Anti-Racism in Education Programme: letter to the Racism and Racist Incidents sub group

To: members of the Racism and Racist Incidents sub group

From: The Anti-Racist Education Youth Ambassadors – Intercultural Youth Scotland 

To members of the Racism and Racist Incidents sub group

Thank you very much for meeting with us on February 7 2024. We had some very interesting discussions about the measures you are taking to address racism and racist attacks in Scottish schools as well as your ongoing whole school approach. Using the information you have given us and the discussions we had with subgroup members, we have outlined some recommendations which are shown below. Please read these recommendations and respond accordingly. 

For the students who have experienced racism or a racist attack

We recommend there should be adequate mental health support from trained professionals so that victims of racist attacks can receive counselling. 

We recommend learning opportunities for the perpetuators and their families to undertake so that they are aware of how detrimental it can be to experience a racist attack and to hopefully prevent further attacks from reoccurring. We are also keen to hear the subgroup’s response to what measures should be put in place for young people whose parents don’t want to be involved if their child has been the perpetrator of racism in school?

We recommend that the subgroup should create a system whereby racist incidents and attacks are recorded, monitored and tracked accordingly. A system like this would help schools to see whether attacks are reoccurring and the extent to which they are happening. The system should also hold information about the outcomes, necessary changes and consequences of the attack - it is important that there is a space for this to be documented so that it can be revisited if the victim and their family are not satisfied with the outcome or if the perpetuator acts again. Not only this but it means that those who reported the attack using the template/system and handled the case are also held accountable for their responsibility in handling the situation. 

Teachers might experience difficulties in reporting a racist attack that they may have witnessed due to the fear of backlash or the risk of losing their job. We recommend that the subgroup find a suitable approach which would allow the school to work in partnerships with National Response for Hate Crime, Local Authorities, teaching unions and Local MPs.

Schools reactive and proactive responses

We recommend that all schools have trained facilitators to help address racist attacks in schools. This person should ideally have training on both anti-racism and navigating conversations/discussions around racism to avoid awkwardness and tension during conversations. A non-confrontational approach should be implemented to get a more productive outcome. 

We recommend that the subgroup provide resources for school staff so that they are aware and informed about the language they should use when discussing racism and racist attacks. Words like ‘pockets of unkindness’ and racial colour blindness downplay the experiences of those who have faced a racist attack. In many cases, black and students of colour have been told they are too sensitive or exaggerating their experiences of racism. Moreover, they have also been told that a racist attack against them has simply been a joke or a harmless incident and that it is their fault for bringing race into situations or making it a big deal. Students and staff need to collectively understand how severe racism is and its effects on people’s lives. Denial of these attacks or a reluctance to take them seriously can lead to black and students of colour feeling as though they shouldn’t report an attack when it happens to them. 

We recommend that schools should have learning opportunities for both students and staff to understand why racism is different from bullying and why they should not be lumped together. In many school settings, racism and bullying is interconnected and so many students and staff might perceive a racist attack as an act of bullying. Therefore, this is something that schools should discuss collectively with all school staff and all students.

Family involvement in the whole school approach

We recommend that families of the victims are given more involvement in the decision making processes to racism and racist attacks and have frequent communication with the school about what is being done. Some parents might experience a language barrier or anxiety around visiting a school and speaking to senior staff, so appropriate measures should be put into place to make sure that the parents are supported and listened to. From this discussion we also raised the question of what might happen if a young person comes from a home background where they are not nurtured or supported, can the subgroup think about and respond to our question of what measures should be put in place for young people whose parents don’t want to be involved if their child has experienced racism in school?  

It is a professional requirement for teachers to engage with the local and wider community. As such, we recommend that schools should be responsible for collaborating with their local community to understand the different cultures and contexts of their students. An example of this would be to organise events where students can visit cultural centers to extend their learning beyond just the four walls of a classroom. In doing so, students can learn about cultures and heritages in a way that is more engaging and thought-provoking. 

