progress of which have been assessed by Housing Diversity Network which gave THH an accreditation and five distinctions in 2015 and accreditation and 11 distinction areas under the Diversity Network Accreditation in August 2021. THH is committed to the pledge and is working with LBTH as its ALMO to implement the strategic and equalities priorities of the Council. THH tracks progress against actions contained in the Inequalities Commission. Whilst THH has sought assessment and recognition of its work on EDI it fully supports driving up standards through recognition schemes and will work with LBTH to achieve that; whilst also publicising its own achievement, standard and recognition. THH collates, disaggregates and analyses staff and board level data and takes positive action to address the inequalities. THH publishes pay gap information on ethnicity and gender and profiles of Board and senior levels; again taking positive action where inequality exists.

Targeted Interventions

The THH approach on targeted interventions is an area identified as a strength in the Aug 2021 assessment and accreditation by Housing Diversity Network. THH has a number of positive action initiatives in place and as an example of an outcome, THH have increased BAME recruits by 77% since 2015.

Targets

THH have a range of monitoring arrangements in place from recruitment, staff composition, resident composition, the comparison between the two, take up of service and satisfaction. This is being further developed so better reporting on variety and nuances can be made and THH is working with Housing Diversity Network and the Housing Regulator to make this an area of good practice other organisations can use.

Influence

THH is committed to using its influence. The procurement arrangements in THH reflect this pledge (THH uses the Councils procurement arrangements) and contract management ensures contractors are fully committed to and adopt THH's policies.

Awareness and communication

THH has included awareness and communication of the pledge in its communications plan. THH has a targeted communications campaign #altogether and has published progress widely internally and externally. Communications is a distinction area. THH have showcased talent and progress on the national stage and have publicised this widely.

Additional commitments

THH will continue with the delivery of its action to promote Equality, Diversity and Inclusion with a focus on being anti-racist and to work with LBTH to achieve the Pledge. We will continue to work with Public Health colleagues and on Council initiatives such as Communities Driving Change to support the partnership and assist in any way possible including sharing of good practice and experience.

Signed pledge

By signing this pledge on behalf of my organisation, I pledge that we will address the issues identified, monitor our progress on an annual basis, and agree to be held accountable for the delivery of our actions

Organisation: Tower Hamlets Homes

Name & Role: Susmita Sen, Chief Executive, Tower Hamlets Homes

Signature:

Answer:

Commitment

Data

We are currently undergoing our SLT surgeries, which will analyse the implementation of Anti-Racist strategies within participating schools and the work done by schools to diversify their leadership teams. We plan to write a report after the surgeries, analysing SLT diversity levels as well as the steps taken to increase leadership opportunities for underrepresented (BAME) teachers.

Surgeries plan to be completed by the end of spring term, report by end of May.

Regarding the ethnic pay gap, we have discussed that the council have a role to play, considering that they regulate pay for Global Learning London employees.

Targeted interventions

Before every training session, we have a call with a leading staff member to fully grasp the climate and needs of the school. We then tailor our training to ensure they receive as much practical and relevant training as possible. In the future we plan to ask other staff members within the school to fill out a survey before training starts, and with this we can see a range of views about the school's current approaches to anti-racism. We plan to implement this in the next wave of our 'Towards an Anti- Racist Curriculum' training.

Targets

We pride ourselves in having a diverse core team and have created a culture which values diversity and provides the space and environment which enables Black, Asian and Minority people to develop into community leadership roles within the governance of the organisation.

Through the creation of a 'Junior Associates' programme, we plan to remove the education and age barriers facing BAME communities in Tower Hamlets. This project is in its very early stages, and we plan to do more of this work in mid/late 2022.

Influence

We plan to ensure all associates at Global Learning London are aware of our pledge, ensuring they always have an Anti-Racist lens and embody the values of Tower Hamlets. We also plan to alter the contracts signed to become part an associate, guaranteeing it aligns with the Tower Hamlets values. We plan to bring in an external specialist, who will review them in the next quarter.

