Today, a coalition of organisations representing young voices, formed by The Diana Award, is calling for urgent change in how we support young people impacted by racism.
Organisations include The Diana Award, Everyday Racism, Centre for Mental Health, Not So Micro, The Black Curriculum, UK Youth and the African Caribbean Education Network.
Racism is holding young people back. There is longstanding evidence of the harmful outcomes caused by bias and a lack of racially inclusive practice. The coalition, representing young voices, is calling on the Government for urgent action with four key changes:
- For the review of the national curriculum to take an explicit anti-racism focus and to include Black history as a compulsory subject.
- For the upcoming Race Equality Act to require schools to have an action plan for addressing race inequality alongside their enhanced collection and reporting of ethnicity and race data.
- For racism to be recognised by the Department of Education as an explicit safeguarding issue and included in mandatory school staff training.
- For anti-racism guidance to be published for schools and colleges, including how to respond to peer-to-peer racism, mental health effects of racism and racial trauma.
In a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, young people have shared their lived experiences to show how important anti-racist practice is to them:
‘‘There is a severe lack of education on important topics that shouldn’t just be a ‘‘pop up event’’ e.g. Black history month. It should be embedded in the curriculum so that there is no excuse for discriminative discussions. People should be well-versed in certain topics around gender, race, sexuality etc. There needs to be understanding before there can be acceptance and this is the only way we can make society into a better and safer place for everyone.’’ – Year 10 student, 14
“Racism in schools can really negatively impact kids’ mental health and how they see themselves. I’ve seen how feeling excluded or targeted can make young people anxious or lower their confidence. It’s so important that we tackle this, so every student feels safe, supported, and able to be their true selves.” – Kaslinne, 22
‘‘I would like to learn about Black history in all forms. The good and the bad. The negative and positive. I would like to see Black history the same way that we white history. We should see it as it is.’’ – 6th form student, 17
Andy Bell, chief executive of Centre for Mental Health, said: “Racism in schools profoundly affects the mental health of both pupils and staff, undermining educational outcomes. We urge the Government and schools to adopt a comprehensive approach to addressing racism and ensuring effective support for those impacted.”