Race Equality

Must my school have a race equality policy?    to top ^

Yes, it is the law. Since May 2002, all maintained schools must have a Race Equality Policy in order to comply with the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.

It is the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) that is responsible for enforcing this Act. It applies to all public bodies, including Local Authorities - not just to schools.
 
Ofsted inspections will check to see that each school has a Race Equality Policy.  If a school does not, then ultimately the CRE has the power to take legal steps to ensure that a school complies with the law. 

For more information, see our Race Relations (Amendment) Act page at

http://www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/ethnicminorities
/raising_achievement/763611/

My school doesn't have many Black and minority ethnic pupils - must we still have a race equality policy?   to top ^

Yes, it is the law.  Understanding the fundamental concept of race equality is a crucial part of educating children to live in a modern multi-ethnic society.
 

Who in my school is responsible for the race equality policy?   to top ^

The Board of Governors is responsible.  On some boards, an individual governor may have overall responsibility for race equality in general.
A Board of Governors may find it helpful to put a senior member of the school staff in charge of developing the policy, putting it into practice and involving people inside and outside the school. 

What should my school's race equality policy look like?   to top ^

That is up to your school - when you are drawing up the policy you should consider the age and understanding of your pupils and any particular needs your school community may have.  It should be regarded as a living document that will evolve over time.

Your school's race equality policy may be a self-contained policy if you think that would be the best approach for your school. Alternatively, you may incorporate Race Equality into an existing equality statement that covers disability and gender equalities. However, if you prefer this approach, the CRE recommends that the section on race equality should be easily identifiable.

Whichever approach your school takes, the policy should be based on your school's values and aims. It should include a statement that your aim is to eliminate unlawful discrimination and to promote equal opportunities and good race relations in all areas of school life. This statement is important because it links the school's race equality policies to all other school activities and policies.

You may find it helpful to draw up a separate action plan to cover the next academic year (or longer) setting out how you intend to put your broad vision into practice. 

How can my school use the data collected in the course of assessing and monitoring our/its race equality policy?    to top ^

The data your school has collected will help prioritise the most important issues in race equality - for instance, to see whether any ethnic group is at disproportionate risk of exclusion, or to measure attainment gaps between different groups. Once a plan has been put in place to tackle your school's priorities, ongoing data collection will enable you to measure progress towards achieving your goals.

Where can my school get help and advice?   to top ^

The CRE sent The Duty to Promote Race Equality: A Guide for Schools, to all schools in England and Wales in 2002. The Guide includes a thorough framework for drawing up your school's race equality policy.  Additional copies (in English or Welsh) can be obtained from the CRE's publications department at
http://www.cre.gov.uk/publs/cat_duty.html
Copies can also be downloaded in Word or Acrobat format from this page.
 
The CRE's Learning for All: Standards for Racial Equality in Schools (2000) is a very useful checklist to assess how well your school is promoting race equality.  Learning for All was sent to all schools in England and Wales in 2000, and additional copies (in English or Welsh) can be ordered from the CRE's publications department via
http://www.cre.gov.uk/publs/cat_ed.html

Your Local Authority may also have produced guidance to help its schools draw up their race equality policies.

Guidance on ethnic monitoring has also been issued by CRE. This can be ordered or downloaded (in English or Welsh) from
http://www.cre.gov.uk/publs/cat_duty.html

You may also find it useful to consult our guidance on using data in Schools' Race Equality Policies - From Issues to Outcomes on the EMA site at http://www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/ethnicminorities/raising_achievement
/whats_new/Equaltiy_Issues_to_OutcomesJan05/
and, more widely, the separate section on Data Collection on this EMA site at
http://www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk
/ethnicminorities/collecting/763919/

Which organisations must produce a race equality policy?   to top ^

All those public bodies listed in the statutory Code of Practice produced by the Commission for Racial Equality, are required to meet the general duty to promote race equality by, eliminating unlawful discrimination; promoting equality of opportunity; and promoting good relations between people of different races. Further, the Race Relations Act states that the governing body of a school must have a race equality policy.

What are the responsibilities of LEAs in helping schools develop their race equality policy?    to top ^

The non-statutory CRE Guidance states that LEAs should play an active part in supporting schools in their race equality work; identify, set up, and promote good practice in achieving race equality in schools; help to develop positive links between schools and local communities; and provide information, resources, guidance and support so that schools can develop good practice.

Must organisations allow pupils/staff/public see their race equality policy?    to top ^

Yes. It is a legal obligation on schools to ensure that parents and others can have access to their equality/race policy. Also, schools must monitor the impact of its policies on pupils, parents and staff from different racial groups, and in particular on pupil attainment levels. Schools must take reasonable steps to publish the results of their monitoring each year.