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EDUCATION

SAFEGUARDING IS NOT A COLOUR

“Innovate for Growth CIC is about elevation through joint partnerships, shared resources and opportunities”

Anthony PeltierEducational Columnist

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Anti-Racist education for some is difficult to comprehend. As soon as you begin to broach the subject, school professionals say, “yes we need to teach the pupils how not to be racist.”

What they fail to realise, is the real lack of understanding of racism is not in the children alone but is in the adults too. 

Even writing this post as a black educational professional, I am having difficulty articulating the words while trying not to be seen as being judgmental of my fellow white colleagues I have worked alongside for over 40 years.  

On refection, it has taken me over 40 years to realise compulsory Anti-Racist education is missing.

When I pointed out to a long-standing teacher friend, how his very large school in a diverse community, was still staffed with predominately white teachers and senior leaders, he replied, “but black people don’t apply for jobs at my school”.

I pointed out black leaders and teachers have always applied for the jobs in schools like his, it’s the fact that they were not always short-listed.

Anti-Racist education training informs leaders of learning, through evidence-based practice, how racism manifests in schools and classrooms.

They begin to understand how racism affects children as learners and colleagues as teachers.

The intention is staff can confidently use tools and resources to address race and racism with pupils across all key stages and adults in schools.

Working alongside the Diversity Mark framework, they will gain strategies to support a school-wide culture of respect, equity, diversity, and inclusivity.

By the end of the training, teachers and school leaders will:

• enhance their understanding of race and how racism manifests in classrooms

• strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the history and definition of race and racism

• practice applying through a race equity lens to real scenarios related to race and racism in their classroom and school.

• develop strategies for creating race equity in classrooms and their schools.

Children will not learn if we do not safeguard them from all manifestations of racism.

Without Anti-Racist education, children’s ignorance of racism will prevent them from having the success in school or the wider society, which they all rightly deserve.

Racist behaviour, violence and intimidation should be seen as a safeguarding concern.

Black Wall St. MediaContributor

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