Guidelines for Reporting and Dealing with Racist Incidents in Bexley s Schools and Other Educational Settings

Transcription

1 Guidelines for Reporting and Dealing with Racist Incidents in Bexley s Schools and Other Educational Settings

2 Contents 1. Purpose of Guidelines The Legal and Policy Framework A Whole School or Setting Approach The School/Setting Policy Definition of a Racist Incident Dealing with Allegations Proposed Procedures for Dealing with incidents: 1. Physical assault against a person or group because of 29 colour, race and/or ethnicity 2. Name calling/racist jokes Racist graffiti Provocative behaviour such as racist badges or insignia Bringing racist material, leaflets, comics, magazines, 30 computer software into school 6. Verbal abuse/threats Racist comments in classrooms Ridicule of an individual for cultural or religious differences, e.g. food, music, dress, worship Refusal to co-operate with other pupils because of their 31 race, ethnic origin, etc. 10. Racist incidents outside school or setting Incidents Involving Young Children and Young People with Learning Difficulties Incidents Involving Staff Supporting Victims The Role of the Governor Monitoring and Recording Council Monitoring 40 Appendices A. Key Council Contacts 44 B. Racial Incidents Report Form 46 C. Training 56 D. Race Equality Model Policy for Schools and Other Settings 68 E. Issues related to faith, and issues related to faith and culture 78 F. Auditing the School s or Settings current performance in dealing with racial 88 equality matters G. Useful Contacts 90 14

3 Acknowledgements Many of those people within Bexley s education community who contributed to developing these guidelines are listed in the Strategy document. We are most grateful to them for their commitment to this work. In addition, we should like to thank the many people, including head teachers, members of voluntary groups and school governors who responded so constructively to our consultation process. We also looked at good practice elsewhere in the country and were pleased to draw ideas from the following local authorities: Bristol City Council Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council Education Leeds Leicester City Council Medway Council Newcastle City Council Swansea City and County Council 15

4 Purpose of the Guidelines Legislation and national policy require governing bodies of schools and other educational settings to keep under review their existing policies for promoting race equality, including strategies for tackling racist incidents. The law states that failure by a governing body to deal adequately with complaints of racial harassment could be seen as discrimination. This document therefore supports schools and other settings in addressing racist incidents. Bexley Council is committed, as part of its Race Equality Scheme, to setting up procedures to monitor and report racist incidents in schools and other settings and to provide support as necessary to address and work towards eradicating racism. These guidelines are designed to: Support schools and other settings in fulfilling their obligations under the Race Relations Act 1976, Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 and the Human Rights Act; Provide guidance to help establish effective procedures for reporting and recording and dealing with racist incidents; Assist schools and other settings in meeting the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) Standards for Race Equality in Schools and other settings, Learning for All ; Contribute to the promotion of high standards in primary and secondary education for all pupils through an environment free from fear and discrimination; Enable schools and other settings to satisfy the expectations of the Ofsted inspection; Assist the Council in fulfilling its statutory duties under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000; Enable the Council to work effectively with partner agencies in order to contribute to strategies and intelligence which will reduce the frequency of racial attacks and harassment and work towards eradicating them; Ensure that anti-racist practice is developed within an equalities framework; Help professional educate the perpetrators of racism through corrective measures; and Support those who are the victims of racist behaviour. Contribute to developing a safe and harmonious working environment for all students and staff and developing preventative measures so that they can achieve their full potential; 16

5 The Legal and Policy Framework It is incumbent on every institution to examine their policies and the outcomes of their policies and practices to guard against disadvantaging any schools and other settings of our communities... there must be an unequivocal acceptance of the problem of institutional racism and its nature before it can be addressed, as it needs to be, in full partnership with members of minority ethnic communities. (Macpherson Report on the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry) This section provides an overview of relevant legislation that requires local authorities and schools and other settings to eliminate racial discrimination and promote good race relations. 1. The Race Relations Act 1976 The Race Relations Act, Section 71, states that it shall be the duty of every local authority to make appropriate arrangements with a view to securing that their various functions are carried out with due regard to the need: a. To eliminate unlawful racial discrimination because of race, colour, nationality (including citizenship) or national or ethnic origin; and b. To promote equality of opportunity and good relations between persons of different racial groups. The Race Relations Act 1976 makes it unlawful to discriminate against a child/adult directly or indirectly. Direct discrimination can be intentional or unintentional, and indirect discrimination means applying conditions that intentionally or unintentionally disadvantage a particular racial group. More specifically, the Act makes it unlawful for education establishments to discriminate in any way that they afford pupils access to benefits, facilities or services. Failure to deal adequately with complaints of racial harassment may mean the school becomes liable under this provision if a Black or minority ethnic child suffers as a result. It should be noted that for the purposes of the Act, Irish Travellers and Gypsies are considered to be ethnic groups. Incidents of harassment against all Travellers and Gypsies should therefore be treated as seriously as those involving other groups. Support in this area is available from the Bexley Traveller Education Services. 2. Protection from Harassment Act 1997 This Act introduced four new criminal offences: harassment: six months' imprisonment and/or a fine; fear of violence; either way, five years' imprisonment and/or a fine on indictment; breach of civil injunction: same penalty as above; and breach of restraining order: same penalty as above. One of the major benefits of the Act is that all of the offences are arrestable; the Crown Court and the magistrates' court can make a restraining order on conviction, prohibiting the defendant from doing anything described in the order, for the purpose of protecting the victim from further harassment or fear of violence. 3. Part II of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 This introduced a new description of racially aggravated offences, and placed a duty on local authorities to work with the Police and others at a local level to reduce crime and disorder. 17

6 4. Circular 10/99 Social Inclusion: Pupil Support This document encourages schools and other settings to be aware of the discriminatory effects of stereotyping and implementing colour blind policies as these can lead to persistent inequalities. It recommends that Governing Bodies and head teachers monitor disciplinary measures against minority ethnic pupils to ensure that the school s behaviour policy works to counteract racial prejudice and harassment. It is clear that schools and other settings should record all racist incidents, inform parents/ carers and governors of the incidents and the action taken to deal with them. It states that all schools behaviour policies must make clear that racial harassment is not tolerated and say how staff and pupils should deal with it. Section 61 of the Schools and other settings Standards and Framework Act 1998 and DfES Circular on Social Inclusion recommend schools and other settings take clear action against all bullying and specifically mention racist bullying. 5. The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 is based on the recommendations of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry and the Macpherson Report and came into force in April It strengthens the 1976 Act by: Extending the protection against racial discrimination to all public functions; and Placing a new enforceable positive duty on public authorities to promote race equality. The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 applies to all educational establishments and other settings and requires schools and other settings amongst other public organisations to meet the general and specific duties. The general duties require schools and other settings to: Eliminate unlawful racial discrimination; Promote equality of opportunity; and Promote good relations between people of different racial groups. Schools and other settings must address all three strands of the general duty and are required to be pro-active. To help schools and other settings meet their general duties, the Home Secretary introduced a number of specific duties on schools and other settings which are to: Prepare and maintain a written race equality policy (required by May 2002); Assess the impact of policies on pupils, staff and parents from different racial groups; Monitor the impact of the operation of policies on pupils, staff and parents from different racial groups; and Take reasonable practical steps to publish annually the results of monitoring. Page 18 of the Commission for Racial Equality s Guide for Schools contains details of areas schools and other settings should be monitoring. The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 provides wider protection against racial discrimination. Public authorities, schools and other settings and the COUNCIL should ensure that all reported incidents of racism are recorded, investigated and monitored. The Governing Body is responsible for ensuring these duties are met. 18

7 6. Race Relations Act 1976 (Amendment) Regulations 2003 These Regulations are concerned with the principle of equal treatment between persons, irrespective of racial or ethnic origin, in the areas of employment (and related matters), social protection, social advantage, education and access to and supply of, goods and services which are available to the public. The regulations include: i. a new definition of indirect discrimination, on grounds of race or ethnic or national origins; ii. a new definition of harassment, on the grounds of a person's race or ethnic or national origins; iii. the statutory prohibition of harassment; 7. Ofsted Handbooks for the Inspection of Schools and other settings This requires inspectors to consider the extent to which adults in the schools and other settings are aware of, and take steps to, counter negative attitudes. They will evaluate the extent to which pupils are encouraged to work in mixed groups. If there is evidence of racism, they must find out what the school is doing to counteract it. Ofsted inspectors will check that policies have an explicit reference to the intolerance of racial harassment. They will check that systems are in place to record the pattern of incidents, that incidents and action taken are reported to governors, parents/carers and the Council, and will ask for records for the previous twelve months. iv. the duty of the Commission for Racial Equality ("the CRE") to work towards the elimination of harassment (in addition to its existing duty in respect of discrimination); and v. altering the burden of proof in tribunal and court proceedings relating to discrimination on grounds of race, ethnic or national origins, or harassment Web links: Race Relations Act 1976 (Amendment) Regulations 2003 (SI2003/1626): 19

8 A Whole School Approach It is a fundamental principle of this guidance that every child and/or young person has a right to an education free from fear, harassment or discrimination. Responses to racist incidents should be part of a broader whole institutional response to racism, which has a focus on creating a climate that prevents racist incidents occurring. A positive anti-racist school ethos and anti-racist curriculum is vital. The National Curriculum requires schools and other settings to educate pupils to challenge discrimination and stereotyping and Ofsted is committed to evaluating the pupils understanding of the effects of stereotyping, prejudice, sexism, racism and all forms of discrimination. Aiming High: Raising the Achievement of Minority Ethnic Pupils (DfES/0183/2003) outlines the characteristics of a successful antiracist school as one where there is: Effective teaching and learning: Lessons are planned and delivered as effectively as possible, with support for bilingual pupils and teachers and be able to reflect the cultures and identities of the communities represented in their schools and other settings in lessons; Ethos of respect, with a clear approach to racism and bad behaviour: There is a strong ethos and culture of mutual respect. There are clear and consistent approaches to bad behaviour, bullying and tackling racism across the whole school with a focus on prevention; Parental involvement: Parents/carers and the wider community are positively encouraged to play a full part in the life of the school; Pupil involvement: Pupils are positively encouraged to play a full part in tackling racism in the school. Strong leadership: The Headteacher and Senior Managers lead an effective and explicit anti-racist strategy; High expectations: All pupils are expected and encouraged to reach their highest potential by teachers and parents. This is underpinned by practical use of monitoring and data to tackle underachievement; 20

9 The School or Setting s Policy Rationale Dealing appropriately with racial harassment is not just a disciplinary matter. The school s attitude, strategies and procedures in relation to such matters play an important part in the moral education of pupils. Schools and other settings should have structures and procedures in place to allow everyone teaching and support staff, other adults in schools and other settings and pupils to be able to play a role in tackling racist incidents. Responsibilities Head teachers have a legal responsibility to take measures to prevent all forms of bullying and schools and other settings should have a policy for dealing with racial harassment which clearly sets out the procedures (See page 6). This should either be: A separate Racial Harassment Policy; or A model policy for schools and other settings can be downloaded from the Council s website. Content A policy should cover these areas by stating that: all pupils and parents on admission to the school will be informed that racism will not be tolerated and that all acts of racism be treated seriously; all allegations of racial harassment will be taken seriously and dealt with within a reasonable timescale; all allegations should be investigated, dealt with appropriately and recorded in detail as accurately as possible; A specific section within another policy, e.g. Behaviour Policy, Anti-Bullying policy. A clear policy and procedures, specific to the school, should be developed in consultation with staff, governors, pupils and parents. It is good practice to consult the Local Authority and other bodies proficient in racial equality, such as the Bexley CRE. Familiarisation with procedures will be needed for all staff, governors, School Midday Meals Supervisors, administrative staff, parent helpers, playground staff, caretakers and any other adults working/visiting the premises on a regular basis. Regular training for all staff is therefore an essential element in the development and implementation of the policies, procedures and practices, and can be provided by the Council s Equalities Officer. all incidents, however minor they are considered to be, are recorded on an incident form (See procedures on?). One copy will be retained by the school and one copy forwarded promptly to the Council s Race Equality Officer; school records will be kept for 24 months; the incident forms should be available for inspection by staff, governors, Council officers, Ofsted and other relevant bodies such as the Local Authority and Bexley CRE, as appropriate on request; why and how records will be analysed annually along with updates and actions takenand a report should be presented to staff, parents and governors; the Governing Body includes a Race Equality Governor. 21

10 Implementing the policy It is also sensible to have a member of the Senior Management Team with designated responsibility for racism. This person should then be informed of all incidents, coordinate any investigation, ensure completion of necessary paperwork and any pastoral or other appropriate support. 22

11 Definition of a Racist Incident In the publication of the report of the inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, Recommendation 12 was that the definition of a racist incident should be: any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person. This recommended definition is not to prejudge the question of whether a perpetrator s motive was racist. The purpose of the definition is rather to ensure that investigations take full account of the possibility of a racist dimension to an incident and that statistics are collated on a uniform basis. Racist jokes, insults and comments; Physical assault against a person or group because of colour, ethnicity, nationality or religion; Incitement of others to behave in a racist way; Refusal to co-operate/work with other pupil/pupils because of their race, colour, ethnicity, nationality, national origin or status, or religion; and Bringing racist material to school. (Source: Code of Practice on Reporting and Recording Racist Incidents, Home Office. May 2000). This definition is also designed to take account of the fact that there is under-reporting of racist incidents and provides a starting point for schools and other settings in addressing the wide range of behaviours which could be racially motivated. Schools and other settings are strongly encouraged to contact the Council Equalities Officer when they are unsure as to whether an incident is racist or not. Racist incidents can involve any of the following activity: Verbal abuse and threats name calling is the most common expression of racism. Sometimes viewed as trivial, although its affect on children can be profound; Racist graffiti; Provocative behaviour, racist badges, etc. bullying through mobile phones is also emerging; Racist comments in during discussions in classrooms; Ridicule of cultural differences: food, dress, language, names, appearance etc.; (This is not an exhaustive list and new types of incidents regularly emerge). It should be made clear that failure to deal with what can be a minor incident, could be seen as condoning racism and may well lead to more serious incidents in the future. Therefore the policy should cover victimless action such as graffiti and we would also expect to have incidents reported in schools and other settings where there are few minority ethnic pupils. Whilst it is important to acknowledge the ways in which racist bullying and name calling are similar to other kinds of bullying and need to be dealt with in the same way, it is also crucial to explain and stress there are substantial differences:- The difference between racist name calling and most other forms of bullying lies in the fact that racism has a long history affecting millions of people of ethnic minority origin; that it is a common feature in wider society, with people being seriously harmed and injured by it, and sometimes even viciously attacked and murdered; and that children, do not, always inevitably grow out of it. The law of the land recognises the seriousness of racism by requiring that courts should impose higher 23