Awareness and communication

Details on the pledge and how to sign up have been broadcasted to all schools we work with in our "Towards an Anti-Racist Curriculum" package. Once the pledge is complete, we plan to publicise our commitments in our monthly 'Headteachers Bulletin', as well as on our website. This will all be done by the end of the second yearly quarter.

We also plan to hold monthly team meetings where we review the pledge, making sure that we are adhering to our commitments.

Additional commitments

- Continue the facilitation of anti-racist CPD's this year

- Raise the profile of the work Global Learning London is doing in terms of Anti-Racism; we have found that a lot of organisations in the borough (Tower Hamlets Council included) are unaware of the work we do.

- Create more diversity within the associates sector in terms of ethnicity and gender, age in particular.

- We currently have our anti-racist statement made in June 2020 on our website and we are planning to analyse this, ensuring it still contains the relevant vocabulary.

Signed pledge

By signing this pledge on behalf of my organisation, I pledge that we will address the issues identified, monitor our progress on an annual basis, and agree to be held accountable for the
delivery of our actions.

Organisation: Global Learning London

Name and role: Shea Williams, Project Assistant

Signed

Answer:

Commitment

Data

Gateway currently analysing the data and annually publishes the ethnic pay gap. We pledge to the data requirements for service users.

Targeted interventions

This is part of Gateway Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy.

Targets

Targets have been set for the Board - 50% female or BAME. Currently 33% BAME and 56% female.

Influence

This is part of Gateway's Equality Diversity and Inclusion strategy.

Awareness and communication

Noted.

Additional commitments

Deliver promote and support cultural events and initiatives Zero tolerance approach to all forms of discrimination, harassment, and bullying Consider diversity issues in the design of new developments and commit to communal access for all residents on all schemes.

Signed pledge

By signing this pledge on behalf of my organisation, I pledge that we will address the issues identified, monitor our progress on an annual basis, and agree to be held accountable for the
delivery of our actions.

Organisation: Gateway Housing Association

Name and role: Lynne Shea, Director of Finance and Resources

Signed

Answer:

Commitment

Data

We will analyse and publish annually our ethnicity pay gap information for our staff group and the ethnic profile of our executive team and Board. We will deliver on our action plan to increase opportunities for Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic staff to progress. We already analyse access to our key services and resident satisfaction by diversity strands and report on this annually to our Operations Committee and will continue to do so.

Targeted interventions

We use our resident profile data to tailor how we communicate and engage with residents to ensure the options for involvement are inclusive and that our service offer recognises particular needs that communities have in relation to their housing requirements. Our main maintenance contractor Axis ensures that their trades people understand the importance of the home to the residents of Tower Hamlets, through their ongoing campaign, 'My Mum's house.' They have recently relaunched it, and it highlights the respect they want their teams to deliver as part of the service offer. In addition, Axis ensure processes are in place, so their scheduling teams are aware of people with additional needs, protected characteristics and once these needs are identified they ensure the tradespeople understand any additional steps they need to take for residents to feel safe and respected in their home. Through our community development work, we provide a safe and accommodating space for all members of the community to access to deliver or take part in wide range of activities, from youth clubs delivering services to the BAME community, social clubs where older members of the community meet to groups tailored for disabled Asian women in the community. Many of our groups are led by members of the BAME community resulting in a mixed and vibrant feel to activities delivered from our centres.

Targets

Our average BAME representation at Manager level up to Executive Team was 32% as at 31 March 2021. We have set a target to increase Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic representation at Manager - Executive level(s) to 37% by 31 March 2023. Our target is reflective of our organisational size.

Influence

We work with our main contractors to ensure they meet our expectations on equality and diversity and have shared the Borough's pledge with our main maintenance contractor Axis. Axis have shared with us their own organisational commitments to promote equality and diversity across their work force. We will include equality and diversity as an element in our annual review meetings with key contractors. When we let other substantial contracts we will highlight the boroughs equality pledge as part of the tender process

Awareness and communication

We will - Create a schedule of events to be posted on our internal intranet (i.e., articles about Bengali & Black History month, Somali History Week, St George's Day, Faith events and things of a cultural importance etc) - Continue to offer community groups support to host events (we already do this... groups celebrate St George's Day, Bengali New Year, Ramadan etc) - Explore diversity training for our community groups - Share progress on our delivery of this pledge with our staff, residents, and key stakeholders.

