Whole school approach to racism and racist incidents: guidance

Annex A: Scenarios for schools and practitioners

This section demonstrates different ways in which racism may manifest in schools, and provides points for practitioners to consider.

Further scenarios are included in Addressing racism and racist incidents guidance

For each scenario, practitioners should first follow the steps set out in What to do in response to a report of a racist incident section of the Addressing racism and racist incidents guidance, around recording, engaging with the child experiencing and with the child displaying, and engaging with families.

Scenario A: What do I do if… a pupil’s parents identify negative racial stereotypes within school resources designed to teach about a country?

Points to consider

• The member of staff who the parent has contacted should take time to listen carefully to the parent’s concerns. Staff may wish to refer parents to senior leadership to facilitate further discussion.
• The resource should be removed from immediate use and either amended (if appropriate) or alternative resources sought. The position should be highlighted to the local authority or other schools using the resource.
• School leadership along with the teachers of the class using the resources may wish to consider if there are whole school opportunities for learning around anti-racism and/or professional learning and reflection requirements.
• In line with school procedure following parental concerns being raised, parents should be kept informed of the outcomes of actions to address their concerns.

Scenario B: What do I do if… a pupil reports that a group of her classmates have repeatedly tried to pull off her head covering and made remarks about her appearance?

Points to consider

• School staff should follow the steps set out in ‘What to do in response to a racist incident’, including engaging with each of the pupils involved.
• The circumstances of the incident and the response should be recorded following school protocol, noting that the incident was gender-based violence, religious discrimination, and racism.
• Scottish Government has published guidance on preventing and responding to gender based violence in schools, which includes information on intersectional discrimination.

Scenario C: What do I do if… school attendance policies preclude children whose attendance falls under a specified level from accessing an end-of-year reward?

Points to consider:

• Schools should refer to Included, Engaged and Involved Part 1, to ensure their approach to coding absence is in line with the guidance on absences within diverse communities. This includes recognising that some learners may require authorised absences due to religious or cultural practices or family mobility.
• Schools should give careful consideration to the application of any policy that incentivises attendance, recognising that absence can often be due to factors beyond a pupil’s control. A sensitive approach should be taken to ensure that such an approach does not unfairly affect particular groups or negatively impact the wellbeing of individual children and young people.
• When considering this, schools should engage with pupils, parents and carers to determine the appropriateness of such an approach within their individual context and consider whether an approach which celebrates engagement or achievements may be more inclusive and supportive.
• As part of a whole school approach to racism and racist incidents, all school policies, including attendance policies, should be regularly reviewed to ensure that they do not unfairly affect particular groups.
• Schools should ensure their approach to supporting children and young people who face barriers to attendance aligns with GIRFEC and broader strategies to support mental, emotional, social, and physical wellbeing. Understanding the specific barriers affecting attendance is essential to ensuring appropriate and effective support and interventions are put in place.

Scenario D: What do I do if… an adversely racialised teacher reports that a child or young person has mimicked their accent?

• Mimicking accents is a type of racist behaviour. The response should make clear that the behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
• The report should be recorded and investigated in line with the school’s relationships and behaviour policy.
• There may be circumstances where a younger child did not fully understand their actions. In these cases, responses should support the child to understand why that behaviour is not acceptable.
• Senior staff should consider how to support the staff member who experienced the racist behaviour, both in the immediate term and going forwards (see Responding to racism and racist incidents experienced by school staff).