Tackling racism at schools: initiatives and recommendations for LFCG

ParCIPL

At LFCG -as it is still the case in most schools- a number of students and parents have reported what can only be described as racist incidents and remarks. These have happened amongst students, and occasionally, have involved members of the staff. The LFCG teams have responded swiftly and have already taken actions to respond to this challenge. What are the good practices from other schools, and what other steps could be taken to continue improving in this area?

Context:

According to the NIABFracist incidents occur when someone experiences " hostile or offensive behaviour based on the colour of their skin, their actual or perceived cultural or religious background, or their ethnicity; for instance calling someone names, humiliating them using offensive language, mocking someone’s traditions, or making fun of their clothes or accent, among others ". Racist bullying refers to repetitive actions of this nature.

It is important to note that while there are instances of racist comments said on purpose to try to hurt others, others are based on unconscious bias. While not necessarily said with the aim to hurt, most of them still do, and are equally unacceptable. For instance, assimilating a group of people with certain characteristics such as being dirty or lazy, not speaking good English, or being criminals, just to name a few.

Racist incidents at schools in the UK and France

Sadly, racist incidents at schools are on the rise both in the UK and in France. The alarming increase in anti-immigration rhetoric by some political parties only worsens the situation. Indeed, a report from French Human Rights National Consultative Commission (CNCDH) found out that " anti-immigrant sentiment is the most strongly correlated with other forms of hatred. The more people reject immigrants, the more they reject those perceived as Jewish, Muslim, Asian, Roma or Black, and the more they oppose equality between women and men and the rights of LGBTI people ».

Schools can and must stand firmly against racism in all its forms and manifestations, and be at the forefront of prevention. On one hand, children who are victims of racism need support; on the other hand, persons who engage in racist actions also require interventions to change their knowledge, attitudes and actions to break the cycle of racism in a sustainable manner. This is in accordance with French and UK values, and more generally, with British, French, European and international. human rights frameworks and obligations.

While we do not have the specific numbers for LFCG, statistics at national level are extremely worrying. For instance, research by YMCA cited by a UK House of Commons report on Racial discrimination at schools found that a staggering 95% of young Black people reported having heard and witnessed the use of racist language at school. Research by the Department of Education showed that 38% of students in Year 6 (CM2) and 63% of those in Year 9 (4è) still feel that a person’s skin colour can make them more likely to experience bullying. Having such data and a baseline at LFCG would be an excellent step towards measuring progress, planning more targeted actions, and communicating with parents.

Indeed, preventing and responding to racism must go beyond reacting to individual incidents, and towards adopting anti-racist approaches throughout the school. Just to give one example, according to Black Lives Matter at School, « Curriculum choices involve the intentional selection of educational materials that promote equity, inclusivity, and diverse perspectives…. studies show that when students see their cultures and histories represented in the classroom, it positively impacts their self-esteem and academic performance. »

Initiatives to respond to racism at LFCG

At LFCG, actions have already been taken to prevent and respond to racism. This has been done by working collaboratively across teams, and ensuring alignment with the PSHE curriculum and school values. Recent activities include:

  • Displays for Black History Month,
  • One training on prevention of racism for all staff implemented by the organization Show Racism the Red Card, at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year. This was carried out at the South Kensington school and received very positive feedback from the staff.
  • Actions planned for the International Day for the Elimination of Discrimination

There are also other excellent initiatives at LFCG such as the .which recently had its second edition and was a great success; as well as the Festival of Arab Language. These are equally important building blocks in promoting and celebrating diversity at school.

Good practice at André Malraux

As part of the efforts to recognise the International Day of Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21st March every year), André Malraux's children in level CE1 and above attended the first of two workshops led by the Show Racism The Red Card, the UK’s leading anti-racism educational charity. It is the first of the LFCG schools to offer such a workshop to the children. Racist incidents had been reported, and these workshops were organised as part of the response. The feedback from parents and children has been very positive. Furthermore, a workshop will be offered to all parents in April. This is also incredibly important since parents, of course, play a crucial role in how children relate to each other, and in our diverse societies.

CIPL Recommendations to strengthen LFCG’s current efforts

As mentioned above, important actions have been taken by LFCG to recognize and respond to racist incidents. To continue improving, and based on parents’ feedback and good practices from other school, we encourage LFCG to consider strengthening its current efforts through a whole-school approach, by considering for instance:

  • Developing a participatory anti-racist school policy and a plan of action to demonstrate an institutional commitment at the highest level, and a strategic approach to this important concern.
  • Taking more steps to ensure victims of racism feel safe in reporting such incidents. Indeed, it has come to the parent delegates’ attention that a number of incidents go unreported to the school due to fear of reprisals. This is not to be blamed on the students; rather, it means that we as LFCG community need to improve our work so that everyone feels safe in reporting such incidents.
  • Integrating approaches that aim to change the knowledge, attitudes and actions of children who engage in racist actions, in addition to any disciplinary measures.
  • Avoiding revictimization of affected children by ensuring that every teacher is trained on how to respond to racist incidents, and does not inadvertently add any extra strain or stress on the affected children. Discussing reparation measures for victims of racist incidents, for instance by receiving a public excuse.
  • Carrying out surveys and interviews for students to express themselves freely, safely and anonymously, if necessary, about these issues.
  • Adopting transparency measures with key indicators for the whole LFCG community to be able to monitor progress.
  • Reviewing education materials and library documentation to ensure they adequately represent the diversity of the world.

At a different lycée, for instance, it was found that the only books about Africa were about Ancient Egypt and about slavery - those were the only representations of Africa in the whole school library. There have been classes when the only images of cities in Latin America, Africa and Asia are those of the poorest areas; whereas for European ones, only affluent areas are represented. This kind of materials perpetuates a biased view of the world. Indeed, according to UNESCO's publication intitulée Unmasking racism: Guidelines for educational materials, « Educational materials play a crucial role in shaping students’ understanding of the world and themselves. When these materials contain racist stereotypes or omit diverse perspectives, they contribute to the marginalization of certain groups and reinforce inequalities...educational materials are not neutral, they frequently perpetuate or condone racist stereotypes instead of promoting more inclusive and respectful societies. »

LFCG has carried out various activities to do better in preventing and responding to racism at school, and we welcome and support them! At the same time, we believe that the LFCG community must recognise that we need to do better and progress in this area. CIPL is looking forward to working closely with the school and with parents to support discussions and initiatives to prevent and respond to racism.

Finally, an independent group of experts established by the UK Government in 2025 affirmed that one of the main obstacles to fight against racism is precisely the prevailing and powerful silence in talking about racism. We hope that this article is thought-provoking and contributes to engaging in conversations and taking actions that move us closer to a school environment where all children live free of discrimination.

Ressources recommandées :

Publications similaires

Laisser un commentaire

Your email address will not be published. Les champs obligatoires sont indiqués avec *