Racial Literacy at Kings Oak Primary School
At Kings Oak Primary School in Greenock, we want every child and family to feel welcome, safe and proud of who they are. One of the ways we do this is through our work on racial literacy.
We know that families in our community work hard every day to give their children the best start. Our racial literacy work helps children grow into kind, confident and fair young people who can succeed in school and beyond.
Miss O’Neill is racial literacy lead for our school and represents us as an equality coordinator within the council. Any questions/resources/feedback she is your lady!
What Is Racial Literacy?
Racial literacy is about helping children:
· Understand that everyone is different and that difference is a good thing
· Learn about fairness and unfairness
· Recognise racism and know that it is wrong
· Speak up kindly and safely when something is unfair
· Be proud of their own identity and respect others
We teach this in simple, age-appropriate ways. For younger children, this might be through stories and discussions about kindness and belonging. For older pupils, it might include learning about history, migration and fairness in the world around us.
Racial literacy is not about blame. It is about learning, understanding and building a school where everyone feels they belong.
How We Teach Racial Literacy
Our work is guided by the Six Steps to Building Racial Literacy by Sealey Ruiz. We use these steps to shape our lessons and conversations across the school.
The six steps help us to:
- Interruption – Build knowledge – understanding race, racism and fairness.
- Archaeology of self – Understand ourselves – learning about identity and feelings.
- Historical perspective – Keep learning – understanding that this is ongoing work.
- Critical reflection – Reflect and think deeply – encouraging children to think about the world.
- Critical Humility – Gain appreciation for other cultures – widening pupils perspectives of the world around us.
- Critical love – Take positive action – helping pupils know how to respond to unfairness.
Our approach is also based on a research-informed practitioner inquiry conducted by Miss O’Neill. This means:
- Our staff read and use current research
- We look at what works best for our pupils
- We reflect and improve our teaching
- We gather pupil voice to shape our next steps
This ensures our work is thoughtful, evidence-based and right for our Kings Oak community.
Why Is Racial Literacy So Important?
Racial literacy is important because:
- Children need to understand the diverse world they live in
- Pupils deserve to feel seen, valued and respected
- Learning about fairness builds empathy and kindness
- It helps children challenge discrimination
This work is part of our School Improvement Plan (SIP). It links closely to:
- National aims around inclusion and equality
- Scottish education priorities
- Curriculum for Excellence values such as respect, responsibility and citizenship
By embedding racial literacy across learning, we are preparing our children not just for exams, but for life.
ur Successes So Far
We are very proud of what our pupils have achieved.
🌍 Love For All Stalls
Last year, we hosted our Love For All Stalls event. Pupils created and sold racial literacy themed products and welcomed families and community members into our school. It was a joyful event that celebrated inclusion, learning and togetherness.
📰 “World Changers” Class Magazine
Our pupils created a magazine called “World Changers”, where they shared their racial literacy learning, thoughts and reflections. This allowed children to use their voice and show leadership.
📖 Anti-Racism Club
Our Anti-Racism Club worked together to create a book exploring migration. They learned about why people move countries and shared powerful messages about empathy and understanding through their main characters.
✊ Black History Month
We marked Black History Month across all stages. Every class took part in meaningful learning, celebrating achievements, history and culture in age-appropriate ways.
🎤 Visit from Jean Johansson
We were honoured to welcome Jean Johansson to our school. She shared her passion for anti-racism and inspired our pupils to use their voices and stand up for fairness.
Coming Soon…
We have exciting upcoming events and projects planned. Details will be shared with families soon.