12 sentences when an offence is aggravated by racist or religious hostility. The distinctive feature of a racist attack or insult is that a person is attacked not as an individual, as in most other offences, but as the representative of a family, community or group. This has three particularly harmful consequences beyond the victim feeling threatened and diminished: a. Other members of the same group, family or community are made to feel threatened and intimidated as well. So it is not just the pupil who is attacked who feels unwelcome or marginalised. When they call me Paki, explains nine-year-old Sereena, it s not just me they re hurting. It s all my family and all other Black people too. Racist incidents involving Gypsies and Travellers should be dealt with under these guidelines and procedures. Preventative and awareness raising work should also be undertaken to prevent discrimination against these groups before it occurs. It is essential that the unlawful nature of harassment is understood clearly: Harassment occurs when someone s words or actions, based on the relevant grounds, are unwelcome and violate another person s dignity or create an environment that is intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive It should also be known that harassment is punishable by law. b. Since racist incidents affect a group as well as an individual, they are experienced as attacks on the values, traditions, loyalties and commitments central to a person s sense of identity and self-worth their family honour, friends, cultural heritage, religion, community, history. Racist, cultural and religious abuse is accordingly likely to be more hurtful than any other kinds of abuse. c. Racist attacks are committed not only against a community but also, in the eyes of offenders themselves, on behalf of a community offenders see themselves as representative of, and supported in their racism by their friends, family and peer group. It is therefore essential that a school should provide support for pupils who are victims, and take care not to provide any kind of comfort or encouragement to the offenders, or to the group or community to which the offenders see themselves as belonging. 24

13 Dealing with Allegations Schools and other educational settings must make it clear that all forms of racism are unacceptable. Racist name-calling should be recorded and followed through. Action needs to be positive, but also sensitive. We must learn: Be sensitive to changes in behaviour of their child that might indicate that s/he is being subject to harassment Know what will happen, and the implications for them and their child, if their child has been involved as a perpetrator What to say to affirm and support a child who has been hurt by racist comments and behaviour Know how the school is working proactively through the curriculum and school ethos to tackle racism How to communicate to parents/carers of both perpetrator and victim and help them support the child What to say to a child when s/he inflicts this kind of hurt How to talk to their parents/carers about this. It is better if the school works strategically on racist incidents with parents/carers and others, rather than just responding to incidents when they occur. All parents/carers need to: Be given the chance to be involved in developing the school s policy and practice regarding racist incidents Have an opportunity to see this and get involved themselves All school staff need to enable children to: Be able to talk about differences sensitively Ask appropriate questions about difference without being unkind and insensitive Explore equality issues using Persona Dolls is an invaluable strategy, especially in the Early Years and primary schools (see Combating discrimination: persona dolls in action, B Brown, Trentham, 2001: ) Talk about racist, and other similar incidents Clearly understand the school s position on racism and racist incidents The educational rationale for the school s stance Understand what school procedures in this area are Know how these might affect them Develop the skills to counter racist (and other) teasing and to take appropriate action against abuse, excluding behaviour and taunting Principles for dealing with allegations The following principles should inform schools policies of racial harassment and response to individual incidents. Know what they do if their child has been subject to racist harassment Appropriate systems should be in place to ensure victims of racism can disclose their attack in confidence. 25

14 All staff should be aware of the processes and procedures of dealing with racial incidents. All incidents should be responded to immediately and appropriately. Some aspects of the response will need to be dealt with at a later stage, for example, contact with parents. School staff should understand that their reactions to such incidents will influence the attitudes of pupils. For example, a failure to respond will be seen as condoning racist behaviour. All members of the school community, including staff, pupils and parents have a right not to experience racism at school whether or not this is directed at them. It is important that school staff acknowledge that pupils and staff who have experienced racism may have developed strategies to deal with this. Intervention should, where possible, support and empower pupils/staff who have suffered harassment. A balance should be struck between supporting pupils/staff and protecting them. For example, the school's response should be discussed with and explained to the pupils and parents or staff involved. School staff should feel that dealing with these issues is a learning experience and that there is no one way of dealing with incidents. All incidents must be recorded, including the date, the names and ethnicity of the perpetrators and victims, the nature of the incident, and action taken in response. Pupils who have experienced racism and their parents should be kept fully informed at each stage of the process. Schools must ensure that there is a strong prevention strategy in place involving policies, procedures, training for all staff, curriculum work and links with other agencies. An ethos in which pupils are encouraged and enabled to report behaviour that is of concern, including bullying and harassment, will be a significant part of such a strategy. Systems The school or setting should have in place clear and known systems through which victims of harassment can disclose. These should include publicising: a. to whom in the institution a victim can go to talk about their plight; b. the arrangements for those who feel they cannot approach anyone personally some schools have discrete post-boxes where victims of harassment can place a note; c. the third party reporting scheme that is managed by the Bexley Community Safety Partnership (See Useful Contacts Appendix F) What to do when an allegation is made If anyone feels an incident is racist then: A. Initial Response a. Treat the issue seriously b. Respond immediately c. Reinforce school s position and rules on racism d. Focus on the perpetrator s behaviour (rather than the person) e. Connect with pupil s feelings f. Support and affirm the victim, explaining how racism works through the stereotyping of an individual 26

15 B. Record on Racist Incident Report Form C. Investigate a. Senior Manager to lead b. Listen to all parties c. Address underlying issues, e.g. an incident may not be racially motivated in origin it might be a dispute over resources in which racist abuse has been used: in which case the original issue should be sorted out as well as the use of the unacceptable words that made it a racist incident d. Make sure race issues are covered do not just treat incidents as a case of simple bullying be able to explain why it is a racist incident if you judge it to be such e. If it is not judged to be a racist incident this would need to be explained to the parties involved, though the incident might still remain as another kind of infringement of the school s behaviour policy which needed a response D. Further Response a. Inform (a standard note can be useful) and involve tutors/class teachers b. Follow through with both victim(s) and perpetrator c. Address the perpetrator s racist behaviour and correct racist misconceptions, e.g. about not belonging in our country d. Reinforce the school s position and rules on racism e. It may be useful to bring both parties together and give them a chance to be involved in resolving the situation f. Contact parents/carers (or Social Services in the case of looked after children ) of both victims as well as the perpetrators a procedure for reporting should be in place. This could involve a letter appropriate to the situation or a phone call with an invitation into school (if felt to be appropriate) N.B. Victims have a right to refer cases to the police or other body such as the Race Equality Council if their parents/carers so wish and all parties have a right to appeal to the Governing Body. E. Complete the Racist Incident Reporting Form Complete Racist Incident Reporting Form and retain one copy for the school with names of victim and perpetrators and send a copy (hard copy or ) to the Council s Equalities Officer with a reference number and no names (see Appendix B). F. General Follow Through a. Follow through with appropriate measures to reinforce the school s position with individuals/group/class/ school via assembly, circle time, tutor period and curriculum b. Present monitoring returns to staff to ensure regular discussion and development of good practice c. Continue to encourage pupils to report and discuss racist incidents and how they should respond d. Use existing means of involving pupils, such as a pupil post box or student council e. Work with other agencies to promote good relations and adopt or adapt good practice. f. Efforts should be made to encourage, appreciate, acknowledge, embrace and celebrate greater understanding and harmony 27

16 g. Governing Body should: i. be informed termly of incidents and actions taken to deal with them as a part of the head teacher s termly report; ii. look for patterns, good practice, etc. N.B. iii. nominate a governor to have oversight of this area Given that there may sometimes be ongoing exclusion, disciplinary, grievance and legal proceedings in connection with incidents, names of individuals should not be used in any monitoring reports. All of the above should be dealt with in accordance with Data Protection Act and confidentiality should be maintained at all times. Under the freedom of information act, schools should be aware of the need to record and keep evidence where allegations are made; and that parents may wish to have access to these documents. 28

17 Procedures for dealing with racist incidents The following are checklists for dealing with different types of incidents that schools and other settings may wish to adopt. It is important that decisions made are consistent with the overall ethos and environment of the school and the explicit policy framework. 1. Physical assault against a person or group because of colour, race, religion and/or ethnicity a. Report to the designated staff member or Head teacher b. Consider if the school needs the support of the Police or advice from the Council Race Equality Officer c. Full report to the Head teacher d. Take appropriate disciplinary action within the school behaviour policy against the perpetrator e. Head teacher should inform parents/ carers and where appropriate, the Governing Body f. Head teacher to take necessary action to prevent recurrence, through the curriculum, tutor groups, assemblies and/or removal of perpetrator g. Offer support to the victim/victim s families h. Offer counselling remedial work to the perpetrator i. Reinforce the establishment s racial equality and racial harassment policies j. Record on a racist incident reporting form k. Send a copy of the racist incident reporting form to the Council s Equalities Officer 2. Name calling/racist jokes a. Explain fully to the perpetrator that racist abuse is unacceptable and will not be tolerated b. Full report to the designated staff member or Head teacher Parents/carers should be informed c. Take appropriate disciplinary action within the school behaviour policy against the perpetrator d. Offer support to the victim/victim s families e. Offer counselling remedial work to the perpetrator f. Record on a racist incident reporting form and keep one copy for the school g. Send a copy of the racist incident reporting form to the Council s Equalities Officer 3. Racist graffiti a. All racist graffiti should be reported to the Headteacher and immediately removed b. Consider contacting the police ~ Investigate/make enquiries c. Regular checks should be made and steps taken to discourage reappearance of graffiti d. If perpetrator is known, parents/carers should be informed e. Take appropriate disciplinary action within the school behaviour policy against the perpetrator f. Offer counselling remedial work to the perpetrator 29

18 g. Record on racist incident reporting form and keep one copy for the school h. Send a copy of the racist incident reporting form to the Council s Equalities Officer 4. Provocative behaviour such as racist badges or insignia a. Educational institutions should not permit the wearing of racist badges or insignia b. Consider support of the police c. Parents/carers should be informed d. Take appropriate disciplinary action within the school behaviour policy against the perpetrator e. Offer counselling remedial work to the perpetrator f. Record on racist incident reporting form g. Send a copy of the racist incident reporting form to the Council s Equalities Officer 5. Bringing racist material, leaflets, comics, magazines, computer software into school a. All forms of racist literature and materials should be removed immediately b. Refer pupils to the Headteacher or Head of Year Parents/carers should be informed c. Take appropriate disciplinary action within the school behaviour policy against the perpetrator d. Offer counselling remedial work to the perpetrator e. Record on racist incident reporting form f. Send a copy of the racist incident reporting form to the Council s Equalities Officer 6. Verbal abuse/threats a. Staff must not ignore any form of verbal abuse in the school b. Explain fully to the perpetrator that racist abuse will not be tolerated c. Persistent perpetrators must be dealt with through the behaviour policy d. Parents/carers should be informed e. Offer support to the victim/victim s families f. Offer counselling remedial work to the perpetrator g. Record on racist incident reporting form and keep one copy for the school h. Send a copy of the racist incident reporting form to the Council s Equalities Officer 7. Racist comments in classrooms a. Racist statements must not go unchallenged b. The school should have clear guidance for staff on how to react to the use of racist comments in the classroom c. Parents/carers should be informed d. Take appropriate disciplinary action within the school behaviour policy e. Persistent perpetrators should be referred to the Headteacher or Head of Year f. Offer counselling remedial work to the perpetrator g. Record on racist incident reporting form and keep one copy for the school 30

19 h. Send a copy of the racist incident reporting form to the Council s Equalities Officer 8. Ridicule of an individual for cultural or religious differences, eg food, music, dress, worship, name a. Members of staff must not ignore any form of ridicule b. Explain fully to the perpetrator that racist behaviour will not be tolerated c. Persistent perpetrators must be referred to the Headteacher or Head of Year d. Take appropriate disciplinary action within the school behaviour policy e. Parents/carers should be informed f. Offer support to the victim/victim s families g. Offer counselling remedial work to the perpetrator h. Record on racist incident reporting form and keep one copy for the school i. Send a copy of the racist incident reporting form to the Council s Equalities Officer f. Record on racist incident reporting form and keep one copy for the school g. Return a copy of the incident reporting form to the Council Race Equality Officer 10. Racist incidents outside the school If racist incidents are taking place outside the school or involve outside perpetrators, these incidents should be brought to the attention of the head teacher and be reported to the relevant authorities, such as the police or the Local Authority, who may want to take action under the Public Order Act. If incidents are taking place outside the school involving school pupils as perpetrators, the incidents should be brought to the attention of the head teacher and be reported to the parents of the pupils involved as these incidents affect the image, reputation and position of the whole school. Outside agencies or communities may be involved as appropriate. Schools and other settings should be aware of local issues in the wider community and the risk of them being brought into the school environment and strategies to tackle racism need to take account of this context. If there are such implications, contact should be made with the Council s Equalities Officer. 9. Refusal to co-operate with other pupils because of their race, ethnic origin, etc a. Persistent offenders must be referred to the Headteacher or Head of Year b. Take appropriate disciplinary action within the school behaviour policy c. Parents/carers should be informed d. Offer support to the victim/victim s families e. Offer counselling remedial work to the perpetrator 31

20 Incidents Involving Very Young Children or Young People with Learning Difficulties Dealing with racist incidents involving very young children is an issue that needs careful consideration and thoughtful handling. Incidents involving young children do happen, and teachers need to respond to them positively and work to prevent their occurrence. The approach is the same in principle, however, to that outlined in the previous section. (See Dealing with Allegations ) Research shows that young children are aware of physical differences related to ethnicity and they attach values to these difference in line with the judgements prevalent in the home, family, community and society. It may well be that what appears to a victim and others, including their parents/carers, to be a racist incident may not have an explicit racist intention. However, perpetrators must be faced with taking responsibility for the outcomes of their behaviour. They must be made aware of the hurt they have caused and not be allowed to feel empowered at someone else s expense. The schools and other settings must make it clear that all forms of racism are unacceptable. Racist name-calling should be recorded and followed through. Action needs to be positive, but also sensitive. Children may use derogatory racist terms and behave in ways which are racist, eg. Refusing to sit next to or refusing to play with other children because of their ethnicity. Though this does not mean that they are hardened racists, it would be a mistake to disregard or play down such behaviours because they didn t mean it or she didn t really understand or it s only a name. 32

