Page 7 - Anti-Racism Pocketbook for Schools and Academies

Defining racism

One of the most suited definitions of racism according to

Merriam-Webster is: the systemic oppression of a racial

group to the social, economic, and political advantage of

another. Further to this, this systemic oppression can be due

to the belief that there are innate differences between

different racial and ethnic groups that makes some groups

inherently different.

However, having the belief that race determines superiority

hinders our ability to treat others fairly and with the respect
needed to make students feel capable of accomplishments.

This form of oppression is often reflected in behaviour and

attitudes towards ethnic groups of people.

After reviewing the statistics provided by the Equality and

Human Rights Commission below, it is clear that racism is an

important issue within the education system in UK and the
general population that needs to be addressed:

• Just 6% of black school leavers attended a Russell Group

university, compared with 12% of mixed and Asian
school leavers and 11% of white school leavers

• Black Caribbean and Mixed White/Black Caribbean

children have rates of permanent exclusion about 3x
that of the pupil population as a whole

• Rates of prosecution and sentencing for black people

were 3x higher than for white people, this is 18 per
thousand of the population compared with six per

thousand population for white people

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