The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report was todayÌý.
The report, led by education consultant Tony Sewell, says that references to structural or institutional racism were “confusing†and described this as “linguistic inflation on racismâ€, although it acknowledged “overt and outright†racism exists in the UK.
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Headteachers’ unions have said the findings are “deeply disappointing†and do not reflect the lived realities of their members.
Here are the key recommendations for schools:
1. Students should study how Britishness ‘influenced the Commonwealth’
The report recommends an “inclusive†curriculum, branding calls to decolonise the curriculum as “negativeâ€.
It says its Making of Modern BritainÌýteaching resource will show “how Britishness influenced the Commonwealth and local communities, and how the Commonwealth and local communities influenced what we now know as modern Britainâ€.
It adds there is a “new story†about the Caribbean experience “which speaks to the slave period not only being about profit and suffering but how, culturally, African people transformed themselves into a re-modelled African/Britainâ€.
And it saidÌýBritish history was “not solely one of imperial impositionâ€Ìýbut that the country’s story had “episodes of both shame and prideâ€, recommendingÌýthat the Department for Education (DfE) work with an “appointed panel of independent experts†to produce a “well-sequenced set of teaching resources to tell the multiple, nuanced stories that have shaped the country we live in todayâ€.
2. Use politically neutral resources
The commission says it “heard examples of some schools using materials which reflected narrow political agendas, or gave a biased picture of historical and current eventsâ€.
It adds that itÌý“would welcome the government to set school leadership expectations around political neutrality and transparency on curriculum designâ€.
“The commission also recognises the need to better understand whether schools are teaching in an impartial way and recommends the DfE commission and publish research in this area,†it says.
3. Research the educational success of ethnic groups
The commission says the DfE should invest in research toÌý“understand and replicate the underlying factors that drive the success of the high performance of pupils from different ethnicities, backgrounds and communities. For example, the level of educational success experienced by Black African, Chinese, Bangladeshi and Indian ethnic groupsâ€.
4. Longer school days in disadvantaged areas to build cultural capital
The commission also recommends that anÌýextended school day should be phased in, “prioritising disadvantaged areas to provide pupils with the opportunity to engage in physical and cultural activities that enrich lives, and build social and cultural capitalâ€.
5. Improve data on teacher diversity
The report finds that experiences from the commission’s call for evidence “also highlight that although teachers from ethnic minorities are valuable - in that they bring their lived experiences to the classroom and push for a broader curriculum -Ìýthey can face pushback from other teachers in the ethnic majorityâ€.
It adds that “all professions should seek to represent the communities they serveâ€, and that more data and analysis was needed in this area.
And the DfE needs to “set clear expectations for governing boards on how to collect and publish data on board diversity as well as how to regularly review their membership and structure,†it says.
6. Don’t use ‘temporary exclusion’ as a term
The report says it “believes the causes for ethnic disparities in the rates of exclusions and suspensions are complex and multifaceted, and cannot be reduced to structural racism and individual teacher bias. Data shows, for example, exclusion rates are a much bigger challenge for Black Caribbean pupils than Black African pupilsâ€.
It adds that it is “important for public reporting on this emotive issue to be much clearer in distinguishing between permanent and temporary exclusions, using the phrase ‘suspension’ instead of ‘temporary exclusion’â€.