21 Incidents Involving Staff An allegation of racist behaviour on the part of any member of the teaching or support staff is a serious matter which is the responsibility of the Governing Body to deal with. It should be clearly understood that a teacher, as a provider of education and trainer of future citizens of the nation, racist behaviour by a teacher, whether by commission or by omission, is considered to be an abuse of power. If proven, the allegation could lead to serious disciplinary action. a. Racial harassment by a member of staff against another member of staff Allegations of racial harassment by a member of staff (whether they be against pupils, parents or against another member of staff) will need to be carefully considered and might be addressed through the Fair Treatment at Work procedures or the school s or setting s grievance procedure (Governing Bodies need to adopt these procedures formally) or under formal disciplinary procedures. Advice should be sought immediately allegations are made. b. Racist behaviour against a pupil Allegations of racist behaviour against a pupil may be raised by the pupil, or his/her parents/carers, or even another member of staff, under the school s complaints procedure. c. Investigating a complaint In all cases, the allegation should be investigated by the head teacher (or someone nominated by the head teacher), or, if the allegation is about the head teacher, nominated governor(s). On completion of the investigation, the investigating officer should make his/her recommendation to the head teacher / Chair of Governors. The recommendation could include taking formal disciplinary action or the use of other school procedures. Where a member of staff is the victim of racist behaviour, s/he should be offered appropriate support. This might include reference to counselling which can be arranged through the Council s Occupational Health Service. 33

22 Supporting Victims It is vital that schools and other settings create a climate in which pupils and staff feel able to report incidents of racial harassment and to expect prompt, appropriate and consistent responses from all members of staff. This can encourage the reporting of incidents. Having a sensitive and caring approach is one effective way to demonstrate the commitment of the school in combating racism and creating an anti-racist ethos and environment. All staff should be aware of the priority attached to supporting victims and taking positive action to deal with the situation. Schools and other settings should be conscious of the potential value in many cases of involving parents/carers of the pupils who have been racially harassed. Victims and, where appropriate, their families should have a named member of the school staff as a point of contact for advice and support. Victims and, where appropriate their parents/carers, should be kept fully informed of what action the school has taken or will be taking, to deal with the incident/perpetrator; reassuring them that the school will take steps to prevent any repetition, repercussions or victimisation. Victims and their parents/carers should be advised of their rights to contact the police if they think a criminal offence has occurred. Provide the victim and their parents/carers with information about external agencies such as the BCRE and Victim Support who can offer help and support. Schools and other settings should develop a whole school response to incidents if particular minority ethnic groups or gangs are involved as part of the development of preventative actions and promoting good race relations. An alternative source of support should be identified either amongst staff or an external agency, including the Council, in case the designated member of staff is not available or other support is preferred. If English is not the victim s or their family s first language, then schools and other settings must arrange for an interpreter to be present when meeting with them. It is also important to be sensitive to wishes of the victim and/ or the victim s family and there should be clear opportunities for them to express their wishes. 34

23 Role of the Race Equality Governor From May 2002, it became a statutory requirement for every school to meet its obligations under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act Each school must have a written policy for promoting race equality. It must assess and monitor the impact of its policies on pupils, staff and parents of different racial groups. Schools are required to publish their policy and the results of assessment and monitoring annually. The Race Equality Policy must be linked to an action plan and a school governor should be nominated as the Race Equality Governor to ensure that race equality issues are promoted and remain high on the school s agenda. The governing body is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the school meets its obligations. Due to the wide scope of the policy, it is appropriate for a nominated governor to work in partnership with the head teacher or designated member of staff. The nominated governor should consider and review the way in which the policy is integrated into the day-to-day life of school and to monitor and assess its impact. A draft policy has been issued to all schools by Bexley Council. The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) published race equality standards for schools in Learning for All and the Code of Practice for Educational establishments. Governors should ensure that the head teacher and staff have addressed curriculum teaching, planning, Organization, assessment, teaching methods, curriculum content and resources and allocation to teaching groups. Different racial groups are deemed to be those on census forms and are used by Bexley Council for statistical reporting. Governors should also consider: policy, planning and management policy development, implementation, monitoring, review and evaluation; admissions, attendance, discipline and exclusion; pupils induction, personal development, attainment, progress including guidance support and careers education; attitudes and environment ethos, racism, and racial harassment. staffing recruitment, training, professional development including retention and promotion of staff, recruitment and selection of staff; parents, governors and community partnerships. A school has a duty to: monitor the impact of such policies on pupils, staff and parents of different racial groups; and assess the impact of its policies on pupils, staff and parents including in particular the impact on attainment levels of such pupils. Action plan An action plan should be produced identifying the monitoring and assessment procedures as well as the key objectives, responsibilities, timescales, and success indicators, etc. Monitoring Monitoring is wider than the achievement of pupils, their attendance and issues such as rewards or exclusions. Teaching methodology, resources and the curriculum and a range of other issues should also be reviewed. For instance: 35

24 Are appropriate resources available that promote positive images? Is there an evaluation of the attendance of different racial groups at parents evenings and are strategies in place to encourage participation of any groups that are under-represented? Is there evidence of parents from minority ethnic groups being encouraged to consider roles as governors or other voluntary helpers in school? Is there appropriate development of community links? Are there surveys/consultations with relevant groups to determine their opinions and needs? Does the governing body use the expertise of its ethnic minority governors? Does the school provide translations of key documents into languages relevant to its pupil population? involvement, and race equality) are not having an adverse impact on pupils, staff or parents from some racial groups? 2. How does the school help all staff to develop and reach their full potential? 3. How does the school encourage all parents to take part fully in the life of the school? 4. Does the school help all its pupils to achieve as much as they can and get the most from what is on offer, based on their individual needs? 5. How does the school explain any differences? Are the explanations justified? Can they be justified on non-racial grounds, such as English language difficulties? 6. Does each relevant policy include aims to deal with differences (or possible/perceived differences) in pupils attainments between racial groups? Do the policy s aims lead to action to deal with any differences that have been identified? Does the governing body represent the composition of the pupil population of the school? Does the school engage in initiatives to promote anti-racism and race equality? Assessment Monitoring should be discussed by the race equality governor and staff to determine the effectiveness of the policy and further develop the school s race equality objectives as well as to guide planning and decision making. The CRE Statutory Code of Practice lists ten questions to assess the impact of policies giving special attention to pupils attainment levels. 1. Is the school making sure that its policies (e.g. on exclusion, bullying, the curriculum, parental involvement, community 7. What is the school doing to raise standards, and promote equality of opportunity for pupils who seem to be under-achieving and who may need extra support? 8. What is the school doing to: a. prepare pupils for living in a multiethnic society; b. promote race equality and harmony in the school, and in the local community; and c. prevent or deal with racism? 9. Is the action the school has taken appropriate and effective? 10. What changes does the school need to make to relevant policies, policy aims, and any related targets and strategies? 36

25 Outcomes The aim is to raise the achievement of all. Governors have a duty to publish, annually, the progress being made in implementing their Race Equality Policy and Action Plan. Governors should receive termly, from the head teacher, details of the number of racist incidents which have occurred, the action taken to deal with incidents and progress in implementing the Race Equality Action Plan. This may be included in the head teacher s report or be a separate agenda item. Head teachers are required to report to Bexley Council on a termly basis all racist incidents and action taken. Compliance with the new duty will be monitored by Bexley Council and Ofsted. This information is adapted from CRE guidance. Further details are available from Governor Support Service, 37

26 Monitoring and Recording An important aspect of actions to address racism is the monitoring of racist incidents. It is important that all schools and other settings record and monitor all racist incidents, however minor, for the following reasons: - 1. To measure the effectiveness of their measures for responding to racist incidents; 2. To obtain a full picture of the frequency, trends and nature of racist incidents and to gather intelligence to inform preventative measures; 3. To target resources to combat racism; 4. To identify repeat victims or perpetrators of racial harassment; 5. To provide schools and other settings and the Council with a statistical base for analysis of racist incidents and inform future action planning with schools and other settings; and 6. To develop future citizens of the British Nation who can build a harmonious nation where every child, and young person can develop their highest potential to contribute to the economic advancement of Britain. Also, reporting and recording helps schools to identify and analyse specific types of incident and therefore contributes to school selfevaluation and action-planning processes. For example, they indicate needs that can be picked up through the PSHE and citizenship curriculum, and through school pastoral processes. A consistency in recording and monitoring of racist incidents in all schools and other settings will be a significant element of fulfilling the requirement of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, to evaluate and monitor the implementation and impact of the Race Equality Policy and other policies and contribute to an anti-racist environment in schools and other settings. It is therefore a Council requirement that Bexley schools and other settings record all racist incidents on a Racist Incident Reporting Form. This can be used for reporting incidents to the Council and also for internal use. If schools and other settings currently use a book to record incidents, this can be replaced by a loose-leaf folder with completed forms. A Racist Incident Reporting Form will be provided for every school to use if required. A separate summary form should be completed and returned to the Council Equalities Officer for every racist incident in a school. The Council s form incorporates a detachable form to aid this requirement. Some Questions and Answers Should schools record small, insignificant incidents? Yes, every incident, no matter how seemingly small, must be recorded and dealt with. Racist name-calling is hurtful and damaging to the pupil who is attacked and to the school community. If people are permitted to believe that racism is acceptable they may become involved later in anti-social behaviour and serious criminal violence. Recording seemingly minor incidents can be useful to the school, for example in identifying whether current events or local contexts are causing an increase in harassment of particular pupils. It is usually possible to deal with minor incidents straightaway, in the classroom or playground context. Only the more serious or repeated incidents will need reporting 38

27 on to parents or outside agencies and dealt with accordingly. If we highlight racist incidents, couldn t this lead to a worse situation? It is important, of course, to treat all situations with sensitivity, and therefore to avoid overreacting or creating martyrs, and in these ways bringing the school rules about racist bullying into disrepute. However, the much more substantial danger lies in ignoring incidents and giving pupils the impression that adults condone racist behaviour. Ignoring incidents means that pupils who are attacked feel unsupported, and so do their friends and families, and that offenders feel affirmed and approved of. If racist incidents are ignored, the school may face a danger of unsupported victims taking the law into their own hands and trying to deal with it in a drastic and dangerous manner which may involve criminal self-defence. How do we decide if an incident is racist? Whether the child or young person is part of a friendship group known to hold racist views or engage in racist behaviour Whether the child or young person was wearing outward signs of belonging to a racist culture (for example, skinhead clothes and haircut, BNP insignia) Whether the clothing of the person attacked clearly identified her or him as belonging to a particular religious or cultural group Whether there was no, or only slight, provocation Whether there is no other explanation for the incident. Why does the OfSTED definition stress perception? It is for the purposes of initial recording. Just because an incident is alleged or perceived to be racist does not mean that it is racist. But it does mean that it must be recorded and investigated. See Proposed procedures for dealing with incidents (page 16) and also refer to the RRA 1976 (Amendment) Regulations 2003 OfSTED has adopted the definition of a racist incident that was created by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and modified slightly by the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry report: A racist incident is any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person. Whether or not the child or young person intended their behaviour to be racist is irrelevant to whether the incident must be recorded and reported. Of course, when it comes to dealing with an incident, the offender s intentions are an important consideration. But at the stage of initial recording and investigating, the offender s attitudes, motivation and awareness are not the main issue. When an incident perceived to be racist is investigated at a school, the following points should be considered to uncover the intentions behind the incident: Whether the child or young person is known to hold racist views or to engage in racist behaviour 39

28 Council Monitoring Will it look bad if a school has a lot of incidents on its return? Schools and LEAs have a duty to report information on racist incidents to the government. This has arisen from the Home Secretary s recommendations following the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry. The purpose of such reporting is to monitor the level of racist incidents nationally and locally, to look for any patterns in their occurrence and to plan steps to prevent and address them. The Council will feed information back to head teachers and chairs of governors on patterns and trends so they can compare their own experience with aggregated Bexley data. Some Questions and Answers Who will see the information? Absolutely not. On the contrary, recording of incidents is evidence that the school has developed a positive atmosphere and ethos in which pupils feel confident that reports will be taken seriously and dealt with. If the reporting procedures are successful, an initial increase in the number of incidents reported can be expected, as schools become more successful in promoting this positive ethos. Subsequently it can be expected that the numbers of reported incidents will decrease, as schools develop more effective measures for preventing them. Information from schools should be returned to the Council in the form set out in the next section. Information submitted then by the Council to the government is in a statutory aggregated format, showing numbers of incidents and those in which follow-up action has been taken. It does not include the names of individual schools. As an educational establishment is a public building doing a public function, individuals of the public have a right to see all information on racism in each school. Should schools aim for a nil return? A school s population does not exist in a vacuum away from the rest of society, nor is it unchanging. It would be unrealistic in any school to expect that no racist comments will ever be made. A nil return from a school might imply that pupils are not confident about reporting incidents to staff, or that staff have not understood the nature or seriousness of racist incidents. 40

29 APPENDICES A. Key Council Contacts B. Racist Incident Report Form C. Training D. Model School Policy E. Issues related to faith and culture F. Auditing the School s or Settings current performance in dealing with racial equality matters G. Useful Contacts 41

