During a Westminster Hall debate on racial discrimination in schools, Labour MP Janet Daby urged the government to revise its guidance on collecting data on racist incidents in schools. She emphasized that the welfare of the child is paramount and that the current lack of data collection is hindering efforts to identify and address racism in schools. Daby highlighted how in 2012 and 2017, the government advised schools that they had no legal obligation to report racist incidents to their local authority and that schools had no obligation to record bullying of any form.
Daby argued that without data on racist incidents, it is impossible for schools, local authorities, Ofsted, and the Department for Education to identify a problem and take action. She called on the education minister to commit to reviewing the decisions and to update guidance on the use of reasonable force in schools. She also emphasized the importance of having a policy on reasonable force and training for school staff on how to use it safely and confidently.
Daby’s concerns were fueled by her own experiences growing up in a community where she felt unsafe due to her ethnicity. She urged the government to recognize that racial discrimination is still a significant problem and that schools need to take a proactive approach to addressing it. She also highlighted that the fight against racial discrimination began long before the far-right marches and continued to be a pressing issue today.
Education minister Nick Gibb acknowledged the concerns and emphasized the government’s commitment to supporting schools in educating young people about prejudice and protecting them from discrimination. He outlined the government’s recent efforts to update statutory guidance on keeping children safe in education and to minimize the use of restraint and excessive force in schools.
Labour MP Janet Daby (Via Janet Daby/Twitter)
Gibb also provided details on the government’s new programme of work to update guidance on reasonable force, which includes consultation, research, and a call for evidence. He emphasized that the government is committed to ensuring that schools have the necessary policies and training in place to prevent and address racism and discrimination.
The debate highlighted the need for the government to take a proactive approach to addressing racism and discrimination in schools. Daby’s proposals for updating guidance on data collection and reasonable force received support from some members, while others emphasized the need for a more nuanced approach to addressing the complex issue of discrimination.
