Anti-Racism Agenda

Our Anti-Racism Ambassador is Mrs Powell-Gill.

At Cale Green Primary School, we do not tolerate any form of racism and we are committed to the development of an anti-racist ethos. The school’s anti-racist policy and practice helps to identify and change those attitudes which lead to negative discrimination against people on the basis of their race, ethos, nationality or ethnic origin. Cale Green Primary School has a value driven curriculum where our vision for education permeates every aspect of the school. In this way we are able to support all of the members of our community to become anti-racist. Through education, support and giving our community a voice on racism we can move from not racist to anti-racist.

Cale Green Primary School is committed to tackling racial harassment and we continually strive to update our practices and policies in relation to monitoring incidents motivated by discrimination. We are committed to taking positive action and work on any trends or patterns that arise out of monitoring racial discrimination. Monitoring is undertaken by the Leadership Team who record any incident of discrimination. This policy should be read in conjunction with the Safeguarding policy, Low-level concerns policy, Equality and Diversity policy and the Behaviour policy.

Aims of the Anti-Racism Policy

• It is the right of every child to an education that is aimed at developing the personality, talents, mental and physical abilities of the individual to their fullest potential

• Cale Green Primary School will promote race equality and all pupils will be provided with opportunities to study their own values and those of others, appreciate diversity and develop respect for others.

• To enable our school to focus on teaching and learning, cultural competency and conversations about race throughout the school and provide support for identifying, challenging and eliminating racism

• Cale Green Primary School will support equality, justice and mutual respect not only in school but in the local community

Definitions

Racism = Racial Prejudice + Power

Racial Prejudice: Consists of discrimination or derogatory attitudes based on assumptions deriving from socially constructed perceptions about race/skin colour.

Power: Is the authority granted through social structures and conventions.

Racism: Occurs when an expression of Racial Prejudice emerges from a more powerful/privileged location in the socially constructed power hierarchy, and is directed at an individual/group in a less powerful/privileged location

Anti-Racism: Is the active process of identifying and eliminating racism by changing systems, organisational structures, policies and practices and attitudes, so that power is redistributed and shared equitably.

Cultural Competency: A set of values, behaviours, attitudes and practices within our schools which enables them to work effectively cross culturally.

Decolonising education: Decolonising is a way of thinking that interrogates how colonisation shapes the way we think, our education system and the curriculum. The legacy and ongoing impact of the ideas that shaped colonisation and the actions of the British Empire contributes to contemporary racial inequalities. Discussions about decolonising education is one essential step to developing anti-racist educational spaces. Understanding the context for today’s immigration debates is impossible without understanding that large numbers of people who came to the UK didn’t actually come as migrants; they came from colonies and former colonies as citizens. A representative and relevant education system should reflect black children’s histories, achievements, culture and politics. All children deserve to see themselves reflected in their books, schools and communities and to achieve this we must rethink both curriculum and assessment.

Unacceptable Racist Acts

Overt racial acts

• Direct physical assault or threat of it

• Inciting racism in others

• Behaving in a racist way and treating others less favourable on the basis of race

• Racist name-calling or racist joke-making

• Expressing prejudices or deliberate misinformation on racial or ethnic distinctions

• Distributing racialist literature

• Writing or expressing provocative slogans or catch phrases

• Refusal to cooperate with other people because of their ethnic origin

Covert racism

This is racial discrimination that is disguised and subtle, rather than public or obvious.

• Staff need to be aware that not all racism is obvious and can be subtle

• It can be concealed in the fabric of society; covert racism discriminates against individuals through often evasive or seemingly passive methods

• It often works subliminally, and often much of the discrimination is being done subconsciously

• Teachers need to be very aware of this type of racism and challenge stereotypes

Examples

• Colour blindness and believing we live in a ‘post-racial’ society

• Saying "it’s just a joke" when making a racially insensitive comment

• Racial profiling or stereotyping

• Tokenism

• Comments like ‘All lives matter’

• Denying white privilege

• Assumptions about people based on their culture, nationality, ethnicity

• Portraying other cultures or nationalities as impoverished

Principles

 The school is an anti–racist establishment and is committed to addressing racism in any form and will not tolerate it.

• Instigating action to support victims of racism.

• Ensuring existing school policies address inappropriate behaviour around racism and other discriminatory practices.

• Recording and reporting racist incidents to the appropriate authorities both internal and external to the school to endeavour to eradicate such behaviour.

The Role of Staff

All staff, teaching and non-teaching should be vigilant in class and in the playground at all times, in order that racist behaviour does not go undetected.

• All staff should take action as soon as possible and ensure that all interaction is carried out privately, i.e. away from other children.

• Staff should remain calm and take time to listen impartially to all involved.

• Staff should avoid labelling pupils as ‘racist’ and ‘victim’ – after an incident both pupils may need support to rebuild or reinforce self-image and esteem.

• All reports of racist incidences must be recorded on CPOMs and sent to a member of the SLT.

