We have a problem with race in our school. To be precise, we have a problem with racism. Just typing those words felt difficult (exhales slowly). But truth must be told, even when it’s difficult to swallow. Unfortunately, it has not been uncommon to hear the n word thrown about, the mimicking of Indian accents or, as one pupil put it, just plain “casual racism”. Many would like to think that their schools do not have this issue. To confront the ugly reality of racism is an act of bravery in of itself because by doing so, you are openly admitting that your context just isn’t safe for some people. But this must be done if things are ever going to change. According to a 2020 YMCA report, 95% of black people report that they have heard or and witnessed the use of racist language at school.

I can recall almost two years ago sitting with my pastoral team, many shaking our heads incredulous about the growing number of racist incidents on campus we were hearing about. Out of all our categories of discrimination (xenophobia, homophobia, sexism), racism saw the highest numbers by a significant margin. We asked ourselves why this sharp increase. Was it because we were situated in Eastern Europe? Was social media driving some of this behaviour? Had it come from influences at home?

As the only black senior leader in my school, things reached a head when I myself was the target of racism by a pupil. I won’t go into specifics of the incident, but I was reassured in the way my colleagues dealt with the incident. 

Creating culture

My team and I have worked very hard in creating a culture of tolerance and ant-discrimination. Here are a few ways we have done so:

• Thought-provoking assemblies on race, homophobia and transphobia 
• Developing quality resources for form tutors to discuss the issue of racism
• Taking a robust disciplinary approach to dealing with incidents of racism
• Listening with empathy to the victims of racism with a view to changing school culture 
• Leading workshops with the entire student body on school culture 
• Creating opportunities to discuss important topics like DEI, race and history*
• Taking steps to decolonise the curriculum

What has been the impact?

I am extremely proud of the work that I have led with the unwavering support of my colleagues. We have managed to reduce the number of racist incidents by 50%**. I am aware that there are caveats to interpreting our internal data. It would be foolish to believe that every racist incident or act of discrimination is witnessed and then reported. I am sure some things go under the radar. But, there has been a shift in what pupils see as acceptable behaviour. 

Further still, in our most recent ISI report, student behaviour was rated as excellent. A few standout comments from the inspectors were

• “the schools encourage respect for other people with regard to the protected characteristics…including gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity leave, disability, race, religion or belief and sex”
• “the school encourages tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions”

This shows that the picture is not completely bleak. On the whole, we are a tolerant community and students behave well. We still have some way to go, especially in the realm of curriculum development as a vehicle for changing attitudes towards different groups of people. As the school moves forward, I hope that this work will be continued and go from strength to strength.

* Our Deputy Head of Sixth Form coordinated a thoughtful session for KS5 students on DEI which allowed older students to grapple with the socio-political implications of this hot topic

**This is based on comparative data looking at the same time period in two different academic years.