#SRtRCSpotlight: BlueCoat School’s Newest Anti-Racist Captains

During the spring term 2025, twenty students from Year 10 at The Blue Coat School in Liverpool completed a 3-part Anti-Racist Captains programme with our North West team.

Participants attended three full-day sessions between January and April, exploring a range of issues to develop their understanding of what racism looks like in schools and in wider society.

Areas of focus were:

• Unconscious Bias and Stereotypes
• Everyday Racism and Microaggressions
• Language and Terminology
• Privilege and Allyship
• Challenging Racism
• Antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Gypsy, Romany and Traveller discrimination.

As well as improving their own knowledge and understanding, the students created a survey for all students to complete, to gain an insight into how racism is perceived across the school. Some of the insightful questions asked included:

Year 7, 8, 9

• What does the word racism mean to you?
• Do you feel like you know a lot about racism?
• Have you ever experienced or witnessed racism?
• Have you or your friends ever shared racist jokes?
• If so, did you feel pressured into laughing along with them?
• Do you feel your own culture is represented enough in school?
• What cultures would you like to learn about?

Year 10 / 11

• Is there anything you think we can do in school to tackle racism?
• Do you know what a microaggression is?
• If so, have you ever committed a microaggression, even by accident?
• How aware are you of your own race / culture?
• How diverse do you think our curriculum is?
• What else do you think we should learn about?

They analysed their findings and considered how their fellow students may need supporting, both with their learning needs, and also in how to enable and empower them to recognise and challenge racism. In small groups, they then began putting together presentations that they could use to educate other pupils.

On the final day, the Captains planned and rehearsed assemblies and form-time sessions that they will deliver to students in Year 7 and Year 8 during the summer term. The content they chose to include focused on prejudice and discrimination, culture, active allyship and challenging racist incidents.

In evaluating the programme, the students said that they particularly enjoyed the emphasis on small group work, participating in debates and discussions, ice-breakers, games and interactive challenges. They were also very enthusiastic in helping trial our SRtRC Anti-Racist Captains board game, “Power of the Pitch”!

If your school is based in the North West of England, book a workshop with us today!