Additional commitments

We are currently developing a Dignity at Work policy which sets out how we will provide specific protection against bullying, harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. This includes reference to all the protected characteristics, of which race is one. The policy should be finalised and published internally in December 2021.

Signed pledge

By signing this pledge on behalf of my organisation, I pledge that we will address the issues identified, monitor our progress on an annual basis, and agree to be held accountable for the
delivery of our actions.

Organisation: Tower Hamlets Community Housing

Name and role: Andrew Taylor - Interim Chief Executive

Signed:

Answer:

Commitment

Data

At Queen Mary University of London, our Mission is to become the most inclusive university of our kind anywhere by 2030. Our Strategy 2030 espouses our values and these are translated into practice through a comprehensive People, Culture (PCI) and Enabling Plan. In 2019, Queen Mary commissioned and completed an independent Inclusion Audit to understand the barriers and challenges faced by our ethnic minority communities.

In response to these findings, and as a stated goal under the PCI Enabling Plan, Queen Mary established the Race Equality Action Group (REAG) in 2020 comprising staff and students from across all levels of the University, to oversee and direct our work on promoting race equality.

REAG are leading the development of a Race Equality Strategy and Action Plan to further address identified issues, including developing innovative ways to capture qualitative data and understand the lived experiences of our Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) staff and student communities. Our approach is both values-led and evidence-based, in order to deliver the greatest impact.

We have been developing the quality, robustness and transparency of our data via PowerBI dashboards. These dashboards enable our organisation to monitor and measure BAME staff and student representation (across levels) and includes service user (student) data. These dashboards help us to identify and address areas for action.

The EDI Team publish race equality data in our Annual Report and produce a separate, voluntary Ethnicity Pay Gap Report on an annual basis, which is aligned to statutory Gender Pay Gap reporting.

Targeted interventions

71 per cent of Queen Mary's home domiciled students are BAME; almost half are first in their family to participate in HE; a third are from East London (12 per cent from LBTH) - up from 26 per cent in 17/18; we are proud to attract our students and staff from local boroughs. Queen Mary is international, proudly so; we recruit our staff and students from around the globe with over 160 nationalities represented across our organisation, increasing the diversity of the local boroughs.

Inclusive is one of our five core strategic values and inclusion is part of our fabric and identity. Our values feature in our leadership and governance, informing our decisions around race equality and beyond.

Our People, Culture & Inclusion Enabling Plan is intersectional by default - addressing complex interactions and forms of disadvantage that staff, students and local people may experience.

Queen Mary have adopted the Race Equality Charter principles and build these into our core missions - Education and Research - and as an employer and anchor institution. We are committed to undertaking further analysis and tailoring interventions, with investment in a new post - EDI Manager - to lead our Race Equality Strategy from 2021.

In 2020, Senate the University's body responsible for academic governance, adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism and have worked closely with our students and their representatives to tackle reports of antisemitic behaviour on campus and on-line.

In 2021, the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Sciences partnered with Google DeepMind to recruit a Post-Doctoral Fellow of Machine Learning to increase opportunities for Black researchers to engage with, and enjoy improved representation in, the academic discipline and industry. We will continue to design and develop tailored interventions in partnership with business, industry and not-for-profits to extend such future opportunities.

Queen Mary recognise that language around race is complex and rarely universal or uncontested. REAG and the EDI Team are finalising the University's first Language & Terminology guide, with a view to recognising the nuances of language and coming to a consensus about what terms to use in which circumstances that largely meets the needs of our diverse communities.

Target

As mentioned, Queen Mary's Mission is to become the most inclusive university of our kind anywhere by 2030. To realise this ambition, in 2019 we established KPIs around race and gender equality. Our KPIs aim for greater, more equitable representation of BAME colleagues (particularly at middle and senior levels for staff) and the elimination of the student BAME attainment gap.

By 2030, we are committed to at least 40 per cent BAME representation in junior, middle and senior roles. BAME people are over-represented in our junior roles and under-represented in our most senior, currently.

