As a parent community we decided that it was time to take action against the racism that our children are experiencing in schools and clubs in Cornwall.
Our key points are:
We need schools and clubs to take racist incidents more seriously, treating them as a safeguarding concern, and open up spaces to have conversations about difficult issues.
We need racial literacy training for all school staff so that teachers understand the impact of racist incidents on children.
We need to empower and coach children of colour to report abuse.
To achieve this, we would like schools to:
Hold school-specific focus groups (including ex- and current students) to help school leaders to understand the current reality of hwta it is like to be a person of clouor in their school. This group will make recommendation, train students in anti-racism and cascade their knowledge to younger pupils. This will create an evaluation feedback loop so that the school can monitor the impact of their intreventions through these pupils.
Revie the curriculum and work towards one that is anti-racist, decolonised and reflective of all histories.
Equip with anti-racist training for pupils, teachers and parents through continuous professional development, in the context of racism as a trauma and a safeguarding issue.
Host seminars on the subject of enpowering and identity for young people with a focus on a positive, anti-deficit model.
Define their own anti-racsit practice and policy.
In the 2024/5 academic year, we are working with two Cornish schools, one primary and one secondary, on a pilot project which encapsulates our key points and what we would like schools to do. Once these pilot projects have been completed, we look forward to sharing the findings and resources here.
In the meantime, here are some resources that we have found useful. Some have been created by people we are working with.
Podcast by Sophia Coles about talking to children about racism.
Article by Aishnine Benjamin about what is racial literacy from The Black Curriculum.
“My son had a positive experience at primary school - up until his final year when there was a racist incident (name calling from one boy). All his friends came to his defence and the Headteacher dealt with the situation really well. Because I had previously given them a copy of the original ‘Children Visible by Colour’ report. So they had the tools and awareness to deal with the situation. ”
