How should we tackle racism in schools?

Racism is still a pressing issue in schools - but what can be done about it?

Professor Peter Hopkins from our School of Geography, Politics and Sociology and Professor Heather Smith from our School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences reflect on their collaborative work about how to tackle racism in schools and how to promote a culture of anti-racism.

Contents:

1. The challenge of racism
2. Teacher education
3. The anti-racism framework for teacher education
4. Pupils’ ideas for addressing racism
5. Understanding racism and anti-racism

The challenge of racism

In a poll of 5,800 teachers in the UK this year, teachers warned of a rising tide of misogyny and racism in schools. Following a freedom of information request in 2021, it was found that more than 60,000 racist incidents had happened in schools in the UK in the past five years. This is likely to be an underestimation, however, given that the previous coalition government (2010) removed the requirement for schools to record racist incidents.

A study from the YMCA in 2020 found that of those who responded, 95% of young Black people have heard and witnessed the use of racist language at school whilst 49% of young Black people felt that racism was the biggest barrier to attaining success in school, with 50% saying that the biggest barrier was teacher perceptions of them, for example, being seen as 'too aggressive'. In contrast, the policing of education impacts Black children and young people more acutely. 38% of strip searches in schools are carried out on Black children, the vast majority of whom are boys.

Professor Smith notes that this evidence 'strongly suggest that racism is also present in the systems and structures of schooling.' We can see further evidence of this in unequal exclusion rates. A recent report showed that for example, Roma children are 4 times more likely than the national average to be permanently excluded and to be placed in state-funded alternative provision schools.

As Professor Smith reminds us, 'this shows how important it is that teachers are trained to understand and tackle racism.'

Teacher education

Despite this clear professional need, Professor Smith’s research has revealed a deafening silence in the professional frameworks and standards of teacher training when it comes to racism. Currently, there is no requirement for teachers at any stage of their career to learn about racism and become anti-racist teachers, capable of addressing racist incidents and reflecting critically on systems and structures, and their own biases. Reflecting on this policy gap, Professor Smith argues it suggests that a concern for racism in teaching 'is somehow peripheral or additional to the knowledge required by the profession.'

The anti-racism framework for teacher education

To address this policy gap, Professor Smith worked in collaboration with Professor Vini Lander from Leeds Beckett University, to jointly write the anti-racism framework for Initial Teacher Education/Training (ITE/T). This research-informed, accessible framework (with case studies and a guidance video) is intended to support ITE/T providers to critically reflect on their provision in terms of:

• pedagogy and curriculum
• student teachers and placements
• leadership in teacher education
• staff training: teacher educators and school-based mentors
• programme/course evaluation processes.

The Teaching Commission’s recent report has recommended use of the framework to 'guide Initial Teacher Training (ITT) providers in embedding anti-racist practices. Schools and training providers should adopt such frameworks to ensure meaningful change.' (2025, p.48).

Pupils’ ideas for addressing racism

In collaboration with Dr Joel White and secondary school pupils from Shawlands Academy in Glasgow, Professor Hopkins developed an animation that sets out the 10 top tips for tackling racism at school with all the points being suggested by the pupils. The 10 recommendations include:

1. Having conversations about anti-racism
2. Challenging ‘everyday racism’
3. Thinking about the different ways that racism works
4. Sourcing anti-racist materials
5. Talking about racist incidents and how to report these
6. Finding people with power at your school
7. Starting an anti-racism club or association
8. Finding allies outside of school
9. Thinking about how racism overlaps with other issues
10. Starting a culture day

Understanding racism and anti-racism

Professors Hopkins and Smith have jointly produced a video and booklet to address the question ‘what is anti-racism?’.

Professor Hopkins notes: 'In reflecting upon our research and teaching, we agreed that there was a need for clarity around what is meant by racism and what it means to be anti-racist. We therefore collaborated to create an animation and short booklet that explains these key terms and that can be used in classrooms and lecture theatres or by equalities practitioners and anti-racist organisations and activists.'

You might also like

• watch the animations:
  • ‘What is anti-racism?' (with subtitles available in Arabic Chinese, French and Spanish)
  • ‘Ten ways to tackle racism at school’
• read the accompanying booklet 'What is anti-racism?' (credit: Nifty Fox), which is also available in Chinese and Spanish
• learn more about the academics involved in the study:
  • Prof Peter Hopkins, Professor of Social Geography
  • Prof Heather Smith, Professor of Race and Language Equality in Education
• explore the work of Prof Peter Hopkins and Prof Heather Smith on their website, Anti-Racism Research and Training
• discover the work of Kaleidoscope CFA, a Newcastle-based video, animation and photography agency
• explore the visual storytelling of Nifty Fox Creative

Header image credit: Christian Wright, Kaleidoscope CFA