30 42

31 Appendix A

32 Key Council Contacts In respect of schools, it is recommended that the first point of contact is the Link Adviser or the Principal Adviser of the appropriate team. In respect of other settings, including the Youth service, it is recommended that contact is made through the service manager. The following may also be of assistance in resolving any issues that may occur: Policy and Projects (Equalities) Officer ext.2047 Bexley Council for Race Equality Library Building Walnut Tree Road Erith Kent DA8 1RA Programme Manager (Area Of Opportunity) ext.2802 Black Workers Group ext.2958 Tel: Fax: Domestic Violence Co-ordinator, Bexley Community Safety Partnership Third Party Reporting Scheme Third Party reporting is an initiative aimed at encouraging the reporting of all hate crime. This offers a practical means of helping those who are reluctant to come forward in the normal way. The form allows for victims to remain anonymous by withholding their personal details if they wish. Whilst this means that the issue cannot be investigated, the information given will nevertheless be collated for intelligence purposes. Forms are available at Council Information Desks, Libraries, and Bexley Council for Racial Equality, Library Building, 3 Walnut Tree Way, Erith. You may also download the Third Party Reporting Form. Bexley Borough Police Hate Crime Focus Desk This is responsible for the investigation of hate crimes within the Borough of Bexley. It includes racist crime, domestic violence, homophobic crime and hate mail. The unit is staffed by both male and female officers who are specially trained to deal with these crimes. There is an answer phone for out of hours calls. All enquiries will be dealt with confidentially and the caller will be dealt with in a discreet and sensitive manner. Victims of hate crime should report the matter direct to Police via the normal channels, i.e. 999 or to Bexley Police To contact the Hate Crime Focus Desk direct, dial

33 Appendix B

34 Reporting and Recording Racist Incidents This appendix includes: i. A flow diagram for dealing with racist incidents (summarising the procedures set out in pages of the guidance ii. The Racist Incident Report form that Bexley Schools are recommended to use. This will be available in packs with selfcarbonating copies for ease of use. iii. Explanatory notes for completing the report form iv. A diagram setting out levels of racist activity for use when completing the racist incident report form v. The standard DfES codes for ethnicity, together with more detailed codes for schools to use if appropriate. 46

35 (i) Dealing with Racist Incidents (See pages of Guidance) This flow diagram provides an overview of actions that need to be taken when dealing with a racist incident. Alleged Racist Incident A. Initial Response B. Record on Racist Incidents Report Form C. Investigate D. If not a Racist Incident: If a Racist Incident Take other action Further Response Where appropriate E. Complete Racist Incidents Investigation form F. General Follow Through 47

36 (ii) Racist Incident Report Form Name Victim A Victim B Alleged perpetrator C Alleged perpetrator D Victim A Victim B Alleged perpetrator C Alleged perpetrator D YR Ethnicity Previous Yes/no/unknown Yes/no/unknown Yes/no/unknown Yes/no/unknown Date of incident Reported by Report sent to admin on Date Reported Reported to Where Incident Occurred 1. Inside school/classroom 2. Immediately outside school 3. Travelling to/from school 4. Outside on playground/sports field 5. Away from school e.g. school trip 6. Other (specify) Type of Incident Verbal abuse [ ] Avoidance [ ] Discrimination [ ] Physical Violence [ ] Group intimidation [ ] Brief description of racial incident Action Taken (indicate Y-Yes or NR Not required) a. Victim(s) Support Place the initials of the member of staff taking the action inside the boxes Confirming the school s firm policy towards such behaviour Affirm victim(s) self worth, their culture, religion, ethnicity Inform or arrange meeting with the parent/carer immediately, by letter or by phone Provided or referred for counselling Other support (please state) b. Dealing with the perpetrator(s) Explained firmly the wrong done, in line with the disciplinary code Informed or arranged meeting with parent/guardian as appropriate Sent perpetrator(s) to the appropriate senior member of staff to record the incident Used the disciplinary procedures Used exclusion procedures Provided or referred for counselling Limited action taken due to inconclusive evidence Involvement of safer schools community police officer c. School/institution response Thorough investigation of reported incident Reported the matter to the head of year, deputy head, racist incident officer Report to governors Immediate report to LEA. Reported to : Report to other agencies such as police (if so crime number: ) Sent a letter to all parents/guardians explaining the matter Other institutional response If interpreter used specify name Has this incident been resolved to the satisfaction of all? Signature of designated person School: Yes/NR Yes/NR Yes/NR Yes/NR Yes/NR Yes/NR Yes/NR Yes/NR Yes/NR Yes/NR Yes/NR Yes/NR Yes/NR Yes/NR Yes/NR Yes/NR Yes/NR Yes/NR Yes/NR Yes/No 48

37 (iii) Explanatory notes for completing the report form The form The form is designed to trigger off key actions, which members of staff and school managers must implement following the occurrence of a racist incident. It is also designed to maximise efficiency and cut down on excessive form filling. The form serves both the needs of the school and the need of the LEA in collating data. The form has several component parts: A statistical recording section for names dates and ethnicity A section describing the type of behaviour using the Allport Theory* and free writing space A section dealing with the victim A section dealing with the alleged perpetrator A section dealing with the important functions of the institution during the resolution of the incident. *The Allport theory places verbal abuse as the least serious racial incident whilst Group intimidation is the most serious as this is often the precursor to violence resulting in death. The form was initially reviewed by the head teachers of: Sherwood park, Mayplace, Birkbeck, Belvedere Junior, Erith, Hurstmere, St Josephs, Bexleyheath, Welling, St Catherines School response Self-carbonating pads of forms will be accessible in school to be used for the recording of action following a racist incident. In this way they are very similar to the currently in use pad for recording accidents.the form should give staff and pupils the confidence that the incident will be treated in a serious manner The form is also countersigned by a senior member of staff as a double check that the incident has been dealt with in an appropriate manner. A tear off portion can be sent to the LEA. The tear off portion will not contain the name of the persons involved but will record every other detail. The LEA response A designated person in the LEA will receive the forms and collate the information from the form. A yearly review of statistics will be undertaken and result fed back to schools highlighting patterns of racist activity. Discussions will take place with head teachers on what support they need to tackle these trends and individual problems. The fields available for collation are: Ethnicity of victim(s) and alleged perpetrator(s) Age group of victim Age group of alleged perpetrator Level of racist action (using the Allport theory) Location of incident occurrence Exclusions Criminal investigation by police 49

38 (iv) Levels of racist activity for use when completing the racist incident report form Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Verbal Abuse Avoidance Discrimination Physical attack Reduction of freedom Verbal rejection, bad Avoiding contact, refusing Unequal treatment Violence against persons Forcing people out of mouthing etc to work with someone or organisations or actual killing sit next to them etc in extreme case (e.g. Stephen Lawrence) In extreme cases this would be dealt with directly by the police In this area the involvement of governors is likely with the possibility exclusion In this area the intervention of the Head Teacher or Deputy is appropriate In this area the sharing of information with parents is likely to be of significant importance both to the victim and aggressor Age This chart represents the level of involvement and action required to deal with each level of racist incident for any given age. It also indicates the most likely frequency of incident and the higher authority this should reach 50

39 (v) Codes for describing Ethnicity White Black or Black British 01 British 14 Caribbean 02 Irish 15 African 03 Traveller of Irish Heritage 16 Any other Black background 04 Gypsy/Romany 05 Any other White background Other Mixed 17 Chinese 06 White and Black Caribbean 18 Any other ethnic background 07 White and Black African 08 White and Asian 09 Any other mixed background Asian or Asian British 10 Indian 11 Pakistani 12 Bangladeshi 13 Any other Asian background These forms are to be used to record racist incidents and the action taken A racist incident The occurrence of a racist incident is when a person from one of the above ethnic codes feels they have been mistreated due to their ethnic background. It is not dependent upon whether or not the alleged perpetrator s action was intended to be racist. Staff must deal with the incident until it is resolved. The reporting form The form gives guidance as to which actions should be taken and contribute to the schools overall equal opportunities policy. Not all actions are required and this will be based upon the seriousness of the incident, the ability to resolve the situation and the experience of the member of staff dealing with the incident. Recording ethnicity When recording the ethnicity of those involved in any incident, it is only necessary for the Local Authority s purposes to use the above codes. However, individual schools may wish to record to a more detailed level so the extended codes are on the following pages, If staff members have doubt as to how to proceed they should refer it to their line manager (head of year, deputy etc.) or, where one exists, the race relations officer. What to do with the form The form and its carbon copy should be sent to the school office to be filed. The office staff will then detach part of the top sheet where shown (ie not giving the identity of those involved), to the Local Authority. 51

40 DfES Extended Codes for optional school use DfES Approved DfES Sub- Main Extended Extended Main Category Category Codes Categories Code WBRI White British WBRI White - British White WCOR White Cornish WBRI White - British White WENG White English WBRI White - British White WSCO White Scottish WBRI White - British White WWEL White Welsh WBRI White - British White WOWB Other White British WBRI White - British White WIRI White Irish WIRI White - Irish White WIRT Traveller of Irish Heritage WIRT Traveller of Irish Heritage White WOTH Any Other White WOTH Any Other White White Background Background WALB Albanian WOTH Any Other White Background White WBOS Bosnian-Herzegovinian WOTH Any Other White Background White WCRO Croatian WOTH Any Other White Background White WGRE Greek/Greek Cypriot WOTH Any Other White Background White WGRK Greek WOTH Any Other White Background White WGRC Greek Cypriot WOTH Any Other White Background White WITA Italian WOTH Any Other White Background White WKOS Kosovan WOTH Any Other White Background White WPOR Portuguese WOTH Any Other White Background White WSER Serbian WOTH Any Other White Background White WTUR Turkish/Turkish Cypriot WOTH Any Other White Background White WTUK Turkish WOTH Any Other White Background White WTUC Turkish Cypriot WOTH Any Other White Background White WEUR White European WOTH Any Other White Background White WEEU White Eastern European WOTH Any Other White Background White WWEU White Western European WOTH Any Other White Background White WOTW White Other WOTH Any Other White Background White WROM Gypsy/Roma WROM Gypsy/Roma White MWBC White and Black Caribbean MWBC White and Black Caribbean Mixed/Dual Background MWBA White and Black African MWBA White and Black African Mixed/Dual Background MWAS White and Asian MWAS White and Asian Mixed/Dual Background MWAP White and Pakistani MWAS White and Asian Mixed/Dual Background MWAI White and Indian MWAS White and Asian Mixed/Dual Background MWAO White and Any Other MWAS White and Asian Mixed / Dual Background Asian Background MOTH Any Other Mixed MOTH Any Other Mixed Mixed/Dual Background Background Background MAOE Asian and Any Other MOTH Any Other Mixed Background Mixed/Dual Background Ethnic Group 52

41 MABL Asian and Black MOTH Any Other Mixed Background Mixed/Dual Background MACH Asian and Chinese MOTH Any Other Mixed Background Mixed/Dual Background MBOE Black and Any Other MOTH Any Other Mixed Background Mixed/Dual Background Ethnic Group MBCH Black and Chinese MOTH Any Other Mixed Background Mixed/Dual Background MCOE Chinese and Any Other MOTH Any Other Mixed Background Mixed/Dual Background Ethnic Group MWOE White and Any Other MOTH Any Other Mixed Background Mixed/Dual Background Ethnic Group MWCH White and Chinese MOTH Any Other Mixed Background Mixed/Dual Background MOTM Other Mixed Background MOTH Any Other Mixed Background Mixed/Dual Background AIND Indian AIND Indian Asian or Asian British APKN Pakistani APKN Pakistani Asian or Asian British AMPK Mirpuri Pakistani APKN Pakistani Asian or Asian British AKPA Kashmiri Pakistani APKN Pakistani Asian or Asian British AOPK Other Pakistani APKN Pakistani Asian or Asian British ABAN Bangladeshi ABAN Bangladeshi Asian or Asian British AOTH Any Other Asian Background AOTH Any Other Asian Background Asian or Asian British AAFR African Asian AOTH Any Other Asian Background Asian or Asian British AKAO Kashmiri Other AOTH Any Other Asian Background Asian or Asian British ANEP Nepali AOTH Any Other Asian Background Asian or Asian British ASNL Sinhalese AOTH Any Other Asian Background Asian or Asian British ASLT Sri Lankan Tamil AOTH Any Other Asian Background Asian or Asian British AOTA Other Asian AOTH Any Other Asian Background Asian or Asian British BCRB Black Caribbean BCRB Black Caribbean Black or Black British BAFR Black African BAFR Black - African Black or Black British BANN Black Angolan BAFR Black - African Black or Black British BCON Black Congolese BAFR Black - African Black or Black British BGHA Black Ghanaian BAFR Black - African Black or Black British BNGN Black Nigerian BAFR Black - African Black or Black British BSLN Black Sierra Leonian BAFR Black - African Black or Black British BSOM Black Somali BAFR Black - African Black or Black British BSUD Black Sudanese BAFR Black - African Black or Black British BAOF Other Black African BAFR Black African Black or Black British BOTH Any Other Black Background BOTH Any Other Black Background Black or Black British BEUR Black European BOTH Any Other Black Background Black or Black British BNAM Black North American BOTH Any Other Black Background Black or Black British BOTB Other Black BOTH Any Other Black Background Black or Black British CHNE Chinese CHNE Chinese Chinese CHKC Hong Kong Chinese CHNE Chinese Chinese CMAL Malaysian Chinese CHNE Chinese Chinese CSNG Singaporean Chinese CHNE Chinese Chinese CTWN Taiwanese CHNE Chinese Chinese COCH Other Chinese CHNE Chinese Chinese OOTH Other Ethnic Group OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group OAFG Afghan OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group 53

42 OARA Arab Other OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group OEGY Egyptian OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group OFIL Filipino OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group OIRN Iranian OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group OIRQ Iraqi OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group OJPN Japanese OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group OKOR Korean OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group OKRD Kurdish OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group OLAM Latin/ South/Central American OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group OLEB Lebanese OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group OLIB Libyan OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group OMAL Malay OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group OMRC Moroccan OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group OPOL Polynesian OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group OTHA Thai OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group OVIE Vietnamese OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group OYEM Yemeni OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group OOEG Other Ethnic Group OOTH Any Other Ethnic Group Any Other Ethnic Group REFU Refused REFU Refused Refused NOBT Information Not Yet Obtained NOBT Information Not Yet Obtained Information Not Yet Obtained 54

43 Appendix C

44 Combating Racism Training Opportunities, Materials, and School Based Training Tool-Kit There is a range of agencies schools and other educational settings may turn to for training. Some are as follows: Bexley Ethnic Minority Achievement Service (EMAS) Brenda Boyce (Head of Service) ext 4255/4252 Hill View, Hill View Drive, Welling, DA16 3RY [email protected] Bexley EMAS is jointly funded by a grant (Ethnic Minority achievement Grant/ EMAG) and by Bexley Council. The service is staffed by specialist teachers whose aims include developing staff awareness of issues surrounding race and diversity. It provides advice and training for teachers; access to interpreting and translation; refugee support; and liaison with relevant agencies. Bexley s Directorate of Children & Young People s Services can usually provide some bespoke training or locate a suitable alternative provider. This may be arranged through discussion with the Head of CPD. Telephone ext.4247 Many organisations will provide support materials, and some of these are listed in Appendix G. Those used already in Bexley include: DfES: Gender and Achievement site Early Years Trainers Anti-Racist Network National Youth Agency Teacherworld The Runnymede Trust Save the Children Show Racism the Red Card There follows materials that can be used as a DIY toolkit for in-house training. They have been trailed in schools but are easily adapted to other settings. 56