We have designed a new leadership framework to help promote inclusive leadership and provide a fair and equitable model to facilitate succession planning, so that we can identify talent early and develop our future leaders, to enhance representation at all levels of the University's structures and meet our targets for BAME representation.

Each School, Institute and Directorate at Queen Mary annually reports on their performance against these metrics to our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Steering Group chaired by the Vice Principal for People, Culture & Inclusion, who is a member of the University's Senior Executive Team. Oversight of progress of the University's EDI agenda, and performance against our institutional KPIs, resides with the University's Council.

Influence

Queen Mary recognises our opportunity to influence the Borough through our buying and procurement power. In line with our values, we have procurement policies and procedures with which our contractors and partners need to comply. We regularly review and improve these policies to enhance our social responsibility

Contractors and partners are required to confirm their commitment in relation to equality issues, including Modern Slavery and Bullying & Harassment in order to work with Queen Mary. We are committed to continuous improvement in this space.

Awareness and communication

This Pledge will be promoted and communicated via our Race Equality Action Group (REAG), the Professional Services Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group (PSEDISG) and the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group (EDISG).

We will also communicate progress on actions within the Pledge through regular communications to the wider University community.

Additional commitments

Our People, Culture and Inclusion Enabling Plan has a core workstream addressing race equality and key issues identified by staff surveys, in support of our commitment to inclusion and our 2030 Strategy.

We will deliver our Education and Student Success Enabling Plan, with a major workstream on the development of an inclusive curriculum, with a particular focus on addressing the student ethnicity attainment gap at Queen Mary.

We will design and deliver a programme of training and development to our staff to communicate our commitment to race equality and inclusion for all.

We have an ongoing commitment to promote and sponsor women and BAME staff to attend the Aurora Leadership Programme, the Springboard Development Programme and the B-MEntor Mentoring Schemes.

We are exploring innovative strategies to address the talent pipeline to encourage more BAME students to progress from undergraduate to postgraduate studies, to enhance their career opportunities, either in academia, or in other sectors. We use many of our immensely successful BAME alumni to act as mentors to our students for this purpose and continue to grow our network of both national and international alumni to support this successful and valued activity.

Signed pledge

By signing this pledge on behalf of my organisation, I pledge that we will address the issues identified, monitor our progress on an annual basis, and agree to be held accountable for the
delivery of our actions.

Organisation: Queen Marie University of London

Name and role: Sheila Gupta, Vice Principal - People, Culture and Inclusion

Signed:

Answer:

Data

We recognise the value of reporting ethnicity pay gap data and have been publishing this as part of our Gender Pay Gap on an annual basis since 2018. We will improve the way we communicate this to our staff and the community to ensure the information is accessible and details the ethnic profile of our senior leadership.

1. We will undertake a detailed analysis of ethnicity pay gap data to form a comprehensive understanding of why the gap exists, the areas of the organisation where the gap is most prominent, and this will inform a range of options as to how we can close the gap and investment and time required to do so.

2. We have reviewed the way we collect and monitor equalities data on service users. We will implement actions to improve data collection and analysis which will better inform decision making and access to services.

Targeted interventions

1. We understand that we have many different communities in our borough who each have their own cultural beliefs and nuanced needs. As we implement our action plan to respond to the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Inequalities Commission's recommendations we will ensure that interventions are tailored and consider the specific needs of each community.

2. We will ensure, where appropriate, decision making is supported by an analysis of the impact on each of the borough's Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities

3. We will work closely with our partners and community organisations to understand the needs of our different communities.

4. Where we engage residents in the co-design of services and commissioning projects, we will ensure all voices from the community are represented.

5. We will ensure that all consultations reach out to the borough's different communities.

6. We will enable anonymised application process in LBTH e-recruitment system and ensure all recruitment panels are diverse.We will regularly provide a refresher on recruitment practice for all managers in order for them to have a licence to practice.

7. We will develop a talent and succession pool, as part of implementation of the People and Wellbeing Strategy, which will include a focus on how Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff can be developed for success in progression.

8. We will support Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff to attend range of national, regional and local leadership training programmes. We will continue to work with our staff BAME Network to encourage and support our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff to increase take up of our leadership development offer.

