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Schools and teachers should be better supported to ensure that race equality issues are addressed as part of everyday school life, according to advice from the independent professional body for teaching published this week.
Meeting their legal duties under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act should be seen more widely as a means to improving outcomes for all pupils and to tackling the attainment gap, says the General Teaching Council for England (GTC). To have a positive impact on pupil learning and achievement, race equality issues need to be taken account of throughout a school’s activities, from teaching and learning strategies to staff development.
The Council is advising Government and national education bodies now, following discussions at the Race Equality Forum hosted by the GTC. These make it apparent that while many schools are addressing the duties imaginatively and effectively, there are serious concerns that this is not true of all schools and that some are struggling to implement the requirements of the Act fully.
GTC Chief Executive, Keith Bartley, said:
“We know from our work with teachers that race equality is high in their priorities and it is vital that schools and teachers receive the help they need. They need support both to meet their legal duties and to realise the potential benefit in terms of the achievement of all pupils that promoting equality offers.”
Support for teachers should start during training, when there should be a significant element on promoting race equality. In school, all teachers should undertake appropriate training and development on promoting race equality and meeting the legal requirements, throughout their careers. Leadership training should also emphasise this area, and governors, who often hold responsibility for meeting the legal duties, should also have access to relevant training.
Download the full advice from the GTC in the Policy papers section.