45 In-House Training Materials Scenarios A whole setting Code of Conduct will only be effective if everyone there takes action to challenge racism. A lot depends on the context, the age and the offence taken. This points to a variety of responses needed from the staff. We can learn a great deal from sharing our experiences and our thoughts and fears with other colleagues. Working in pairs or small groups discuss how you might respond in the following situations 57

46 What would you do? In each of these cases you are the first to deal with the scenario unfolding before your eyes. You know you have to take action so What Do You Do? Discuss with your colleagues and then make a group response on this sheet. What are your first ten second actions? What language/message/statement do you make to the victim? What language/message/statement do you make to the aggressor? What administration (forms, communication) do you employ? What level is it? 1,2,3,4,5 How would you see this resolving to a satisfactory conclusion that would minimise the chances of it happening again? What action would you expect the head to take? Group Names (optional) : 58

47 What do you do? Class teachers 1. A Black Afro Caribbean boy stands alone in the playground on his first day at the school. A group of boys of mixed race walk over and, from a distance appear to be taunting him. 2. A Bangladeshi boy smells of curry and other children in the class hold their nose in a mocking way. You are the teacher. 3. You are called to a fight by other pupils. When you get there an equal size group of white and Sikh pupils are gathered. A Sikh boy is standing over a white boy with a bloody nose. Everyone is shouting what happened but all the stories are different. 4. A Muslim girl wearing items of Muslim dress is being shouted at by a Muslim boy. You ask what is going on and the boy says it is none of your business, as you don t understand Muslim Law. He then hits the girl and says don t do it again. 5. A recently admitted Traveller is being subtly excluded by the children in your class. They are reluctant to sit next to her and she appears to have made no friends. 6. A Muslim girl, whose parents insist on her keeping her legs covered during PE and not taking communal showers, is being teased by other children. You overheard them telling her she stinks and she should take a bath. 7. You overheard an Afro-Caribbean boy calling his Asian Friend Coolie in the playground. The boy responds by calling him nigger. They continue playing together and no offence appears to have been taken on either side. What other racism experiences have you had? What do you do? Head teachers and deputies 1. An Indian mother calls you to complain that her child in your class has been called thick by another child because she is black. The teacher did nothing to correct the situation. You investigate and know all of this is true. 2. During parents evening, a parent refers to an Asian family walking past as those Pakis. They do not appear to have heard her comment but you did. 3. A white female teacher comes to you and says a Pakistani boy has accused her of being racist. She says she didn t give him the lead part of Romeo in a play because he wasn t good enough. He says it is because of his colour. His father is a parent governor 4. Several large groups of secondary age Asian boys and girls are always leaving school at lunchtime and hanging around the shops. The public complain to the police who refer it to the school. After investigation it is revealed that Asians are under threat if they try to use the recreation areas of the school at lunchtime. 59

48 5. A group of black parents have written to you suggesting that some areas of the curriculum are Eurocentric and do not reflect the cultures and experiences of their children. They say they are particularly concerned about the way sciences are taught and name a colleague who they say has dismissed their efforts to challenge this. 6. Your head of department insists on calling a Tamil pupil in your class by an English name because he finds it easier to pronounce 7. A boy has recently begun to make overtly racist comments and show off his swastika tattoo. Both his father and elder brothers are reputed to be active members of the BNP. 8. During a review of school exclusion figures by the governing body, it becomes evident that the majority 51% of fixed term and permanent exclusions have involved black boys. The percentage of black boys in the school is 24%. One of the governors, a black parent, suggests this is evidence of institutional racism. What other racism experiences have you had? What do you do? Youth centre leaders etc. 1. An Indian mother calls you to complain that her child in your club has been called thick by another child because she is black. The youth worker did nothing to correct the situation. You investigate and know all of this is true. 2. A white female youth worker comes to you and says a Pakistani boy has accused her of being racist. She says she didn t captain of the football team because he wasn t good at relationships. He says it is because of his colour. His father is a councillor. 3. Several large groups of secondary age Asian boys and girls are always hanging around together at the club. After investigation it is revealed that the Asians are under threat if they try to use the recreation area of the club. 4. A youth worker insists on calling a Tamil pupil in your club by an English name because he finds it easier to pronounce 5. A boy has recently begun to make overtly racist comments and show off his swastika tattoo. Both his father and elder brothers are reputed to be active members of the BNP. What other racism experiences have you had? 60

49 What do you do? Youth centre workers etc. 1. A Black Afro Caribbean boy stands alone in the recreation area on his first day at the club. A group of boys of mixed race walk over and, from a distance appear to be taunting him. 2. A Bangladeshi boy smells of curry and other children in the club hold their nose in a mocking way. You are the youth worker in charge. 3. You are called to a fight by other pupils. When you get there an equal size group of white and Sikh pupils are gathered. A Sikh boy is standing over a white boy with a bloody nose. Everyone is shouting what happened but all the stories are different. 4. You overheard an Afro-Caribbean boy calling his Asian Friend Coolie in the club grounds. The boy responds by calling him nigger. They continue playing together and no offence appears to have been taken on either side. What other racism experiences have you had? What do you do? Governors 1. An Indian mother writes a formal complaint that her child, in class, has been called thick by another child because she is black. The school has done nothing to correct the situation. 2. Several large groups of secondary age Asian boys and girls are always leaving school at lunchtime and hanging around the shops. The public complain to the police who refer it to the school governors. After investigation it is revealed that Asians are under threat if they try to use the recreation areas of the school at lunchtime. 3. A group of black parents have written to the governors suggesting that some areas of the curriculum are Eurocentric and do not reflect the cultures and experiences of their children. They say they are particularly concerned about the way sciences are taught and refer to the head teacher who they say has dismissed their efforts to challenge this. 4. A member of staff insists on calling a Tamil pupil in school by an English name because he finds it easier to pronounce. He has been warned by the head teacher but continues to use the English name. The head teacher is a t his wits end as the parents are complaining. 5. A boy has recently begun to make overtly racist comments and show off his swastika tattoo. Both his father and elder brothers are reputed to be active members of the BNP. A parent, who the head refers to as a left wing activist, has written to complain to the governing body. 6. During a review of school exclusion figures by the governing body, it becomes evident that the majority 51% of fixed term and permanent exclusions have involved black boys. The percentage of black boys in the school is 24%. One of the governors, a black parent, suggests this is evidence of institutional racism. What other racism experiences have you had? 61

50 Combating Racism in Bexley Schools or Youth Settings Checklist 1 Could we be breaking the law? The Commission for Racial Equality code of practice for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Education gives several examples of racial discrimination in schools, as defined in law, some of which have been listed below. Use the list to establish whether you are applying any practices, procedures or requirements in your school that could be unwittingly unlawful. Bear in mind that, in most cases, the examples given here would be considered unlawful only if there were no objective justification (e.g. educational, academic, health and safety grounds). Do we Apply any entry criteria, condition, or requirements, whether academic or non-academic, that might exclude ethnic minority pupils or reduce their changes of admission? Require parents who are foreign nationals to produce passports or other documentary evidence as proof of their children s entitlement to the education we provide? Only accept pupils from a catchment area that does not include any ethnic minority communities? Enforce a uniform code that might adversely affect pupils who are unable to comply for religious reasons? Insist on certain types of clothing for PE and similar activities that could exclude certain children from taking part? Remove pupils for whom English is an additional language from mainstream provision for reasons that cannot be justified on educational grounds? Apply diagnostic and academic assessment criteria that are culturally biased or result in the non-admission or over-referral of pupils from a particular racial group? Apply disciplinary criteria that result in the suspension or exclusion of a disproportionately high number of pupils from a particular racial group? Apply criteria for allocating individuals to sets or streams that result in a disproportionately high number of students from a particular racial group being placed in lower streams or sets or channelled into particular subject areas? Know of any other practices or procedures in the school that could be unwittingly discriminatory? If any of these raise concerns with the management of your school you may need to seek advice and guidance. Contact no: 62

51 Combating Racism in Bexley Schools or Youth Settings Checklist 2 Developing the right institutional body language Use this checklist to identify the changes that would improve the antiracist ethos in your school or change your institution s body language Do we (or could we) have... A whole-school code of Conduct that outlaws racism, name-calling, bullying and other anti-social behaviour and promotes a safe, non-threatening learning environment? An unambiguous antiracist message conveyed through the prominent display of relevant posters and the school s Code of Conduct in classrooms, staff rooms and corridors? Teaching and non-teaching staff who reflect the ethnic diversity of the local community and society in general? School governors who are from ethnic minority backgrounds or aware of the issues and needs of local black and minority ethnic communities? Involvement by black and minority ethnic parents in all aspects of the school s work and decision-making, including the governing body, parents evening, fund-raising and appropriate classroom activities? Posters, exhibitions and other positive visual images of and by ethnic minorities, conveying diverse cultures, lifestyles, historical experiences and individual achievements? Display of children s work that reflect relevant global/cultural/social/community/ environmental themes addressed across the curriculum? Regular monitoring of common areas, including notice-boards, toilets and changing rooms, to detect and remove offensive graffiti? Signs and notices in the minority languages, including directions, fire regulations. Health & Safety instructions etc where required? Information to parents in community languages wherever appropriate? Access to professional interpreters where needed, e.g. parents evenings, disciplinary hearings etc? Library and learning resources such as a reference book and resource packs that highlight events and issues relevant to black and minority ethnic communities? Textbooks, novels and reference books that refer to black and minority ethnic experiences, include black and minority ethnic role models and challenge stereotypes? 63

52 Do we (or could we) have... An inclusive curriculum that is respectful of difference and exploits all opportunities to explore a variety of cultural and ethnic identities? Access to specialist staff including counsellors, EAL teachers, home-school liaison workers and mediators to support the needs of pupils from particular ethnic minority groups? A mentoring, peer support, buddy or mediation scheme to support individual students at risk of exclusion or under-achievement? A safer space offering sanctuary, advice and support to pupils who need help coping with angry feelings or school rage? Guidelines supported by regular staff training on how to resolve conflicts with or among pupils? Canteen/school dinner menus offering a choice of meals and snacks that reflect the full range of children s religious/cultural taste and dietary requirements? Dress requirement and changing or prayer facilities that take full account of pupils religious obligations? Assemblies, concerts and other multicultural event that feature folk music, anthems and popular songs from around the world? Outings, social and extra-curricular activities that reflect a range of cultural interests? Links with voluntary and community organisations that meet the particular social, psychological, language or religious needs of black and minority ethnic pupils, including asylum-seekers, learners of English as an additional language, young Muslims etc? Explicit, well-published grievance procedures, linked to the school s behaviour policy and/or Code of Conduct? Clear guidelines for parents and pupils about the way all staff are expected to behave and how school uses exclusions and other sanctions? The right to be represented at official hearings; and to be heard by a representative panel that includes someone from their own ethnic group? 64

53 Combating Racism in Bexley Schools or Youth Settings Checklist 3 Do we take racism seriously enough? Use the following checklist to establish whether your school s procedures for preventing, recording, and responding to racial harassment and other unacceptable behaviour by pupils are up to the task. Do we Have a well-published Code of Conduct linked to a behaviour Policy that specifies what constitutes racist harassment and other unacceptable behaviour and outlines the sanctions that will apply if these are ignored? Encourage pupil involvement in regular discussions about the school s behaviour code and what should be in it? Have an Incident Book in which staff are actively encouraged to record the details of any racially motivated incident? Keep a record of the ethnic groups of those involved, and note any action(s) taken? Have procedures in place for offering immediate support to the victim and informing their parents or carers? Have sanctions and procedures in place for discouraging, counselling and/or re-educating perpetrators and informing their parents or carers? Include details of the school s grievance or complaints procedures in staff induction and INSET to ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibilities for implementing them? Encourage staff to discuss ways of tackling harassment, verbal abuse, bullying, intimidation, fighting, and other unacceptable behaviours in a firm yet nonconfrontational way? Encourage pupils to consider their personal experiences of these behaviours and to identify appropriate ways of responding as part of their education for citizenship or tutorial curriculum? Include details of the school s grievance or complaints procedures in information to parents and involve them actively in agreeing the underlying principles that inform them? Encourage staff and students to play an active role in creating a school ethnos and environment that is safe and inclusive? Other suggestions? 65

54 66

55 Appendix D

56 Race Equality Model Policy For Schools and other Settings The Council has produced guidance for schools to support them in developing their policies. This draft policy meets the needs of the legislation and can be adopted in its entirety (removing the italics, of course!) or adapted to meet the needs of the individual school, provided the key elements are included, as detailed below. The Race Equality Policy should be a written statement linked to an action plan, which clearly identifies monitoring and evaluation procedures. to develop their full potential with positive regard to gender, ethnicity, cultural and religious background, sexuality or disability. We will actively promote race equality and oppose racism in all its forms and foster positive attitudes and commitment to an education for equality. We aim to achieve this by: Taking active measures to investigate, report and act on incidents of racial abuse Key elements of Race Equality Policy I. School's character and circumstances This section needs to be completed by the school. It should include an ethnic breakdown of the school population this includes schools who have few or no minority ethnic children. The context summary from a recent Ofsted report would be appropriate in this section. 2. School's Race Equality Policy This race equality-policy enables our school to meet our statutory obligations under the Race Relations Amendment Act (2000). Through this policy the school is working in line with the Commission for Racial Equality Standards Learning for All (2000) and working towards meeting the recommendations of The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry (2000). This policy sets out our commitment to tackling racial discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity and good race relations, and explains what this means for the whole school community. At (name of school) we will continuously strive to ensure that everyone in our school is treated with respect and dignity. Each person in our school will be given fair and equal opportunities Treating all those within the whole school community (e.g. pupils, staff, governors, parents and community) as individuals with their own particular abilities, beliefs, challenges, attitudes, background and experiences Creating a school ethos which promotes race equality, develops understanding and challenges myths, stereotypes, misconceptions and prejudices. Encouraging everyone within our school community to gain a positive self-image and high self-esteem. Having high expectations of everyone involved with the whole school Identifying and removing all practices, procedures and customs which are discriminatory and replacing them with practices which are fair to all. Promoting mutual respect and valuing each other's similarities and differences and facing equality issues openly. Monitoring, evaluating and reviewing all of the above to secure continuous improvement in all that we do 68