9. We will deliver a Cultural Leadership Programme which equips leaders and managers with a range of tools, skill and knowledge to ensure LBTH becomes culturally competent. This includes development of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic mentoring and coaching.

10. We will deliver an Anti-Racism Education programme for staff which will be a series of events/workshops and interventions that educate, challenge, and grow inclusivity and recognising difference.

Targets

1. As part of the council's strategic plan, which sets the aims and objectives for the organisation and is the main business planning document, we will include a commitment to measure the top 5 per cent of earners who are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

2. We have set a target to ensure 35 per cent of the top 5 per cent of earners are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds in 2021/2022. This will be reviewed annually as part of the council's target setting policy to ensure we continue to grow representation at our most senior levels and delivers year on year improvement.

3. Following detailed analysis of gender and ethnicity pay gap we will develop strategy to address issues identified including how this can support greater representation at senior level.

Influence

We recognise the ability and responsibility we hold to shape and influence the equality principles of organisations throughout our procurement policies. We do business with organisations with differing resources and capacity. We do not want to discourage any organisation from bidding for our contracts and will ask each organisation to provide a proportionate response which is making every possible effort to comply with our anti-racist commitments.

1. Organisations who are awarded a contract by the council must sign up to the Tower Hamlets Anti-Racist Pledge. We will include a requirement for organisations to demonstrate how they will be anti-racist in all our contract specifications and as part of the selection process. During the life of the contract we will monitor this through our contract monitoring and require contractors to demonstrate the efforts they have made to improve their diversity and realise the commitments in their pledge

2. We will hold information sessions for all organisations bidding for a council contract to ensure they are aware of the equality and diversity principles the council expects to see demonstrated if they are successful in bidding for the contract. Training and support will be given to them through this session to ensure they fully understand the requirements placed on them.

3. We will ensure council officers involved in tender submissions are comprehensively trained to identify, understand, and score the anti-racist principles organisations must demonstrate.

Awareness and communication

We will publish our pledge on the council website and communicate this through our social media channels, newsletters, short videos in different community languages. We will communicate to our staff and members through internal communication channels including attending meetings and events to raise awareness and support to delivery our pledge commitments.

The progress against the pledge will form a key part of our Corporate Equality Board and Strategic Plan.

Additional commitments

1. We will review data and insights from our community to ensure we identify new communities and we are able to meet their needs.

2. We will work with London Councils on the tackling racial equality in London Programme.

3. We will support a voluntary and community sector race equality network to ensure race equality is driven by the community.

4. We will establish a local recognition scheme to foster a shared anti-racist culture and drive improvements in organisations equality and diversity policies, and champion best practice.

5. We will deliver an innovative and powerful anti-racist curriculum project with schools in Tower Hamlets which will 'decolonise' the curriculum and establish the difference between non-racism and racism, and what that means in a school setting. This will include a discussion with the Senior Leadership Team of each school to audit how the curriculum is delivered and give practical advice around changes and reforms to embed broader perspectives.

As system leaders we will work with our partners to drive this agenda to ensure collectively we can make a difference.

Signed pledge

By signing this pledge on behalf of my organisation, I pledge that we will address the issues identified, monitor our progress on an annual basis, and agree to be held accountable for the
delivery of our actions.

Organisation: London Borough of Tower Hamlets

Name and role: John Biggs, Executive Mayor

Answer:

Commitment

Data

1. Use NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard data where available or employee data to understand the proportions of BAME employees in RLH/ME at different levels, and in line with our inclusion strategy, we will take positive steps to remove bias and establish inclusive practice

2. Set KPIs and metrics for our recently established Gender Pay Gap working group

3. Analyse patient data and work with our public health team to understand the proportion of BAME patients and establish what barriers they are facing, ensuring equity of access.

Targeted interventions

We recognise that Tower Hamlets has the highest number of people with Bangladeshi heritage of any borough in the country and that the fastest growing minority in the Borough are the 14% white non-British residents.

