Children influenced by ‘racist rhetoric’ say school leaders in call to make schools anti-racist

School leaders’ union NAHT have brought a motion to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Black Workers’ Conference, calling for an anti-racist approach to education.

The motion will be heard and voted on by delegates at the conference, which takes place at Congress House in London on Friday 11- Sunday 13 April.

The motion notes that ‘racist rhetoric in wider society inevitably influences school children’, and calls for a ‘proactive, anti-racist approach to education’, including for all school staff to receive mandatory anti-racism training as part of the Keeping Children Safe in Education requirement.

Lorna Matthews, a member of NAHT’s national executive and its Leaders for Race Equality network who will speak in support of the motion, said: “Embedding anti-racism into education from the start is a matter of safeguarding children and society. Children as young as three years old can pick up on racial bias, so all educators must be equipped to balance and counter potentially harmful attitudes.

“If we do not address the mechanics of racism and all othering, we inadvertently give implicit consent, as the unchallenged sharing of racist, sexist, homophobic tropes impact on how we all think. Facts and fairness must be central to education and society for it to thrive and evolve beyond this point in time.”

Paul Whiteman, NAHT general secretary, commented: “Education can play a pivotal role in tackling discrimination, improving awareness and challenging prejudice. But words are not always enough – we need action too.

“We know that racism and racial inequality continues to exist within the education sector, as it does across society. We are committed as an organisation to helping our members actively address this. It matters for the health, well-being and futures of school leaders, their staff, and the pupils and communities that they serve.

“That’s why NAHT is calling for a centralised, anti-racist approach to education, underpinned by regular, mandatory anti-racism training for all staff. This needs to go further than simply being aware of racism – anti-racism requires action to change and create policies, practices, and procedures to promote racial equity. We need everyone who works in schools to be empowered to do this in order to bring about true change.

“We see this as a necessary part of the Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) training, to ensure that all children are protected by this requirement.”

The conference will call for the TUC to further develop its work on challenging racist rhetoric in wider society and liaison with affiliated trade unions to ensure that racial justice is a core focus of their work.