57 Working with the Council in reducing the number of racially motivated incients. 3. Roles and responsibilities This race equality policy outlines the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved and connected with the school, so that each individual knows what is expected of them. Promoting race equality and raising the achievement of minority ethnic pupils is the responsibility of the whole school staff, including support staff. Introduction to this race equality policy and action plan will be included in induction arrangements for all new staff to the school. School induction procedures will high!ight the duties implied by this policy in the same way as child protection, health and safety and behaviour policies form part of the induction process. 3.1 Governors The governing body of the school has agreed this policy and will: assess and monitor the impact of this policy by reviewing the action plan annually; and receive progress reports from the head teacher and other school staff on a termly basis, as part of- the head teacher's report to governors. Return statistical information to the relevant council officer. One member of the governing body will have responsibility for monitoring this policy, acting as the designated governor for race equality. 3.2 Head teacher The head teacher will demonstrate through their personal leadership the importance of this policy. He/she will: ensure that all staff are aware of the policy and understand their role and responsibility in relation to this policy; develop an action plan to assess and monitor the impact of the policy and report outcomes to the governing body on a termly basis; and ensure that, where additional funding is available for raising the achievement of minority ethnic pupils, the additional resources are used appropriately and targeted on the basis of identified need for this purpose. 3.3 Race Equality Co-ordinator The Race Equality Co-ordinator will be a teacher in the school who is involved in action planning and policy development and monitoring and evaluation. The role will also include keeping up to date with current thinking, being familiar with literature and resources, attending appropriate training courses and feeding back to colleagues. 3.4 Subject Co-ordinator/Leader Other subject co-ordinators will be responsible for reviewing and monitoring curriculum policies and planning in their own subject areas to ensure that race equality is promoted. 3.5 Teachers Teachers will familiarise themselves with this policy and know what their responsibilities are to ensure that the action plan is implemented. They will know the implications of the policy for their planning, teaching and learning strategies as well as for behavioural issues. 3.6 Administrative, ancillary, supervisory and support staff All staff will familiarise themselves with this policy and know what their responsibilities are in ensuring that it is implemented. 69

58 3.7 Pupils Pupils will share in the development of the race equality policy and be made aware of how it applies to them. They will learn to treat each other with respect and report incidents of a racist nature to an adult. 4. Complaints procedure If anyone in the school feels that this policy is not being followed then they should raise the matter with the head teacher who will facilitate the appropriate action, which may include an investigation and report on the issue. If there is a formal complaint then the school's complaints procedure will be used. 5. Implementing this Race Equality Policy This race equality policy is linked to our action plan for promoting race equality and raising achievement of minority ethnic pupils. It also links to other action plans the school is obliged to produce. Subject leaders should refer to this policy in their personal action plans and priorities for action in the future. The head teacher will produce the action plan. The race equality action plan will identify key objectives, links to other plans, actions responsibility, resources, timescales, success indicators and targets as well as monitoring and evaluation. The race equality action plan will be integrated into the School Development and Improvement Plan. The governors will monitor this action plan. Steps are taken to ensure that everyone associated with the school is kept informed about this racial equality policy and racial harassment policies and procedures, and abides by them. The policies and procedures are regularly reviewed and their effectiveness evaluated, taking into account the views of all sections of the school community. Reflection of all ethnic groups should be included in all marketing strategies. 6.2 Pupils' achievements and progress Pupils' attainment and progress in individual subjects is monitored by ethnic group (and by gender, language and disability). The school develops strategies for tackling differences in the attainment and progress of particular ethnic groups. When setting targets for individual pupils, teachers will be aware of the ethnic background of each child and will also be aware of current concerns regarding the under achievement of certain groups e.g. African Caribbean, Bangladeshi and Pakistani boys, white working class boys and, in particular, Gypsy and Traveller Pupils. The school values the achievements and progress of pupils from all ethnic groups. All pupils have equal access to extracurricular activities. 6. Key areas in promoting race equality 6.1. The ethos of the school This race equality policy reflects the ethos of the school and is explicit in all the school's policies. The school has an additional policy for dealing with racial harassment which clearly sets out the procedures for handling and reporting complaints and incidents. Every pupil is offered the support and guidance they need. Staff challenge racism, stereotyping and promote racial equality in education, employment, training and career choice. Steps are taken to ensure that pupils on work experience are not subjected to racism or racial harassment. 70

59 6.3 Curriculum, teaching and learning (including language and cultural needs) This school promotes an inclusive curriculum which reflects the multi-ethnic nature of our society. Racial equality and ethnic diversity are promoted and racism and discrimination are challenged in all areas of the curriculum. Curriculum planning takes account of the ethnicity, background and language needs of all pupils. Subject leaders and departmental heads provide guidance and examples of good practice for colleagues. The school monitors and evaluates its effectiveness in providing an appropriate curriculum for all pupils. The allocation of pupils to teaching groups and optional subjects is fair and equitable to pupils from all ethnic groups. Assessment outcomes are used to: identify the specific needs of minority ethnic pupils, inform policies, planning and the allocation of resources. Teaching methods and styles take account of the needs of pupils from different ethnic groups and encourage positive attitudes to ethnic difference, cultural diversity and racial equality. The school takes active steps to ensure that resources in all areas of the curriculum are inclusive. It promotes a greater understanding of cultural diversity and racial equality. There is acknowledgement of the importance of challenging racism and racial discrimination in all areas of the curriculum. Resources available to meet the specific needs of pupils from minority ethnic groups, including dual language resources, are used appropriately. The school makes full use of the resources available within its local minority ethnic communities. 6.4 Guidelines for working with pupils who have English as an additional language The school recognises and values multilingualism. The language and learning needs of multilingual pupils are clearly identified and appropriate support identified and used. The school will reflect and develop pupils' and communities' languages and cultural backgrounds through resources and displays throughout the school. For example multilingual signs, notices, children's writing. The school will explore a broad range of other media, for example computer software, the Internet, audio and videotapes, films, songs, games etc, to support the maintenance and development of home/community language skills and cultural heritage. The school will seek to provide community languages and dual language texts, both fiction and non-fiction, in order to facilitate access for pupils and communities who are developing literacy in their first language. The school will draw on the skills of parents and local communities in producing resources. The school will seek to provide high quality interpretation and translation across all areas of the school's work as appropriate. 6.5 Pupil behaviour, discipline and exclusion The school s procedures for managing, rewarding and disciplining pupils are fair and applied equally to all pupils, irrespective of ethnicity. 71

60 The school identifies and adopts good practice strategies in order to reduce any differences in rates of exclusion between ethnic groups The process of excluding a pupil is fair and equitable to all pupils. Strategies to reintegrate long-term truants and excluded pupils address the needs of pupils from all ethnic groups. 6.6 Racism and racial harassment There is a clear policy and established procedures for dealing with incidents of racism and racial harassment which is understood by everyone in the school community. Relations Code of Practice in Employment and other equality legislation. Everyone involved in recruitment and selection adheres to this Code. Steps are taken to encourage people from under represented minority ethnic groups to apply for positions at all levels in the school. The recruitment and selection process is monitored and reviewed to ensure that discrimination is not taking place and to identify examples of good practice. The school monitors the employment and professional development of staff by ethnic group. The monitoring system used by the school enables the school to report the relevant details to the governing body and to Bexley Council each term. 6.7 Admissions and transfer procedures Bexley Council will take active steps to ensure that the admission process is fair and equitable to pupils from all ethnic groups. Steps are taken to ensure that all selection methods are fair and equitable to pupils from all ethnic groups. The school monitors pupil attendance by ethnic group and uses the data to develop strategies to address poor attendance. Provision is made for pupils to take time off for religious observance, leave of absence and authorised absence. (See page 50 of this guide for religious observance and attendance.) 6.8 Staff recruitment and career development Recruitment and selection procedures are consistent with the statutory Race Staff and governors go through regular and systematic training programmes on race equality issues. Proactive steps are taken to identify, support and provide opportunities for the professional development of staff from all ethnic groups. Individual staff effectiveness in dealing with race equality issues is addressed through various line management mechanisms. The school takes active steps to ensure that selection for redundancy avoids racial discrimination. 6.9 Parents, governors and community partnership Parents are welcome and respected in school. People from minority ethnic communities are encouraged to become school governors. Governors are encouraged to play an active role in the life of the school in order to fulfil their monitoring duties. 72

61 The school seeks to support all governors in performing their role, for example, through school induction procedures for new governors All parents are regularly informed of their child's progress. Proactive steps are taken to involve minority ethnic parents in the school. The school's premises and facilities are equally available for use by all ethnic groups. working with the community; and support, advice and guidance. Monitoring information will help us to see what progress we are making towards meeting our race equality targets and aims. In particular it will help us to: highlight any differences between pupils from different ethnic groups; ask why these differences exist and test the explanations given; The school has active links with minority ethnic community groups. review the effectiveness of current targets and objectives; The school encourages community groups to use its facilities for after school activities and for holiday schemes. 7. Monitoring the race equality action plan The school monitors the impact of this policy and action plan on pupils, parents and staff from different ethnic groups. In particular, the impact of policies on the attainment levels of pupils. decide what further action will be necessary to meet particular needs and to improve the performance of pupils from different ethnic groups (which might include positive action); re-think and set targets in relevant strategic plans; make links with performance management objectives which will include information about quality as well as quantity; and To monitor our pupils' attainment, we collect information about pupil performance and progress, by ethnic group, analyse it and use it to examine trends. To help interpret this information, we also monitor other areas, such as: exclusion; racism, racial harassment and bullying; curriculum, teaching and learning (including language and cultural needs); punishment and reward; membership of the governing body; take action to make improvements. 8. Assessing the impact of policies As a school we assess the impact of this and other policies on pupils, staff and parents from different ethnic groups. We assess whether the policies have, or could have, an adverse impact on the attainment levels of pupils from different racial groups. We assess the effectiveness of our policies through existing arrangements for developing and reviewing other school policies. The questions which follow below are used by us to assess our policies in most areas, including: parental involvement; employment, promotion, training and career development; 73

62 involving parents and guardians in the school; making sure that the curriculum prepares pupils for life in a multi-ethnic society; and dealing with racist incidents. The main questions for assessing the impact of all our school's policies - giving special attention to pupils attainment levels - include the following: 1. Do we help all our pupils to achieve as much as they can, and get the most from what is on offer, based on their individual needs? 2. Which groups of pupils are not achieving as much as they can? Why not? 3. Are we making sure that our policies are not having an adverse impact on pupils, parents or staff from some racial groups? 4. How do we explain any differences? Are the explanations justified? Can they be justified on non-racial grounds, such as English as an additional language issues? 5. Does each relevant policy include aims to deal with differences in pupils' attainments (or possible differences) between ethnic groups? Do our policies lead to action to deal with differences that have been identified (for example, extra coaching for pupils, or steps to prevent racist bullying)? 6. What are we doing to raise standards and promote equality of opportunity for pupils who seem to be underachieving and who may need extra support? 7. What are we doing as a school to prepare pupils for living in a multi-ethnic society? How do we promote race equality and harmony and prevent or deal with racism? 9. Is the action taken appropriate and effective? Are there any unexpected results? If so, how are they being handled? 10. Does each relevant policy include aims to promote race equality and harmony, prevent or challenge racial discrimination, and deal with differences (or possible/perceived differences) between racial groups? 11. Do the policy's aims lead to effective action? 12. What changes does the school need to make to relevant policies, their aims and any related targets and strategies? To answer these questions, we, as a school, will: collecting and analysing relevant monitoring and other data; talking to pupils, parents and staff to find out their needs and opinions; and carrying out surveys or special research. We will use the results of these assessments to: re-think our race equality aims, targets and strategies (where necessary); and influence and guide our planning and decision-making. We, as a school, will consider the views and needs of parents, staff and pupils from different racial groups. We will explain to the groups concerned what the school is doing and why. We will look at how we could communicate better (formally and informally) with pupils, parents and staff from different racial groups and involve them in planning and decision-making. 8. Can any action we take be traced back to individual policy aims and related targets and strategies? 74

63 This race equality policy was formally adopted by (...name of school...:) on (...date...). Chair of Governors Head teacher 75

64 76

65 Appendix E

66 Issues related to faith, and issues related to faith and culture This section is concerned with aspects of school life that present daily opportunities to demonstrate to all members of the school community a sensitive and positive approach to religious and cultural diversity. Schools will want to be inclusive and flexible in catering for religious differences, consulting where possible with local community leaders, with parents/carers and with pupils themselves about details. Some general issues relating to collective worship, school assemblies, school meal provision, uniform, absence regulations and extra-curricular activities are outlined below. They concern all school personnel, including support, administrative and catering staff. Schools should: another or is requesting different and therefore more demanding treatment than another. Collective Worship The Education Act 1996 requires schools to provide a daily act of collective worship for all pupils. This legislation adds that the majority of acts of collective worship shall be wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character. Parents/carers, have the legal right on grounds of conscience to withdraw their children from collective worship and staff may also withdraw from collective worship. It is clear that legislation does not cover assembly which is seen as a secular experience as neither group may withdraw from that. inform all parents, pupils and staff of their commitment to support their rights to practice their religion; be alert to and to deal appropriately with any harassment, bullying or prejudicial behaviour from any member of the school s community towards members of any faith or culture because of their racial origin or faith. be mindful when organising work functions and social events related to work, to minimise potential conflicts between religious beliefs of a parent/governor/member of staff or pupil and his/her ability to engage in social activities related to school. Appreciate that religious observance will vary from person to person and family to family; therefore not all members of the same faith will practise their religion in the same way and comparisons between belief practises should not be made, particularly if these appear to indicate that one person/family is less observant than Where pupils are withdrawn from the daily act of collective worship in response to parental preference it is important for schools to provide appropriate alternative provision for such pupils. This may take the form of a separate act of worship for pupils from a particular faith community if that is thought appropriate. Collective worship may be provided in accordance with the law to the benefit of the whole school community. Within this provision it is important that the integrity of all present should be recognised and safeguarded. This means ensuring that pupils are not expected to say or sing words that they find in opposition to their beliefs or engage in activities that appear to mimic belief of another faith group. Collective worship can add value to the education process. It provides an opportunity to: encourage pupils to develop an awareness of the universal moral principles of right and wrong, justice and fairness and a proper concern for the fate of others and the world; 78