Also, Tower Hamlets has the highest proportion of older residents in poor households in England, and ranks 14th for children living in poverty.
Based on this, we will:

1. Engage with Borough partners and community organisations to understand the needs of our local population

2. Work with partners to tailor sustainable interventions

Targets

We have listened to our staff to redesign our recruitment processes and will continue to:

1. Monitor WRES data to review change at senior levels

2. Ensure all recruitment at Bands 8A and above involves an Inclusion Ambassador

3. Ensure the redesigned senior recruitment process is adhered to, including:

1. Having a diverse shortlist of candidates and a diverse interview panel

2. Requiring hiring managers to feedback to unsuccessful candidates and those internal to the group will be offered follow-up support.

Influence

1. We will use our scale to benefit the health of local people. By working together with east London partners, we will maximise our socio-economic impact by creating employment opportunities for local people; through our Community Works for Health Programme

2. Ensure our current and new contractors understand our Barts Health values and share our WeBelong vision

3. Applying Community Connectivity Shared development framework to deliver equity in healthcare, reduce health inequalities and uphold our anchor role within the ICS

Awareness and communication

The Inclusion Board and Hospital Executive Board is committed to the WeBelong strategy and will deliver the commitments of this pledge alongside the strategy by:

1. Hospital Executive Boards will continue to promote the WeBelong strategy and ensure all staff have an inclusion objective in their PDP

2. Ensure attendance of Inclusion Centre Inclusive leadership curriculum for managers once developed.

Additional commitments

1. Through our community engagement groups we will listen to the experience of ethnic minorities and their families. This will enable us to be sensitive to the needs of our local communities, and act on their insights about what matters to local people accessing healthcare.

2. As part of the wider programme to transform the NHS in London as outlined in the London Workforce Race Strategy, we will take part in the NHS White Allies Programme.

Signed pledge

By signing this pledge on behalf of my organisation, I pledge that we will address the issues identified, monitor our progress on an annual basis, and agree to be held accountable for the
delivery of our actions.

Organisation: Barts Health NHS Trust (The Royal London and Mile End Hospitals)

Name and role: Jackie Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer

Signed

Answer:

Commitment

Data

1. Data collection from staff and trustees October/November 2021

2. Publish ethnic profile of staff body, leadership team and Board via ELBA website in December 2021

3. Calculate and publish ethnic pay gap in December 2021

4. Update data and ethnic pay gap on annual basis - ongoing

5. Explore extending current data collection on service users to all direct beneficiary work

6. Through implementation of ELBA Volunteering Interface begin ask business volunteers to give their ethnicity data - from April 2022

7. To better identify which community organisations are Black, Asian or minority ethnic led.

Targeted interventions

1. Target Increase the number of Black, Asian and minority ethnic led organisations we are supporting by 20 per cent by March 2022 and a further 20 per cent by March 2023

2. Maintain/ Create programmes to support the employment and life chances of young Black men

3. Further develop programmes to support young people at risk of, of already engaged in, serious youth violence and knife crime

4. Further develop education and mentoring programmes to support young people from specific groups

5. Act as a leader in the east London business and community sectors promoting anti-racism and community cohesion.

Targets

1. To maintain the Black, Asian and minority ethnic proportion of the ELBA staff team at 50 per cent or over

2. To maintain the proportion of Black, Asian and minority ethnic people in the ELBA leadership team and management team at 40 per cent or above

3. To increase the proportion of Black, Asian and minority ethnic directors on the ELBA Board to 40 per cent of above by 2023.

4. To use the BTEG/GLA toolkits to explore how we can help people progress in our organisation.

Influence

1. To promote increased diversity and inclusion to our corporate partners

2. Support Black, Asian and minority ethnic professionals so they can influence change in their organisations

3. Develop programmes to interest Black, Asian and minority ethnic people in taking up decision-making positions in civic life - the NHS, as magistrates, school governors and charity trustees. Support them once in post to become leaders of those organisations

4. To create a list of all our suppliers and engage them in promotion of positive diversity and inclusion policies

Awareness and communication

1. To maintain the ELBA Inclusion Group to engage all staff in driving forward inclusion in ELBA

2. To make public our commitment to the Pledge via the ELBA website and social media channels

3. I have a public declaration of commitment in the ELBA offices for staff and external visitors to see.

Additional commitments

1. Support and promote Race Equality Week each February

2. Maintain our support for the SHIFT25 campaign for social justice

3. Maintain our support for the BOABAB Foundation to seek a fairer share of charitable donations for Black led charities and community groups.

