Scotland’s Anti-Racism in Education Commitment is a short statement supported by guidance for implementation. This is the commitment’s statement:

Racism exists within our education system, interpersonally and institutionally. We commit to eradicating racism through our anti-racist actions and policies.

Context

 This anti-racism commitment and the supporting guidance herein which will help support its achievement, have been created as part of the work being taken forward by the Scottish Government’s Anti-Racism in Education Programme  (AREP).

The AREP was developed by stakeholders, including children and young people, with lived experience of racism.  This included engagement with Ministers and Scottish Government policy officials to develop a better understanding of the strategic approach required to embed anti-racism in schools and early years settings.  Young people have also been represented on the AREP Board and working groups.

The commitment is for everyone employed in the education sector in Scotland to participate in. It will contribute to the development of a proactively anti-racist education system, as well as creating the conditions to achieve the Scottish Government’s aim that by 2030, at least 4% of teachers identify as coming from a minority ethnic background.  The commitment should be considered in conjunction with the Programme’s Breaking the Mould: Principles for an Anti-Racist Curriculum. 

The commitment is not predicated on a new ambition, nor has it been developed in isolation.  It should be viewed in the wider context of:

• the Scottish Government’s over-arching approach to anti-racism.
• the Scottish Government’s ambitions^[i] for children and young people, recognising the importance of respecting and upholding their rights;
• the Education Reform agenda;

More information on these strategic ambitions can be found in the footnote at the end of this guidance document.

Historically, racism has caused great harm to Black People and People of Colour and racialised minority groups, both in Scotland and across the wider world.  During the last 20 years, there have been a range of initiatives, including those which are part of wider Scottish Government policy on race equality, to correct this damage across different sectors, including in education.  We know that these initiatives have fallen short of achieving their aspirations. We need to do more if we are going to achieve our ambition for systemic change.  This means we all need to implement systemic, sustainable anti-racist actions.

Emerging practice and resources

In order to help facilitate the implementation of the commitment principles, you may wish to consider existing emerging practice, set out in the right hand column below, to help inform your approaches:

Breaking the Mould:  Principles for an Anti-Racist Curriculum

The actions  in the commitment are drawn from the Scottish Government’s  Breaking the Mould Principles and are deliberately interlinked in order that the conditions are created early to pave the way to achieve Action 6, which is the recommendation set out in Teaching in a Diverse Scotland that by 2030, at least 4% of teachers in Scotland identify as coming from a Black or minority ethnic background.  All of these actions should be considered and developed as part of a wider approach to anti-racism and the wider policy context as set out in the previous paragraph.   More broadly the Principles should be used to guide and inform the actions that institutions and individuals take when implementing the work needed to fulfil the overarching commitment. The most relevant Breaking the Mould Principles are listed against each of the below actions for ease of reference.

These principles have been developed as part of the AREP Curriculum Reform workstream:

BREAKING THE MOULD 

Our Curriculum must be an Antiracist Curriculum

Our children and young people: 

1. Will experience a curriculum that meaningfully recognises and fairly represents the rich and diverse communities in Scotland and beyond.
2. Will understand and enquire into Scotland’s role in historical world events, including trans-Atlantic enslavement and colonial histories, and their continuing impact today.
3. Will learn about and investigate past and present events in a way that amplifies under-represented perspectives and stories.
4. Will feel safe and confident to co-design their curriculum from their personal perspectives and those of the wider world.
5. Will be critical thinking global citizens that challenge discrimination and prejudice through an understanding and awareness of the behaviours, practices and processes that create injustice in the world.
6. Will learn the difference between individual and systemic racism, their impacts, and how they intersect or connect with other types of injustice.
7. Will be supported to reflect on positionality, privilege and power, and to unlearn bias, prejudice and divisiveness.
8. Will learn that everyone has a right to be safeguarded from racism and discrimination, and will be empowered to challenge any infringement of this right.
9. Be empowered to bring about new ways of being together in the world by valuing and promoting empathy, solidarity and shared humanity that is often disrupted by systemic racism.

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Our educators and leaders:

1. Will commit to continual personal and professional learning to develop a high level of racial literacy.
2. Will investigate and actively challenge all manifestations of racism in everyday behaviours, resources, attitudes, practices and processes.
3. Will reflect upon their assumptions and biases, their racial and social identities and those of others, and consider the impact these have on their professional practice.
4. Will feel confident in teaching an anti-racist curriculum and in supporting learners to be anti-racist.
5. Will co-design and enact a curriculum that takes learners’ lives and experiences as a starting point, and actively source and introduce a diversity of perspectives, texts, identities and voices.
6. Will foster an antiracist culture where racism can be discussed openly, honestly and with humility, and with a willingness to take risks and make mistakes while remaining accountable for their actions.
7. Will demonstrate personal and collective leadership across the education system, both in actively promoting an antiracist culture and in supporting people who experience racism.
8. Will safeguard against racism and discrimination, understanding those as a source of serious harm for learners, colleagues, families, carers and wider community members. Racism will be understood in the context of GIRFEC wellbeing indicators, children’s rights and human rights.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering an education system that is fundamentally and institutionally anti-racist.  This reflects the values in our National Performance Framework which are clear that people in Scotland should treat everyone with kindness, dignity and compassion, ensuring that children and young people grow up loved, safe and respected so that they realise their full potential.  Similarly, our Whole School Approach seeks to make sure that children and young people’s families, as well as school staff operate in a positive environment which creates the conditions to enable them to flourish.

The Scottish Government’s Strategic Approach to Anti-Racism and its Anti-Racist Employment Strategy flow from Scotland’s wider suite of rights-based approaches: the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the Equality Act and associated Scottish specific public sector equality duties .  It should also be viewed in the context of education reform and national commitments to social justice in education, which include intersectional work on:

• Closing the poverty related attainment gap

• Relationships and behaviour in schools

• Additional Support for Learning

• Learning for Sustainability

• Tackling Gender Based Violence

• LGBT Inclusive education

All of which is underpinned by the ambitions set out in the 2024 PfG  2024 Programme for Government particularly the commitment to:

“Continuing to develop and embed social justice, rights, and equalities across education, through implementation of the recommendations of the Anti-Racism in Education Programme.”

The Scottish Government and Scottish Youth Parliament’s vision is a Scotland where children’s human rights are embedded in all aspects of society. A Scotland where policy, law and decision making take account of children’s rights and where all children have a voice and are empowered to be human rights defenders. We want to recognise, respect and promote children’s rights. These include rights to be treated fairly, to be heard and to be as healthy as possible. Parents and families, communities, local and national governments, and organisations which work with children and families, all play a critical role in helping children understand and experience their rights.

The aim is to make it the norm for children and young people to be involved in decision-making across Scotland, so that they are at the heart of decisions that affect them at local and national levels in line with Article 12 (right to be heard) of the UNCRC. There are many sources of guidance on children and young people’s participation in decision-making available to help those who are engaging or thinking of engaging with children and young people. The Scottish Government’s Decision-making: children and young people’s participation advice and guidance website provides links to many useful resources, including The Right Way a project run by the Scottish Youth Parliament which ensures young people’s Article 12 right is respected.