Tackling prejudice and building connected communities action plan: implementation overview

7. Education

Education has an important role in developing positive behaviour and ensuring children and young people have modern, outward-looking attitudes that embrace equality and diversity. Education also has a key role in shaping citizens of tomorrow who are able to recognise and challenge discrimination. This requires a number of interventions, including inspections which clearly focus on promoting equality and addressing discrimination, a willingness to discuss and tackle prejudice in all its forms, clearer guidance and training for education professionals at all levels and above all clear leadership and commitment from those in the education sector to promote equality throughout the system. In their research, the 2016 Advisory Group heard that whilst the Scottish Government and Education Scotland have an important role, it is also for local authorities and individual schools to recognise more needs to be done, in line with their public sector equality duties and responsibilities. They identified that there were anxieties around how some schools engage with questions of equality, particularly around LGBTI issues, and especially where this results in prejudice, isolation or discrimination.

Background to action

The 2016 Advisory Group recommended that the Scottish Government should encourage all primary and secondary educational institutions to use Curriculum for Excellence to address issues of prejudice and hate crime. It also recommended that the Scottish Government and Education Scotland should utilise the schools inspection framework to better monitor how schools are tackling issues relating to prejudice and equality, including identifying models of best practice and supporting efforts to raise standards in all schools. In response, we committed to the following actions.

7.1 Relationships and behaviour policy

Action 20

Progress the implementation of the Scottish Government's relationships and behaviour policy, which supports local authorities and schools to further improve relationships and behaviour in their learning communities

Implementation

Following the publication of 'Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research 2016',^[40] the Scottish Government, together with Education Scotland and the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools (SAGRABIS) published their response to the findings in June 2018. 'Developing a Positive Whole School Ethos and Culture: Relationships, Learning and Behaviour'^[41] sets out the new policy guidance in response to the research. SAGRABIS have identified the next steps, outcomes and priority actions to support education authorities, schools, practitioners and partners to further improve ethos and culture. A positive school ethos and culture is essential to developing and promoting positive relationships and good behaviour in the classroom, playground and wider community which would result in less bullying and victimisation.

Following the publication of 'Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research 2016',^[42] the Scottish Government, together with Education Scotland and the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools (SAGRABIS) published their response to the findings in June 2018. 'Developing a Positive Whole School Ethos and Culture: Relationships, Learning and Behaviour'^[43] sets out the new policy guidance in response to the research. SAGRABIS have identified the next steps, outcomes and priority actions to support education authorities, schools, practitioners and partners to further improve ethos and culture. A positive school ethos and culture is essential to developing and promoting positive relationships and good behaviour in the classroom, playground and wider community which would result in less bullying and victimisation.

7.2 Anti-bullying

Action 21

Publish a refreshed approach to anti-bullying, including prejudice-based bullying

Implementation

In November 2017, the Scottish Government published updated anti-bullying guidance 'Respect for All: The National Approach to Anti-Bullying for Scotland's Children and Young People'^[44] which provides the overarching framework for all adults working with children and young people to address all types of bullying including prejudice-based bullying. The guidance is due to be reviewed again in 2022.

We introduced a consistent and uniform approach to recording and monitoring incidents of bullying in schools in 2018. The new approach allows schools to record bullying based on protected characteristics. Following an interim evaluation, we are confident that all local authorities have been using the new approach from August 2019.

Every child has the right to grow up fully included in their learning experience and to be treated with respect. We expect schools to deliver an inclusive and supportive learning environment for children and young people. respectme, Scotland's anti-bullying service, continues to work with local authorities, communities and other organisations working with children and young people, to build confidence and capacity to address bullying effectively. This includes supporting key stakeholders with policy development, a free programme of training and a range of publications and advice. respectme have also developed a new self-assessment toolkit to support organisations to review their anti-bullying practice, measure its impact and assess its outcomes for children and young people.

The Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights and respectme have also developed the resource "Addressing Inclusion: Effectively Addressing Racism in Schools". ^[45] This resource provides information and guidance to school staff on addressing racist bullying in Scottish schools.

As part of the Mentors in Violence Prevention training programme, Education Scotland has produced a number of Wakelets (online platforms for content) for school staff one of which looks at combating prejudice and hate crime. The Wakelets include resources and signposting to help schools and empower young people to create inclusive and safe environments for minority ethnic young people.

Professional learning to support this resource and the embedding of anti-racist education in all schools began at the national Scottish Learning Festival 2021, which included a keynote address by the Rt Hon Stuart Lawrence, brother of Stephen Lawrence.

A new programme has also been established in response to issues raised in correspondence about Black Lives Matter and also in response to recommendations made by the Expert Reference Group on COVID-19 and Ethnicity. The Race Equality and Anti-Racism in Education Programme (REAREP) brings together an number of education workstreams, to help eradicate racial inequalities and racism within our education system. The programme consists of a small internal Programme Board and a large Stakeholder Network Group. The latter has representation from a broad range of race equality and education stakeholders, including, but not limited to: CRER, CEMVO, Intercultural Youth Scotland and Education Scotland, COSLA, the General Teaching Council for Scotland and the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland. It oversees four subgroups which are developing short-, medium- and longer-term actions in the following areas:

• School Leadership and Professional Learning
• Diversity in the Teaching Profession and Education Workforce
• Curriculum Reform
• Racism and Racist Bullying.

Significant progress has been made in delivering the recommendations of the LGBTI Inclusive Education Working Group. These recommendations, published in November 2018, are about inclusive education across the curriculum, not just LGBT specific lessons. A ground-breaking suite of teaching resources and a teacher training module were launched on a dedicated website in September 2021 and take us another step towards ensuring the Scottish curriculum is as diverse as the young people who learn from it. This adds to the recommendations delivered such as establishing a national approach for schools to record and monitor all bullying incidents in public schools, including bullying motivated by homophobia, biphobia or transphobia; development of inspection prompt questions for Education Scotland inspectors to use during school inspections, to help inform LGBT inclusivity; and, integrating LGBT-inclusive education training within all Initial Teacher Education programmes in Scotland.

The website lgbteducation.scot^[46] hosts resources, training and other relevant information on LGBT-inclusive education. It helps build a robust toolkit of LGBT-inclusive education teaching resources for use in all Scottish schools. These are available to all school staff and the wider public, including parents and carers as well as children and young people. Inclusive education needs to start early so all children and young people begin to learn and understand equality, respect, and tolerance. This resource will help support our children and young people to build healthy relationships and prevent prejudice occurring in any form.

The Scottish Government is also committed to providing opportunities for Scotland's children and young people to learn about the Holocaust. Holocaust education sits within international and citizenship education, at the heart of Curriculum for Excellence. We also support the Holocaust Educational Trust's Lessons from Auschwitz programme to promote further learning about and remembrance of the Holocaust and, since 2009, over 4,400 Scottish students have participated on the project as well as over 580 Scottish teachers.

7.3 Professional development

Background to action

The 2016 Advisory Group recommended that key stakeholders that contribute to the professional development and continuing professional development of teachers (e.g. Education Scotland, university Schools of Education, local authorities, and the General Teaching Council of Scotland) should seek to develop the capacity of the teaching workforce to better understand issues of prejudice and equality in the context of their role as educational professionals. In response, we committed to the following action.

Action 22

Consider learning from evaluation of the education inspection indicator relating to inclusion, and work with Education Scotland to ensure that best practice is disseminated

Implementation

Following the review of the findings from the education inspector indicator relating to inclusion, resources to support best practice continue to be made available on the National Improvement Hub and are continuously promoted through networks and bulletins.

7.4 Colleges and universities

Implementation

The Equality and Human Rights Commission published their report, "Universities Challenged" in October 2019. With the support of Scottish Government and Universities Scotland, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) held a joint seminar with the EHRC for the sector to discuss the actions required to address the findings of the report.

Thereafter, SFC worked with Advance HE and established and funded a steering group to take forward work to address racism on campus. The recommendations specific to institutions focused on taking action to address reporting of racism. The SFC steering group is a majority Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic-led group whose members bring relevant expertise of the work required by the group (communications, anti-racist teaching, change) as well as lived experience. This blend of experience and expertise has been invaluable in helping shape the resources to support institutions recognise and challenge racism on campus. The resources, launched on 16 March 2021, have been developed with involvement with staff and students from across Scottish colleges and universities.^[1]

In addition, the Scottish Funding Council has funded an anti-racist curriculum project. This presents an opportunity to further capitalise on the current sector wide commitment to tackle racism in the Scottish HE and FE sector. This will build on the work of the Tackling Racism on Campus project and involves a strategic collaboration between Advance HE and the next Enhancement Themes programme of activity (managed on behalf of the sector by QAA Scotland).

Embedding consideration of race equality in university and college curricula is a core part of a 'whole institution' approach to race equality and addressing the Black Asian and Minority Ethnic degree awarding gap.

The Scottish Government has also contributed to the Fearless Glasgow Collaboration, a grouping of further and higher education institutions (Glasgow Caledonian University, the University of Glasgow, the University of Strathclyde, the University of the West of Scotland, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow Clyde College, Ayrshire College, Glasgow Kelvin College, and the City of Glasgow College), led by Glasgow Caledonian University, for the purchase from Culture Shift of the Report and Support Tool, an online tool to enable students and staff in institutions across Fearless Glasgow to report anonymously gender-based violence and racial harassment issues.

7.5 Youth work

Background to action

The 2016 Advisory Group recommended that Education Scotland should explore further the potential of youth work (as a model of peer-led intervention) to contribute to tackling hate crime and prejudice. It also recommended that youth work practice in the area of challenging prejudice and promoting inclusion and cohesion should be shared with relevant partners including police, schools and local government. In response, we committed to the following action.

Action 23

Explore further the potential of youth work (as a model of peer-led intervention) to contribute to tackling hate crime and prejudice

Implementation

We have worked with the youth work sector to build capacity and share best practice around hate crime and prejudice. We funded YouthLink Scotland to develop Action on Prejudice, a national interactive platform. This includes the creation of the 'Speak Up'^[47] resource; a toolkit aimed at young people and youth work practitioners which encourages young people to become active bystanders, presenting different ways to safely intervene if they witness a situation that may be a hate crime or incident and information on the different ways to report it. The resource is complemented by activities for youth work practitioners to deliver, to encourage discussion with young people about how to recognise a hate crime, to risk-assess a situation and to look at their own prejudices and stereotypes. As at 5 August 2021, the Speak Up webpage has had 4,632 views, with 2,325 directly from promotion of the resource on social media channels. The resource has received positive feedback and youth work practitioners have indicated that they are keen to use it with young people to discuss options for intervening safely when witnessing a hate incident.

Interfaith Scotland have also published a manual which is designed to support youth workers engaging with young people who express hateful speech and/or behaviour in youth settings.^[48] It focuses on practice as youth workers: to become more aware of our communication and listening skills; to understand how we can create safer spaces in youth settings that support learning and change to happen; and to focus on working with those young people that spread hate – through their speech or behaviour – whether they are conscious of doing so or not. The manual provides tools to work towards transformative practice with young people with the aim of bringing about real change in attitudes and behaviours with young people.

YouthLink Scotland has also partnered with Sense Over Sectarianism to deliver CPD training to teachers and Community Learning and Development workers on anti-sectarianism resources, quality-assured by Education Scotland. The training has been offered to schools, youth work organisations and local authorities across Scotland and links directly to the tackling sectarianism education resource for teachers and youth workers across Scotland. Wider work in this area includes training for student sports coaches, undergraduate teachers, youth workers and peer education to deliver anti-sectarian and hate crime education in schools, communities and sports settings.