Signed pledge

By signing this pledge on behalf of my organisation, I pledge that we will address the issues identified, monitor our progress on an annual basis, and agree to be held accountable for the
delivery of our actions.

Organisation: ELBA

Name and role: Ian Parkes, Chief Executive

Signed:

Our diverse history and culture

Tower Hamlets has always been a borough committed to creating a cohesive, fair and inclusive community.

For many years new communities have settled in Tower Hamlets, because of the opportunities to trade, do business and raise their families, creating a vibrant and diverse borough.

One of the borough's biggest strengths is its proud history of fighting racism and fascism and its continued commitment to diversity.

With over 137 languages spoken and 43 per cent of residents born in over 200 different countries, Tower Hamlets is one of the most diverse places in the country.

We recognise that achieving the bold vision set out by the Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority Inequalities Commission will require shared action, ownership, and resources from the borough's statutory, voluntary, community and private sector organisations.

We encourage all organisations in the borough to sign up this pledge and work with us to eradicate racism in the borough.

Organisations who sign up to this pledge will work to support and deliver the commitments set out in the Tower Hamlets Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Commission's recommendations.

They will engage with the Tower Hamlets Race Equality Network and support them to monitor the delivery of the Commission's recommendations, influence policy and decision making and facilitate a safe place for ongoing conversations about race equality in Tower Hamlets.

How to sign up to the pledge

You can complete an online form and your submission will be published.

Alternatively, you can download a paper copy of the form and please return it to raceinequalities@towerhamlets.gov.uk.

We accept that your response will need to be proportionate to the size and resources of your organisation. However, we ask you to review your organisation and set challenging, ambitious and measured targets to ensure every effort is made to improve outcomes for our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.

Please ensure your commitments are: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, T ime-based.

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This Anti-Racist Pledge aims to send a clear and consistent message that racism will not be tolerated in Tower Hamlets. The Tower Hamlets Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Inequalities Commission concluded that racism still exists within institutions and structures in the borough, and challenges institutions who sign this pledge to achieve race equality in their organisation at pace.

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A website and initiative created by Sir Lewis Hamilton to promote fairness and equality for young children in the U.K.

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Mission44 stems from Lewis' decades-long fight for change, a fight that was further ignited by the events of 2020 and the inequalities brought into stark contrast by the effects of a pandemic. Having had first-hand experience of an education system that worked against him, and now as the only Black, working class person in his field, Lewis understands that addressing educational and employment inequalities is the necessary first step towards making a fair and equal society a reality.

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Mission44 stems from Lewis' decades-long fight for change, a fight that was further ignited by the events of 2020 and the inequalities brought into stark contrast by the effects of a pandemic.

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It is a one stop shop for anyone  who is in the area willing to stretch their knowledge.

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A plethora of issues and relevant information pertaining to Britain and its denial of Racism. Keep scrolling!

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We believe in the power of imagery to change the world and we choose to amplify imagery for positive change with Agora

#StopRacism by Agora photographers worldwide

Now more than ever, the world is taking a stand against racism, Agora photographers included!

2,120 photos have been submitted from all corners of the world, and 48 were selected to make it to the final voting rounds.

Click image to see all the finalist photos, discover the stories behind the pictures and learn a little more about Agora.

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Disclaimer: We are not affiliated with either Black Live Matter USA nor the political arm of the Black Lives Matter Activist Coalitions UK associated and affiliated with USA.

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A British website containing factual, statistical and thought provoking information and publications about Race Equality and much more.

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Runnymede is the UK's leading independent race equality thinktank.

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Have a virtual tour with your class and discuss the images pertaining to Oracy asking open-ended questions.

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This large-scale exhibition will debut recent work and include selected highlights from Lubaina Himid’s influential career. Taking inspiration from her interest in theatre, the exhibition will unfold in a sequence of scenes designed to place visitors centre-stage and backstage.