67 affirm and celebrate the values and ethos of the school; add to the pupils development an awareness of, and a sense of belonging to, the many different dimensions of the school s community; to diet. For example, many Muslims will eat only halal1 and many Jews only kosher2 meat. Pork is forbidden to both Muslims and Jews. While it is important not to generalise, in Hinduism vegetarianism is emphasised although practice varies greatly. Beef in particular is avoided. experience the sense of gathering for a special purpose; share an experience that promotes thought and reflection; promote pupils spiritual, moral, social and cultural development; provide an opportunity to reflect on practical issues raised by becoming an adult citizen of the world; consider and reflect upon a variety of situations and issues and make a personal response; reflect quietly and make an internal response in the light of personal beliefs and background; this may include worship of God within each participant s own faith understanding. If a school feels that the provision of collective worship within the broadest interpretation of the law is still not suitable for their particular context then the head teacher needs to investigate whether it might be appropriate to ask the SACRE to grant a Determination in accordance with the law. (See Circular 1/94). If this is the case they should contact the Clerk to Bexley SACRE at the Civic Offices. Dietary Requirements It is important that schools are sensitive to the relationship between religious beliefs and diet, and do not unintentionally discriminate against some pupils in their school meal arrangements. Schools will recognise that it is very important to ensure that no pupils struggle through the day on an unbalanced or inadequate diet. Several religions have strict restrictions relating Schools now provide a regular non-meat option intended to cater for the increasing number of pupils who, for religious and nonreligious reasons, are vegetarian. Some pupils, for example Muslims and Jews, though not vegetarian, take the vegetarian option in the absence of food that is halal or kosher. However some Muslims and Jews do not feel confident that the processing of vegetarian food is strict enough to meet their dietary requirements and would prefer to bring their own food to school. Providing facilities for eating packed lunches therefore can meet the needs of the strictly religious who may prefer not to eat any food prepared on the school premises. These foods should not be stored with foods that might be thought to contaminate. Fasting Fasting is a feature of many different faiths. For example, Muslim pupils may fast each day between sunrise and sunset during the month of Ramadan3. Secondary-aged pupils in particular are encouraged to practise this aspect of Islam and some primary aged pupils may fast during Ramadan although not usually every day. The provision of a room, other than the dining area, may be helpful for pupils abstaining from eating and drinking during periods of fasting and this may also provide space for religious reflection on the purpose of the fast. They are mostly not allowed to drink either Schools can: inform parents in advance, when appropriate, that they will support pupils who are fasting and to inform staff, in 79

68 advance, that they will support them when they are fasting; anticipate that fasting may make some pupils weak or tired, and adapt the curriculum as appropriate. This could mean, for example, planning less energetic activities in P.E School uniform Some believers have religious and cultural concerns requirements relating to dress. For example, many Muslims, concerned for personal modesty and out of respect for Allah, have a strict dress code. With this in mind, school uniform rules will need to take particular account of these concerns such as permitting Muslim girls to cover themselves appropriately for example by wearing long skirts and headscarves. Religious symbols and jewellery Some religions require the wearing of religious symbols, whilst members of other religions wish to do so to symbolise the importance of their faith in their lives. Sikhs are traditionally required to wear the 5 Ks These include a stainless steel bangle, (kara), a small ceremonial dagger (kirpan) and uncut hair (kesh) which is secured in a topknot and covered with a patka or a turban to keep it clean and tidy. The kirpan is often small and symbolic. Some Muslim children wear Qur anic verses around the neck, upper arm or pinned inside clothes. The verses may be wrapped in cloth or contained in small metal boxes/lockets worn on a chain or string. The wearing of religious symbols on chains may need sensitive discussion with families as some Christian pupils may wear fish, crosses or crucifixes on chains, some Hindu children may wear the Aum symbol on a chain and some Sikh pupils may wear a small symbolic kirpan on a chain. Some pupils from Chinese backgrounds may wear protective charms, for example a piece of jade, and although not religious artefacts these should not be treated as jewellery. In certain cultures non-religious symbols may be worn. Where safety is an issue, pupils need not be asked to remove the items, but rather asked to tape them to the skin so as to avoid accidents. Some adornments, for example nose studs worn by girls of Asian background, are jewellery in the strictest sense of the term, but wearing them is often steeped in cultural tradition and requests to remove them need to be handled sensitively and with consideration. Daily religious observance and festivals Religious practice involves believers in duties such as the saying of prayers (sometimes at prescribed times), the keeping of fasts, and attendance at communal or family gatherings for worship or celebration. The current pattern of the school year already takes account of most needs for the communal religious observances of western Christians as schools are closed on Sundays, and the major Christian festivals fall within school holiday periods. However for other faiths these occasions are often during the school term. For religious believers there can be a conflict between a child s education and full compliance with the needs of the faith community and individuals for religious observance. Schools therefore need to be aware of the needs of their pupils and their staff in regard to religious observance, and in particular any period when significant numbers of pupils are likely to be absent from school because of religious observance. It would also be helpful for teachers if they knew of occasions when pupils are likely to be fasting or engaged in exceptional religious activity out of school hours so that internal tests, educational visits and heavy homework and coursework demands can be avoided. For many pupils, the opportunity to practise their faith in accordance with certain religious principles is an important aspect of everyday life. For example, some Muslim families may expect their children from the age of puberty 80

69 to pray at certain times of the day and to wash before doing so. For this reason, schools should provide a space for Muslim pupils who wish to pray at lunchtime and ensure access to washing facilities. Girls and boys pray separately. Fasting in Ramadan is one of the main requirements of the Islamic faith. Ramadan is the name of the month of fasting when Muslims are required to abstain from all food, drink and sexual activity (where appropriate), from hours before dawn to nightfall through the 30 or 29 days between one new moon and the next. The daily fast begins minutes before the earliest time of the Fajr prayer and finishes at the time of Maghrib (sunset) prayer. It is very important for many Muslim families that their children should begin participating in the practice of fasting at an early age. Most children of secondary school age, as they are considered adult members of their communities, will be expected to fast. Many primary school children will be fasting as well. Younger pupils may fast for part of Ramadan, or only for certain days of each week. Teachers therefore need to bear in mind that the routine of Muslim families is entirely different during Ramadan. The whole household will be awake earlier in the morning and will stay up later at night, particularly when Ramadan falls in the summer months. Young children may well become more tired or excitable in school during this time even if they are not fasting themselves. The Jewish Sabbath (from the root of the Hebrew word seventh for the Seventh Day of the Creation) starts on Friday afternoon at sunset and finishes on Saturday at sunset. All Jewish festivals commence at sunset and finish at sunset, some last one day, and most two. Therefore on a weekly basis schools should be aware of and to cater for the needs of Jewish members of the school s community in relation to Shabbat, for example to ensure that Jewish members of the school community are not required to remain on the school premises on Fridays during that time in the school year when that would mean they would not be able to return home for the start of Shabbat; The Education Act 1993 confers the legal right to be absent from school for religious observance and the celebration of religious festivals. Schools will wish to avoid arranging major school events on dates of religious significance so as to ensure that all pupils and staff can participate as fully as possible in school life. It is worth remembering that the date of many religious festivals depends on the phases of the moon, for example Easter or Eid ul Fitr. SHAP produces an annual calendar of the main festivals and holy days for many different faiths. Extra-curricular activities Schools need to be aware that extra-curricular activities and homework clubs after the school day or at weekends may clash with attendance at classes held within the community, for example Bengali or Arabic classes arranged at the local mosque. Some parents/carers may be reluctant to allow their children to take part in after-school activities and out-of-school visits unless they are reassured about detail-s regarding safety and dietary arrangements. In addition, parents/carers may not wish their children to take part in social activities where girls mix freely with boys. In some schools with a high proportion of religious pupils, consideration may need to be given to suspending extra-curricular activities during times of fasting for practical reasons. In other schools where the normal programme will be maintained, it is important to ensure that pupils do not suffer in any way through not being able to participate. An example of this would be where 100% attendance at lunchtime practices is required, for example by members of sporting teams. 81

70 In planning an annual calendar of out of school visits, it would be sensible to bear in mind requirements of pupils in relation to following dietary laws, fasting, for Jewish pupils attendance at synagogue for some festivals or returning home for the start of Shabbat so that one-off special opportunities are not denied to Jewish pupils. Careful thought to time-tabling and consultation with parents/carers, via an interpreter where necessary, will help ensure the fullest participation of all pupils in educational and extra-curricular opportunities. Certain aspects of the curriculum can cause concern for parents/carers and pupils from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. Religious education, sex education, art, music, dance, drama and PE are often particular issues. The use of technology (IT) may be an issue for parents/carers with certain beliefs Some curricular considerations All pupils are required by law to receive religious education, although parents/carers have a legal right to withdraw their children from such lessons on grounds of conscience. The agreed syllabus for religious education is set locally by the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE). Sex education It is not uncommon for any parent/carer to question the delivery or content of sex education within schools and all parents/carers have the legal right to withdraw their children from any sex education provided by the school. However, some parents/carers, while not wishing formally to withdraw their children from sex education lessons, nevertheless hold particular views with regard to the content of such lessons. For example, some parents/carers may not object to sex education per se, particularly when delivered within the context of family life and moral considerations. A difficulty may arise, however, when sex education is seen to move from factual knowledge about human development to sexual activity outside marriage. In many religions teaching about contraception is not considered appropriate. Other issues of potential difficulty for many parents/carers include teaching about masturbation, abortion and homosexuality. Schools are required to inform parents in the school prospectus of their rights to withdraw their children from sex education. Parents may be invited to meet a teacher to find out in depth how the sex education programme will be delivered and negotiate elements from which they wish their children to be included or withdrawn. Schools should ensure that any withdrawals are organised as sensitively as possible in order not to embarrass pupils. Schools should therefore ensure that they respond sensitively to the range of religious and cultural sensibilities relating to this area of the curriculum. Expressive and performing arts Some areas of the expressive and performing arts curriculum also involve the need to be aware of particular sensitivities. Within Islam, for example, some Muslim communities believe that the study of art involving human images and iconography is specifically prohibited, therefore, some Muslim pupils may not wish to draw the human figure. Members of some Christian groups consider music to be indulgent and sensual unless forming part of their worship experiences. Equally, the only music that is universally accepted by most Muslims is the recitation of the Holy Qur an. Many Muslim parents/carers may therefore not wish their children to participate in school music lessons. As pupils may not be withdrawn from music, school need to accommodate this range of beliefs with great care, particularly being sensitive to pupils concerns or distress in being required to sing songs (or Christmas carols or hymns) which contain words opposed to their religious beliefs or values. 82

71 It is also the case that some expressive forms of dance and drama are likely to be disapproved of by some Christian and Muslim parents/carers, particularly those that involve public performance, or physical contact between boys and girls. There are also implications for clothes worn for PE. Clothing needs to be appropriate for the activity while at the same time ensuring modesty and dignity are respected. For example, some Muslim girls may wish to wear leggings and a long t-shirt for swimming and showering, whereas some Muslim boys may wish to wear knee-length swimming trunks. Again, a sensitive school policy signals respect for different customs and beliefs. With regard to physical education and swimming, schools will need to give due consideration to the provision of single sex lessons, separate changing facilities and individual showering arrangements where practicable. The Education System The successful education of all children depends on co-operation, mutual understanding and good communi-cation between the home and the school. With this in mind, it is important to remember that a lack of familiarity with the British education system, as well as with the English language, can cause some parents/ carers to feel particularly isolated from the education process and inhibit dialogue between home and school. This might also apply to gypsy traveller parents/carers who may be unfamiliar with school routines and procedures. Parents/carers who were not themselves educated in British schools may also have expectations of schools that are based on a knowledge and experience of other educational systems. In such cases, particular issues such as the role and methods of punishment in school, or the emphasis given to formal teaching may lead to misunderstandings, and undermine effective partnerships. Schools need to take account of different religious, cultural, linguistic and educational needs when meeting with parents/carers. For example, a Muslim father may not wish to shake hands with a female teacher or a Muslim mother with a male teacher, but some Muslims have no objection to doing so. The important point is to establish with individuals their cultural and religious preferences rather than make assumptions. Where parents/carers are not fluent in English, schools may need to consider providing access to interpreters and, or to translations of standard letters and other school communications. Schools and Parent Teacher Associations may need to consider the appropriateness of certain social events, such as a wine and cheese evening, or fashion shows that may inadvertently exclude some parents/carers from some faiths or cultural groups.. Within Islam and other faiths, alcohol is prohibited and its presence at a function may make attendance impossible for some parents/carers. Therefore, schools will wish to ensure events that are sensitive to a range of views and beliefs are organised. An organising group including representatives of cultural and religious groups in the schools should enable a wide and inclusive programme to be devised It is very difficult to make categorical statements about the naming conventions adopted by individuals and families. Names may reflect traditional naming systems, British conventions or a combination of both. Schools will need to ensure that staff correctly pronounce the names of all pupils, bearing in mind that pronunciation of a name may not always be obvious from the spelling. Checking with the family as early as possible will avoid misunderstandings. Conclusion While this guidance is intended to help schools identify and celebrate the wide variety of customs, faiths and beliefs within the multiethnic and multi-lingual Bexley community, it is also intended to illustrate the fact that people 83

