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UNITED KINGDOM - "TACKLING RACISM SCHOOL"

1. Information on the school

» Type of school: State Comprehensive School (11-18 years old)

» Number of pupils: 1000
» Specific School Educational Policies concerning equal opportunities:

The school has a strong equal opportunities policy and seeks to enforce the policy in every aspect of school life. The equal opportunities policy covers staff, pupils and parents. The policy is advertised throughout the school. The school also has a Code of Conduct and an Anti-Bullying Code.

» Social characteristics of environment

The school is situated on the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets which is an area of high social and economic need. The majority of pupils at the school come from local housing estates with a high population density and few social amenities. Unemployment is high in the area and among parents and carers of pupils in the school. The ethnic composition of the students is 50% white, 30% Bangladeshi with the remaining 20% being Somali, Indo-Chinese, Chinese, Afro-Caribbean and Nigerian.

2. Development of the activity

» Why did the activity begin?

Allegiances at the school were divided along race lines with white, black and other racial groups versus the Bangladeshi pupils. In November 2001 a fight between a black and Bengali pupil erupted into wider violence leading to the injury of a black girl. In light of these problems the school decided to put in place a programme to take some pupils to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to learn about conflict resolution and the effects of segregation.

» What was the aim of the activity?

The aim of the activity was to reduce the level of conflict within the school and improve the levels of integration between different pupils.

» Types of discrimination worked on

The activity specifically focused on ethnic origin but it included a more general approach to the nature of discrimination in general.

3. Reasons for the activity

» The activity was directed at...

It was directed at students perceived by the teaching staff to have influence in the school and who had been involved with the troubles that occurred in the school.

» Who managed the activity?

The Assistant Head (Social Inclusion) and the Youth and Community Worker managed the activity.

» Date and duration of development of activity:

In January 2002 the school took forty year 10 and 11 pupils on a teambuilding week to Northern Ireland to explore the differences and similarities between the pupils and the people of Northern Ireland. The trip was repeated in January 2003 with 60 pupils taking part.

» Methodology and Strategies

The school sought to choose pupils who it thought had the capacity to learn from the experience and who were identified as having influence in the school. The pupils who were selected were those who were either directly or indirectly involved with the conflict that was occurring in the school at that time. The school believed that if it could positively impact upon the behaviour of these students then it would reduce the level of conflict in the school.
The trip to Northern Ireland was designed so that the pupils would integrate and work with one another. The pupils were divided into different houses with each house having a gender and racial balance. This became known as the 'Coca-Cola' groupings policy i.e. mixed in terms of gender and ethnicity to resemble the old Coca-Cola adverts.
The pupils lived with one another, cooked food for people with different dietary needs and worked together in teams. During the trip the issue of racism was discussed and pupils were encouraged to talk openly about their experiences and views. The students were also taken to Belfast to talk to pupils affected by the religious divide in the city.
After the pupils returned from Northern Ireland the school set up a project called the Young Adult Peers also known as the 'Unity Cru' where pupils were trained to be positive role models for the school. The Young Adult Peers help supervise during break and lunchtimes and wear T-shirts with their names printed on the back.

4. Results of activity

» What has improved as a result of this activity?

  1. reduction in racial conflict and fighting in the school;
  2. positive effect on the culture of the school;
  3. greater integration between pupils who went to Northern Ireland;
  4. positive effects on the behaviour of students who were chosen to take part in the activity; and
  5. a change in the attitudes of students towards racism.
» Variables that have facilitated or hindered the success of the activity
  • A whole school approach
  • Investing in pupils
  • Learning through experience
  • Pupil ownership
  • Leadership