SRtRC, Hope not hate and National Education Union pen letter to Bridget Phillipson MP
HOPE not hate, National Education Union, and Show Racism the Red Card are urging the Secretary of State for Education to consider additional measures which will ensure that schools across the UK are equipped to deal with hateful attitudes and behaviour exhibited by young people. All school staff should be confident to identify, support and escalate cases of discrimination and radicalisation. Early intervention is crucial, but we find that the current funding, training and support provision is lacking.
Nick Lowles, CEO at HOPE not hate, said:
“Our research shows very worrying levels of hate, violence and prejudice among young people. Extreme misogynist figures like Andrew Tate are now ubiquitous in schools across the UK, and children are more likely than ever to see violent content online. The current system does not reflect the radicalisation we see that has no clear ideology beyond violence and misogyny.
“That’s why HOPE not hate, NEU and Show Racism the Red Card are calling for an intermediary body to sit between safeguarding and counter-terrorism processes that young people can be referred to, the development and funding of anti-racism and anti-extremism training for teachers, and to include racism, extremism and discrimination explicitly in the initial teacher training.
It’s crucial that teachers feel supported and confident to tackle this issue head on.”
Ged Grebby, CEO at Show Racism the Red Card, said:
“Show Racism the Red Card has been campaigning for anti-racism on the National Curriculum for many years now, so we are particularly pleased by this poll showing a large majority of the public want anti-racism taught in schools: 66%. Our survey of teachers last year showed the vast majority (88%) want this training. We are delighted to join forces with HOPE not Hate and the NEU on calling for the Department of Education to support a programme of anti-racism education for teachers.
“The last decade has seen a worrying rise in race hate in the UK and this came onto our streets in last year’s racist riots. The far right are on the ascendancy throughout the world, fuelled by social media and right-wing politicians. This polling by HOPE not Hate should be a wake up call for the new Labour Government and we look forward to working with them to help combat racism through education.”
You can read the full letter to Bridget Phillipson MP below.
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