72 of whatever background are all individuals and ought never to be stereotyped. Within faith, ethnic or linguistic groups the differences between individuals are far more significant than between the groups themselves, and it is fundamentally important that schools learn about the choices being made by individual pupils, their parents/carers and their communities, rather than make assumptions on the basis of appearance, ethnicity or language. It is hoped that this will contribute further to the work being done in schools to develop respect for everyone, and support a culture of learning which values diversity and the experiences of all. entire month. It is a time of worship and contemplation. During the Fast of Ramadan strict restraints are placed on the daily lives of Muslims. They are not allowed to eat or drink during the daylight hours. At the end of the day the fast is broken with prayer and a meal called iftar. In the evening following iftar it is customary for Muslims to go out visiting family and friends. The fast is resumed the next morning. Schools should consider the following points in determining their approach to the needs of the Muslim schoolchildren in their care during Ramadan. Key aspects should be: Additional Information 1 Halal The Arabic word Halal means lawful. When applied to food it means that the product is lawful and permitted in Islam. Pork is prohibited and for other meat to be Halal the animal must be slaughtered according to Islamic rites. For further information visit: 2 Kosher The Hebrew word Kosher means fit or proper as it relates to dietary (Kosher) laws. It means that a given product is permitted and acceptable within Judaism. For further information visit 3 Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. The month of Ramadan is also when it is believed the Holy Qur an was sent down from heaven. It is during this month that Muslims fast. It is called the Fast of Ramadan and lasts the to inform parents, in advance, that they will support pupils who are fasting to explain to parents/carers any special provisions that will be made for pupils who are fasting during Ramadan in primary schools, to establish a register of those pupils who will be fasting, and on which days, based on parental permission, given either verbally or in writing. Pupils of secondary age are expected to fast and it would not therefore be a practical or reliable course of action to attempt to establish a register with them. to make special provision at lunchtimes for pupils who are fasting but cannot go home. They may want to rest and be quiet or they may enjoy taking part in special activities that can be arranged for them while other pupils are having their lunch. They may wish to perform prayers at this time, or to share reading the Qur'an with other Muslim pupils. to ensure that no pupil who is fasting is required to do anything that would make her/him break the fast. This could include swimming, cross-country running, weight-training. 84

73 to anticipate that fasting may make some pupils weak or tired, and adapt the curriculum as appropriate. This could mean, for example, planning less energetic activities in P.E where possible, use the fact that pupils are fasting to inform and enrich the curriculum experience both for themselves and others. It could be a starting point for discussions in a number of subjects, such as religious education, history, P.E., health education, performing arts, geography and science. 5 Diwali, and 6 Guru Nanak other faith festivals Many faith festivals will be celebrated by their communities but mostly at evenings or weekend; they are unlikely to lead to requests for time out of school. It is worth, however, being mindful of such celebrations as some children and young people may be tired at school following some celebrations. SACRE (Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education) 4 Eid-Ul-Fitr Eid-Ul-Fitr is the holiday that follows the month of Ramadan. The breaking of the fast. This is one of the most important dates in the Islamic calendar and certainly the most festive. Eid-ul- Fitr occurs in the morning after the sighting of the new crescent moon on the previous day/evening. It marks the end of Ramadan, and therefore the completion of a successful month of fasting and a victory for selfdiscipline. It usually lasts for three days. People must be up before sunrise, bathe and put on new clothes personal grooming is very important as it symbolises purity. Some women decorate their hands and feet with mehndi patterns in honour of the occasion. Special Eid prayers are said between sunrise and noon. It is traditional for these to take place in the open air, and mosques that have the space may hold the service outside if the weather permits. Shap World Religions in Education Journal and Shap Calendar of Religious Festivals booklet and wallchart are available from: Bexley's Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education meet once a term, usually in a school, to read the latest OfSTED inspection reports on RE and provision for pupils' personal development and follow these up by writing to the schools. They work to keep themselves informed of developments in RE and associated matters, and about the different faiths Bexley's pupils study. They regularly enjoy presentations from teachers on how they approach the teaching of RE in their schools, and have visited infant, primary, secondary and special schools. Each year, they note trends in the exam results for secondary schools, study reports from the Chief Inspector and look at national guidance to see if there are ways in which they can support improvements in schools, or can improve their own work as a SACRE. Bexley SACRE publish an annual report on their work. The Shap Working Party, c/o The National Society s RE Centre 36 Causton Street London SW1P 4AU Tel:

74 86

75 Appendix F

76 Auditing the School s or Settings current performance in dealing with racial equality matters Learning For All has been developed by the CRE to help schools meet their statutory obligations under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act The Learning for All Standards draw on best practice nationally and provide practical guidance to Headteachers, Senior Managers and Governors. Schools can use Learning for All to: Admissions, attendance, discipline and exclusion Attitude and environment Curriculum, teaching and assessment Parents, governors and community partnership audit their current performance in dealing with racial equality matters; focus on particular themes; identify racial equality targets which should be integrated into the School Development Plan or other key plans. Policy, leadership and management Pupils, personal development, attainment and progress Staffing, recruitment, training and professional development There are standards for 7 aspects of school life. Each comes with a checklist and online audit form (in Word format) to help a school assess the extent to which it meets the standard. These can be found on the CRE web-site or Bexley Council s web-site by clicking on the table below to open the relevant document. 88

77 Appendix G

78 Useful References & Contacts Useful Reference Guides and Reports A Framework for a Race Equality Policy for Schools (CRE) Performance Guidelines for Schools (CRE) Exclusions from School and Racial Equality: A Good Practice Guide (CRE) Minority Ethnic Exclusions and the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000: Interim summary (DfES Nov 2003) Educating Asylum Seeking and Refugee Children: Guidance on the education of asylum seeking and refugee children (DfES) Aiming High: Raising the Achievement of Gypsy Traveller Pupils. A Guide to Good Practice (DfES Jul 2003) Aiming High: Understanding the Educational Needs of Minority Ethnic Pupils in Mainly White Schools. A Guide to Good Practice (DfES May 2004) Relearning to Learn: A booklet offering advice to teachers new to teaching children from refugee and asylum seeking families. (Produced as part of the National Union of Teachers Professional Development Programme, funded by DfES) Understanding the Educational Needs of Mixed Heritage Pupils (DfES 2004) Minority Ethnic Attainment and Participation in Education and Training: The Evidence (DfES 2003) Useful Links The following web-based resources may be useful. Click on the website addresses listed to open up the websites. The Ethnic Minority Attainment (EMA) Portal has been developed by Birmingham, Leeds, and Manchester Local Education Authorities with the help of the DfES to provide resources and support to enable every pupil to fulfil their potential. The teaching and learning resources focus on children and young people with English as an additional language and those from minority ethnic backgrounds. The resources are open to all. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, (QCA) has published Respect for all: Reflecting cultural diversity through the national curriculum, a web-based project by teachers for teachers which exemplifies how schools are meeting the statutory requirement relating to inclusion in the national curriculum under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act of Teacherworld supports teachers, intending teachers and teacher recruitment. It focuses particularly upon teachers from diverse backgrounds who are in the profession or are intending to join the profession. The site offers direct on-line information and resources, gateway access to other relevant sites and provides a mechanism for global communication and conferencing to promote networking. 90

79 Channel 4's Black and Asian History Map is a searchable gateway to websites that hold information on the black and Asian presence in British history. The map is an entry point to a whole host of sources and a useful tool for those who intend to explore the black and Asian presence. It invites the audience to participate, and encourages and helps the users to create their own web sites or to provide linkages to other sites so that these sites can be part of the ever-growing material on the map. It is a great educational resource with online competitions, a forum to share ideas, a black and Asian history game and a wide selection of useful links. Information on this website has been used successfully to support Black History Month projects. lackhistorymap The Runnymede Trust has created The Real Histories Directory as an online resource tool for teachers, parents, pupils and the wider community to support teaching and learning about cultural diversity across the UK. It contains information on resources such as culturally diverse toys and games, bookshops, museums, archives, individual performance artists and organisations that provide useful resources. People are encouraged to submit information on any useful resources that they are aware of, free of charge, to the site. Useful contacts: Action Aid Schools and Youth Leaches Road Chard TA20 1FR (One of the UK's largest development agencies education packs, school visits, information, campaigns) Advisory Centre for Education (ACE) Ltd 1c Aberdeen Studios 22 Highbury Grove London N5 2DQ General advice line (open from 2-5 pm Monday to Friday) (The Advisory Centre for Education (ACE) is an independent advice centre for parents, offering information about state education in England and Wales for 5-16 year olds.) Advisory Council for the Education or Romanies and other Travellers Moot House The Stow Harlow Essex CM20 3AG Amnesty International 99 Roseberry Avenue London EC (A worldwide movement who campaign for internationally recognized human rights) Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) 7 Northumberland Street London WC2N 5RD [email protected] 91

80 Bexley Borough Police Hate Crime Focus Desk Bexleyheath Police Station 2 Arnsberg Way Bexleyheath Kent DA7 4QS (This is responsible for the investigation of hate crimes within the Borough of Bexley. This includes racist crime, domestic violence, homophobic crime and hate mail. There is an answer phone for out of hours calls. All enquiries will be dealt with confidentially and the caller will be dealt with in a discreet and sensitive manner.) To contact the Hate Crime Focus Desk direct, dial NB Victims of hate crime should report the matter direct to Police via the normal channels, i.e. 999 or to Bexley Police Regional Office BEXLEY CRE Library Building Walnut Tree Road ERITH KENT DA8 1RA Tel: Fax: [email protected] DfES: Gender and Achievement site (To help those who are interested in raising the performance and aspirations of underachieving boys and girls by providing an on-line resource pool of best practice, analysis and practical advice) Aims to provide support to LEAs and schools by: Campaign Against Racism and Facism BM Box 8784 London WC1N 3XX [email protected] (Britain's only independent anti-racist magazine; documents resistance against racism, campaigns actively against racism and provides information, support and speakers on race issues). providing documentation for ethnic background data collection; sharing successful experiences of schools and LEAs; signposting useful links and publications which provide information and research on minority ethnic pupils educational achievement) Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) Head Office St Dunstan's House Borough High Street London SE1 1GZ (The Commission for Racial Equality is a publicly funded, non-governmental body set up under the Race Relations Act 1976 to tackle racial discrimination and promote racial equality) Disability Equality in Education (Disability Equality in Education (DEE), is a charity that provides training, consultancy and resources to develop inclusion and disability equality education throughout the UK Education system.) Disability Rights Commission (DRC) (The Disability Rights Commission is an independent body, established by Act of Parliament to eliminate discrimination against disabled people and promote equality of opportunity.) 92

81 Disability Unit, Dept for Work and Pensions (Website to help people find out about their rights as a disabled person, and to learn more about the legislation that exists to help establish fully comprehensive and enforceable civil rights for disabled people in the UK.) Early Years Trainers Anti-Racist Network 42 Montpellier Crescent Wallasey I45 9LA [email protected] (Supplies anti-racist educational resources for young children) Equal Opportunities Commission 36 Broadway London SW1H 0BH Fax: Tel: (The Equal Opportunities Commission is the leading agency working to elminate discrimination in 21st Century Britain.) Ethnic Minority Attainment (EMA) Portal (This Ethnic Minority Attainment (EMA) Portal has been developed by Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester Local Education Authorities with the help of the DfES, to provide resources and support to enable every pupil to fulfil their potential. The teaching and learning resources focus on children and young people with English as an additional language and those from minority ethnic backgrounds.) European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (educational resources) (ECRI's task is to combat racism, xenophobia, anti-semitism and intolerance at the level of greater Europe and from the perspective of the protectoin of human rights.) Gypsy Council for Education, Culture, Welfare and Civic Rights 8 Hall Road Aveley Essex, RM15 4HD [email protected] Holocaust Educational Trust BCM Box 7892 London WC1N 3XX [email protected] (Formed to promote research and education about the Holocaust and its relevance today. It works in schools, universities and in the community, providing teacher teacher, an outreach programme for schools, teaching aids and resource material.) Human Rights Watch (includes a section on children's rights) (Human Rights Watch is the largest human rights organisation based in the United States. Their researchers conduct fact-finding investigates into human rights abuses in all regions of the world.) Institute of Race Relations 2-6 Leake Street London WC1X 9HS (An independent race and refugee news network which aims to provide professionals in the voluntary sector, activits, students and interested individuals with a rich and dynamic news and information resource on race and refugee issues in the UK and the rest of Europe.) National Association of Teachers of Travellers Ginny Harrison White Traveller Education Service 16 Carlyon Road ST AUSTELL PL25 4AJ [email protected] 93

82 NASUWT 5 King Street Covent Garden London WC2E 8HN National Association of Head Teachers 1 Heath Square Boltro Road Haywards Heath West Sussex RH16 1BL National Union of Teachers Education and Equal Opportunities Dept Hamilton House Mabledon Place London WC1H 9BD National Association for Language Development in the Curriculum: working for pupils with English as an additional language (NALDIC provides a professional forum for: the teaching and learning of English as an additional language (EAL) raising the achievement of ethnic minority learners supporting bilingualism the development and understanding of this field of education) National Youth Agency Albion Street Leicester LE1 6GD Refugee Council London Ferndale Road, Brixton, London SW9 8BB Tel Fax National Asylum Support Service (NASS) 27 Old Gloucester Street Bloomsbury London WC1N 3XX [email protected] OXFAM 274 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 7DZ (Support and resources for teachers to help bring global issues into the classroom, plus information aimed directly at children.) The Runnymede Trust 133 Aldersgate Street London EC1A 4JA (A leading independent think tank on ethnicity and cultural diversity. Runnymede fulfills its mandate through timely, high-visibility, leadingedge policy research, and by advising its target audiences on how best to promote the value of diversity in our communities.) Save the Children 17 Grove Lane London SE5 8RD (The Uk's leading international children's charity, working to create a better future for children. Site contains global education packs for working with young people.) 94

83 Searchlight 37b Cavendish Street London W1M 8JR (Searchlight's aim is to combat racism, neonazism, fascism and all forms of prejudice.) Working Group Against Racism in Children's Resources (WGARCR) Unit 63A, Eurolink Business Centre 49 Effra Road London SW2 1BZ Show Racism the Red Card 1 Drury Lane Newcastle NE1 1EA (Show Racism the Red Card is an anti-racist charity which was established in January 1996 with the aim of using Professional footballers as anti-racist role models.) Southbank Technopark 90 London Road London SE1 6LN (The 1990 Trust is a national Black organisation set up to protect and pioneer the interest of Britain's Black Communities; Black Information Link is an independent, community-interactive site for justice, equality, anti-racism and social inclusion.) UNISON 1 Mabledon Place London WC1H 9AJ United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (Working with national governments, NGOs (non-governmental organisations), other United Nations agencies and private-sector partners, UNICEF protects children and their rights by providing services and supplies and by helping shape policy agendas and budgets in the best interests of children.) 95

84 Bexley Council Graphics /14028/11.05