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This large-scale exhibition will debut recent work and include selected highlights from Lubaina Himid 's influential career. Taking inspiration from her interest in theatre, the exhibition will unfold in a sequence of scenes designed to place visitors centre-stage and backstage.

Initially trained in theatre design, Himid is known for her innovative approaches to painting and to social engagement. She has been pivotal in the UK since the 1980s for her contributions to the British Black arts movement, making space for the expression and recognition of Black experience and women's creativity. Over the last decade, she has earned international recognition for her figurative paintings, which explore overlooked and invisible aspects of history and of contemporary everyday life. In 2017 she was awarded the Turner Prize and in 2018 she was bestowed with the honorary title of CBE for her contributions to the arts.
Exhibition organised by Tate Modern in collaboration with Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne/Plateforme 10

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This large-scale exhibition will debut recent work and include selected highlights from Lubaina Himid 's influential career. Taking inspiration from her interest in theatre, the exhibition will unfold in a sequence of scenes designed to place visitors centre-stage and backstage. Initially trained in theatre design, Himid is known for her innovative approaches to painting and to social engagement.

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Premier League Football Show Racism the Red Card

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Premier League Football Show Racism the Red Card

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The UK's leading
anti-racism educational charity

Show Racism the Red Card was established in January 1996, thanks in part to a donation by then Newcastle United goalkeeper Shaka Hislop.
In 1990's Newcastle, Shaka was at a petrol station near St. James' Park when he was confronted with a group of young people shouting racist abuse at him. After one of the group realised that they had been shouting at Shaka Hislop, the Newcastle United football player, they came over to ask for an autograph.

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This is an example page. It's different from a blog post because it will stay in one place and will show up in your site navigation (in most themes). Most

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The William Norris Gallery in Walthamstow.

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The William Norris Gallery in Walthamstow.

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Visit this exhibition for obvious an obvious reason! Althea McNish was an accomplished Trinidadian designer. Althea McNish: Colour is Mine is a landmark retrospective of one of the UK’s most innovative textile artists and the first designer of Caribbean descent to achieve international recognition.

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Althea McNish: Colour is Mine is a landmark retrospective of one of the UK's most innovative textile artists and the first designer of Caribbean descent to achieve international recognition.

Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, McNish (1924-2020) moved to the UK in 1950, completing a postgraduate textiles degree at the Royal College of Art before rising to prominence as a Black female designer. On graduating, McNish began designing bestselling furnishing and fashion fabrics for iconic firms including Liberty, Dior, Heal's and Hull Traders, for whom she created one of her most famous patterns, Golden Harvest, in 1959. As her career progressed, McNish took on major interior design projects and mural commissions around the world, as well as creating wallpapers for leading companies.

McNish's painterly designs incorporated natural botanical forms from Britain and the Caribbean, using a riotous colour palette that overturned the staid rules of mid-century British textile design. Her technical mastery gave her the freedom to create ever more complex prints. "Whenever printers told me it couldn't be done, I would show them how to do it," she said. "Before long, the impossible became possible."

Drawing on extensive new research and her personal archive, Colour is Mine explores McNish's extraordinary career, her transformative impact on mid-century design and her enduring influence today. Althea McNish: Colour is Mine is curated by the William Morris Gallery and Rose Sinclair, Lecturer in Design Education at Goldsmiths, University of London and is part of a three-year research, exhibition and archiving project generously supported by the Society of Antiquaries through its Janet Arnold Textile award.

Althea McNish: Colour is Mine is sponsored by Liberty Fabrics, who will also be reissuing a capsule collection of Althea McNish's original fabric designs in Spring 2022 to coincide with the exhibition, available to purchase at Liberty in store and online.

Part of the BBC Art That Made Us Festival for Spring 2022.

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society for the protection of ancient buildings

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What's On | Exhibitions | Althea McNish: Colour is Mine | William Morris Gallery

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Althea McNish: Colour is Mine is a landmark retrospective of one of the UK's most innovative textile artists and the first designer of Caribbean descent to achieve international recognition. Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, McNish (1924-2020) moved to the UK in 1950, completing a postgraduate textiles degree at the Royal College of Art before rising to prominence as a Black female designer.