Whole school approach to racism and racist incidents: guidance

Ministerial Foreword

Diversity and equality are at the heart of policies that underpin education in Scotland. The Scottish Government is clear that there is no place for racism in our schools.

Sadly, however, children and young people still experience racism in life, including in our schools. School staff experience racism while carrying out their work. Parents, carers, and families experience racism while taking part in the everyday activities of school life.

It is vital that we all take action to end this. No one in a school community should experience racist behaviour. That includes children and young people, school staff, families or other visitors to a school. Incidents of discrimination or prejudice must be addressed whenever they arise and it is important that we challenge any racist behaviour in Scotland’s schools.

There is also a key role for education in fostering good relations, respect and understanding between communities, and in creating school environments which are safe, supportive and inclusive for all.

This Whole School Approach to Racism and Racist Incidents was developed in collaboration with the Racism and Racist Incidents subgroup of the Antiracism in Education Programme. It reflects the knowledge, experience, and understanding of the working group in the fields of education and antiracism. I am grateful to the members of the working group for their time and commitment.

This guidance is designed to support schools to develop and implement a consistent and robust approach to addressing racism and racist incidents. This can be achieved through actions to create a whole school anti-racist environment, including school culture and ethos, school policies and systems, professional learning and development for school staff, and the curriculum. It also means that schools have a consistent approach to responding to individual incidents of racism when they occur.

This guidance forms part of our broader work with education partners at local and national level to embed the Anti-Racism in Education Programme guidance and commitments, introduced by the First Minister in January 2025. This approach involves actions on diversity in the workforce, leadership and professional learning and curriculum reform.

The Scottish Government is committed to creating an education system in Scotland that is anti-racist, where the needs of every child are reflected, where all school staff are supported to work in a safe and inclusive workplace, and where the whole school community works together to create an anti-racist whole school environment.

Jenny Gilruth MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills