Race Equality and Anti-Racism In Education Programme Background Paper: October 2021

Items and actions

Scottish National Party (SNP) election manifesto 

Commitment to use the Time For Inclusive education (TIE) campaign model to create a new anti-racist education programme in schools.

Background

Prior to the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary elections, the Scottish National Party (SNP) published its manifesto which included the following commitment:

• taking the widely acclaimed TIE campaign as a model, we will create a new programme of anti-racist education in schools, including support for teachers’ professional development, allowing every school to access high-quality anti-racist education
• to track progress, we will improve the reporting and publication of data on racist incidents in schools

The work of the Race Equality and Anti-Racism in Education Programme (REAREP) is going some way to address the aims set out in the manifesto commitment: the School Leadership and Professional Learning (SLPL) sub-group is considering how to improve support for teachers’ professional development and the Racism and Racist Incidents sub-group Programme for Government commitment ensures that where racist incidents do occur, we will strengthen monitoring and reporting, to support actions to address, and prevent future, incidents.

It’s clear that TIE have developed a robust framework for effecting change in the school setting and this will be discussed at the next REAREP Stakeholder Network Group meeting. 

Who are TIE

Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) was co-founded in 2015 by Jordan Daly and Liam Stevenson. TIE’s overarching aim is to take a proactive, educational approach to address the bullying and prejudice experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people in schools.

What does TIE do

Since 2017, TIE have been working with the Scottish Government’s Support and Wellbeing Unit, firstly as part of the LGBT Inclusive Education Working Group, and latterly as part of the LGBT Inclusive Education Implementation Group. Some of the members of the REAREP Stakeholder Network Group will also have worked with TIE on one or both of these groups.

The Working Group delivered their report and 33 recommendations to Scottish Ministers in November 2018, and these were accepted in full. Implementation of the recommendations is ongoing and will enable teaching of LGBT matters across the curriculum within the principles of Curriculum for Excellence. The recommendations cover professional learning of teachers, practice and guidance, school inspections and anti‑bullying.

It’s clear to see that there is some overlap in terms of the areas which TIE is now working with educators to change and in which the REAREP is keen to begin effecting change, in particular, professional learning of teachers and bullying. This does not mean simply transferring an approach developed by one organisation for one protected characteristic, and overlaying it on to another. The Scottish Government is clear that due to the historical and structural nature of racism, the prevalence and seriousness of it and the impact it has, a distinct approach is required. However, this does not mean that aspects of TIE’s approach to delivery cannot be considered when thinking about how to deliver the ambitions of the REAREP. 

Jordan and Liam from TIE will be attending the Stakeholder Network Group meeting on 28 October to deliver a presentation on how they developed their framework for delivering their ambitions. After the presentation, there will be opportunity to ask questions. 

Learning Directorate

October 2021