Our Anti-Racism Journey
At Mile Oak we recognise that it is not enough to be ‘not racist’. We must be anti-racist. This is evidenced through systemic change which means looking at our policies, practice and procedures, challenging ourselves with the questions, ‘are these actively anti-racist? Are we actively creating equitable voice, outcomes, and value for our Black & Racially Minoritised families? If not, why not and what needs to change?'
We stand by the belief that “one either allows racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts racial inequities, as an anti-racist. There is no in-between safe space of 'not racist.’ The claim of ‘not racist’ neutrality is a mask for racism.” (From the book ‘How To Be An Antiracist’, Ibram Kendi, 2019)
We say that we are on an anti-racist journey as we acknowledge this to be ongoing and continual work.
Please see below for the process that we use to respond to racist or prejudice incidents.
All of our children take part in a series of PSHE lessons based on two topics – “Good To be Me” and “Growing an Anti-Racist School.” These lessons have been devised and written by a group of Anti-Racist lead teachers, employed by the Brighton and Hove City council, along with the PSHE team and are informed by the Brighton and Hove City Council’s Primary Racial Literacy Curriculum Framework. Anti-racist education, like all our equalities education, is always appropriate to pupils’ ages and stages of development and is an essential part of safeguarding.
All teachers at Mile Oak have been trained in Racial Literacy themselves and have had further training on how to deal with questions around race and racism.
Children are never too young to learn about about race and racism. If you would like to start these conversations with your child, or begin your own anti-racism journey, here are some excellent resources:
NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children)
• Offering guidance for parents on difficult conversations, including about race
and identity.
• Website: www.nspcc.org.uk
Show Racism the Red Card
• Provides educational resources for parents and schools to tackle racism and
promote equality.
• Website: www.theredcard.org
Runnymede Trust
• A race equality think tank with reports and guides on discussing race and identity.
• Website: www.runnymedetrust.org
Books
• Books like “All Are Welcome” by Alexandra Penfold, “My skin Your Skin” and “My
Family Your Family” both by Laura Henry-Allain MBE are great conversation
starters.
• Black and diverse children’s books and toys are often recommended for
normalising race discussions.
• For adults “Wish We Knew What to Say” by Pragya Agarwal, “Why I’m No Longer
Talking to White People About Race” by Reni Eddo-Lodge and “The Good Ally” by
Nova Reid are good starting points for self-education.
• Afrori Books in Brighton often hold events for all and sell books featuring diverse
characters.
Other website links
https://health.choc.org/talking-to-children-about-race-and-racism-an-age-by-age-guide/
https://www.babycenter.com/child/parenting-strategies/how-to-talk-to-your-childabout-race_3657102
https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/going-beyond-intelligence/202007/tensteps-raising-anti-racist-child