Page 9 - Anti-Racism Pocketbook for Schools and Academies
P. 9
This normative standard surrounding whiteness translates
outside of clothing stores or pharmaceutical items.
The dominance that surrounds the ideology of whiteness
means that ethnic individuals are usually compared, judged,
and made to feel inferior to the white population. This has
subsequently caused white people to build a system that
supports, promotes, and benefits them disproportionately to
ethnic individuals. This is why we often see conversations
surrounding the topics of white supremacy, white silence,
and white privilege. These interlocking discussions motive
racism due to the fact that white people are able to
continuously oppress and subject ethnic people to harm
without severe repercussions.
Unfortunately, the impact of racism translates directly into
the educational system within the UK. According to statistics
provided by the UK Department for Education:
• White British people made up 92.7% of headteachers,
89.7% of deputy or assistant headteachers and 84.9% of
classroom teachers.
• 0.1% of classroom teachers were Mixed White and Black
African – the lowest percentage out of all ethnic groups
in this role.
This demonstrates that the UK has a real issue with hiring
and retaining ethnically diverse teacher and staff within the
education system. Having a general lack of diversity in ethnic
minority teachers within the educational sector stems from a
multitude of issues linking to racism and present a wide
range of issues for staff and engaging students.
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