• All racist incidences will be logged on CPOMs

• The school will contact the parent / carers of the pupils involved.

• Next steps will be discussed with all parties involved and in line with our behaviour policy.

• Information relating to all incidences of verbal racism will be sent to the local education authority and governors will be informed.

 It is essential that work to address issues of racism and equality should take place at every opportunity through the taught curriculum. There are a wide range of strategies which teachers can adopt in their classroom which can support a school’s approach to dealing with and addressing racism with all children.

These could include:

·Providing positive images and role-models in resources and displays which reflect the experiences and backgrounds of all children in our multicultural society

·Critically examining existing resources in the school to ensure that stereotyped and outdated images and viewpoints of groups of people are not being perpetuated

·Developing global dimensions to the curriculum which value contributions of all people to world culture and critically address issues of world development and interdependence

·Exploring with children at the appropriate level, issues of racism and equality in a range of personal, community and global contexts and inviting them to develop strategies of promoting justice and challenging injustice

·Encouraging co-operative and collaborative approaches to learning and ensuring that children’s cultural and linguistic experiences are reflected and built upon positively in the classroom

·Building positive links with community groups and using support agencies to the full to ensure that the multicultural dimension to the curriculum is fully developed

·Having high expectations of children of all ethnic backgrounds and making known to them our confidence in their ability to achieve and ensuring that each child’s individual learning and social needs are met

 All staff are responsible for:

• fostering a positive atmosphere of mutual respect and trust;

• identifying and challenging racial bias and stereotyping;

• promoting racial equality and keeping up to date with race relations legislation;

• implementing the school’s racial equality and racial harassment procedures under the Headteacher’s guidance.

• Providing intervention when racist incidents occur – refer to previous model

 The Headteacher works to ensure that the policy and its related procedures and strategies are fully understood and adhered to by staff, children, parents, carers, visitors and contractors.

The role of the pupil

All pupils should adhere to our school’s code of conduct (see Behaviour Policy). A pupil who perceives themselves to be the victims of racism, and pupils who witness incidents of racism have a responsibility to report this. Pupils should ask for help from staff in defusing a difficult situation. They should not retaliate, but should ask for help from staff.

The role of the parent

Parent / carers support the school’s policy on anti-racism and will inform the school if they believe a racist act has occurred at school or in the wider community. Parents / carers of a pupil who is responsible for racist conduct are encouraged to play an active role in dealing with it.

The role of the governors

The Governors are responsible for the Anti-racism policy, and for ensuring that it is regularly monitored and reviewed.

The Governing body will:

• support the Headteacher and the staff in the implementation of this policy

• be fully informed on matters concerning racism

• regularly monitor incident reports and actions taken to be aware of the effectiveness of this policy

• make it a regular agenda item for discussion at Governing Body meetings

Admissions

Cale Green Primary School is governed by Stockport’s admissions policy; we welcome all ethnic groups as well as asylum seekers, refugees and travellers.

Behaviour

Clear procedures are in place to ensure that any incidents of racial discrimination or racial harassment that may take place on the school premises, involving either children or adults, are dealt with promptly, firmly and consistently. We use CPOMs for reporting all types of incidents and these are collated to help the school identify and address key issues and areas of concern.

We challenge racism within the classroom and are able to explore potentially racist situations and examine their implication in the form of classroom discussions.

The Curriculum

This section should be read in conjunction with section 8. Role of Staff

All pupils have a right to the same high quality of education in which they feel valued and respected. A variety of teaching and learning methods encourage positive attitudes to difference, cultural diversity and racial equality. Collaborative planning and teaching enable pupils to develop confidence, and provides continuity and progression for all.

Different cultural traditions are made meaningful by linking them to curriculum delivery at every opportunity, e.g. in PSHE, RE and Music.

We work to ensure that curriculum planning takes account of the ethnic backgrounds of our children. We do this by ensuring that:

• curriculum materials and the learning environment reflect the cultural diversity of Cale Green Primary School and its locality by means of displays, language and artefacts;

• we fully implement the National Curriculum by incorporating a cross-cultural curriculum perspective in all areas;

• we take into account the cultural experiences of children within the curriculum.

Our curriculum includes an awareness of stereotyping, bias and scapegoating and is one which incorporates equality and justice.

Staff recruitment and professional development

 We are committed to ensuring that racial equality and equal opportunities good practice exists throughout the selection and recruitment process to ensure that no discrimination occurs. Recruitment and employment procedures are consistent with the CRE’s (Commission for Racial Equality) Code of Practice for Employers and all those involved in the recruitment process are effectively trained and aware of the importance of making unbiased decisions.

 We are committed to recruiting staff from a range of cultures who will be good role models for children.

Staff are supported in dealing with racist incidents and how to identify and challenge racial bias and stereotyping through a continual process of professional development.

Monitoring and review

This policy will be reviewed annually by the Headteacher.

Autumn 2023

Reviewed Autumn 2024

Mrs Sarah McHugh