Valuing diversity and culture

Anti-racism awareness should be raised in ways that are engaging and educational. We recommend that the subgroup look at the ways in which schools can have more diversity activities, an example of this would be culture day or celebrating Chinese New Year or Eid so that people can be a part of this celebration and be more accepting of each other. We recommend that schools are given more time and space to do this so that it doesn’t become tokenistic. Schools should be creative and find different ways to provide diversity activities such as workshops carried out by external organisations and bringing in guest speakers (BPOC and white speakers) to talk about anti-racism. A culture/diversity day can be a different experience for all so this should not be the only activity carried out by schools. 

Moreover, we also recommend that young people are told about these diversity activities and events well in advance so that nobody feels uncomfortable. Teachers should also refrain from encouraging students to take part in an activity solely because it is a part of that students’ culture or background. Participation from students should be voluntary and because they genuinely want to. We recommend that school staff are given training on what to do if there is a potential backlash with these diversity activities as events like these could spark more racist attacks in school and put black and students of colour in really uncomfortable or unsafe situations. 

Curriculum resources

We recommend that school staff should be informed of their duty to learn about anti-racism and to not put the responsibility of this onto black and students of colour. When discussing racism through various subjects in schools, teachers should be aware of the resources they select. Some movies and videos could be hurtful or uncomfortable for black and students of colour and they may not feel comfortable sitting through this or discussing the resource in class discussions.

Guidelines and best practice

We recommend that schools should create student-led spaces where students can come together and have meaningful discussions to gain support and advice. An example of this would be an informal support group for black and students of colour where they could hold weekly or bi-weekly meetings to have meaningful discussions with their peers. This could happen either during lunch breaks or after school. Flexibility in timing is key as students and staff could determine the best way to make this informal group work on a consistent basis. A teacher should oversee the group to maintain order and ensure a safe environment, although their race is not critical, they must undergo anti-racism training. We also think schools should have a student panel in which students work with senior staff members to create and review school-wide policies aimed at furthering anti-racism. Students would be able to indicate their interest in joining the panel and it should be ensured that there is racial diversity in the panel. The student panel would serve as a bridge between the student body and the school’s senior management, ensuring that the voices and perspectives of students from various backgrounds are heard and valued in the decision-making process. Through open dialogue and collaboration, the panel would identify areas within the school’s policies and practices that may perpetuate systemic racism or create barriers to equity and inclusion. They would then propose actionable recommendations and revisions to existing policies or the development of new policies that prioritise anti-racism and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

We recommend that students should be given opportunities to voluntarily share their experiences of racism or a racist attack if they feel comfortable enough to do so. This is so that everybody in a school setting can see how much racism can deeply affect someone rather than just being told racism is bad. Using real life stories adds a personal element where people can understand the negative effects of racism and it gives the victim of the attack a way to use their experience to bring change. 

We also recommend that schools should have an anti-racism charter in each classroom. The purpose of the charter must be clearly explained which is that students and staff should be committed to fostering a safe and inclusive learning environment free from racism and discrimination. Students and staff should also value diversity and respect differences in race, ethnicity, religion and culture. The charter should provide information about the definition of racism and the explicit and implicit ways in which this can manifest. The charter should declare a zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of racism, discrimination, harassment and prejudice. The charter must clearly display the procedures for reporting a racist attack and students should be made aware of the consequences for perpetuating a racist attack on someone else. The charter should be reviewed regularly and updated where necessary to reflect evolving needs, feedback, and best practices in anti-racism education.

We recommend that schools have achievements and qualifications for the school staff who choose to undertake training on anti-racism. 

We further recommend opportunities for families to come together in a school setting to exchange ideas and views about anti-racism, this could be a useful way to minimize defensiveness and establish respect for others.

Thank you for reading our recommendations and giving us the time and space to share our ideas. We await your response. 

The Anti-Racist Education Youth Ambassadors – Intercultural Youth Scotland