A body representing the teaching profession has called for the government to urgently convene a working group in the wake of the violence erupting across England and Northern Ireland.
The Chartered College of Teaching said that such a group should include the voices of teachers and leaders “to look at what schools can do” to address “urgent social issues” and the “support they need to do this”.
The call comes as the country’s largest teaching union, the NEU, urged Labour’s curriculum review to address the “urgent social issues” it says are fuelling the riots.
Several education groups have also expressed concern that the events could impact the wellbeing of staff and pupils when schools return in a few weeks.
The country has seen days of disorder and violent riots following the fatal stabbings of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in Southport last week.
Those arrested include a boy aged 14 who admitted violent disorder after being seen by police setting fireworks off in the direction of members of the public and a police carrier.
Teachers will ‘take the lead’ in tackling prejudice
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, said today that members would “take the lead in challenging racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism, and in challenging harmful prejudices and stereotyping about migrant families”.
Hateful language and racist stereotypes have an impact on classrooms and on the wellbeing of staff, he continued.
The curriculum review “must respond to these urgent social issues and investigate how to build an anti-racist curriculum that boosts engagement, self-esteem and a sense of belonging for every child”, he added.
Professor Becky Francis, chief executive of the Education Endowment Foundation, is set to lead the curriculum review. She had not responded to Tes’ request for comment at the time of writing.
Urgent issues ‘go far beyond curriculum’
A spokesperson for the Chartered College said that, while it agreed with the NEU that “significant and immediate focus needs to be placed in schools on addressing these urgent social issues”, the curriculum review is “limited in scope” and the “issues that need to be addressed here go far beyond curriculum”.
“We would therefore recommend a specific working group is convened urgently by the government, with the voices of practising, expert teachers and leaders at its heart, to look at what schools can do and the support they need to do this,” the spokesperson said.
However, they added that schools are “already immensely stretched, both in terms of capacity and finance, and cannot be seen as the solution to all of society’s problems”.
Schools are “facing and responding to the impact of divisive and racist rhetoric on a daily basis”, they said, adding that “the effect this has on school staff cannot be underestimated”.
Figures published by the Home Office last year revealed that those aged 14 years and under accounted for the largest proportion of referrals to the Prevent counter-terror programme in two of nine categories: extreme right-wing radicalisation (35 per cent) and school massacre concerns (55 per cent).
Schools will ‘redouble efforts’ in response
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, also condemned the riots.
He said that schools and colleges are “at the forefront of teaching children and young people to respect one another regardless of background, facilitating courteous discussion and countering false information that is often spread on social media”.
“We have no doubt that they will redouble their efforts in light of these events and respond to the circumstances in their communities,” he added.
However, Mr Di’Iasio said that schools needed support from other parts of society, including social media companies whose platforms “often seem to be the source of misinformation and vile content”.
Experts have previously warned that schools and teachers need more training to effectively teach children about online harms.
Social media ‘at the heart’ of challenges
Sir (Mufti) Hamid Patel CBE, chief executive of Star Academies, said that schools “have a vital role in encouraging young people to be respectful, confident and articulate citizens who can play a positive role in our democratic society” and that teachers need to be able to “provide a platform for discussion on social issues such as racism, discrimination and social justice”.
“In my view, our schools already address these topics effectively through their PSHE [and] citizenship curricula and personal development programmes,” he added.
“We also need to do more to warn young people - and all of society - to be more critical consumers of online ‘news’. We will be looking at this as part of the Commission on Countering Online Conspiracy in Schools. It is clear that social media is at the heart of our challenges with disinformation and misinformation.”
Teachers may need time to ‘process emotions’
There are also concerns about the impact on teachers’ wellbeing of the stabbings and subsequent riots.
Gemma Scotcher, director of communications and public affairs at Education Support, a charity that supports the wellbeing of education staff, said that many people working in education would be “deeply affected” by the “violence and racism” displayed since the “heartbreaking events” in Southport.
These issues may continue into the new school term, “with the potential to have a negative impact on the mental health and wellbeing of both staff and pupils”, she said.
Scotcher added it was important that teachers and staff felt supported and guided to “make space for constructive conversations that do not fuel further division in their classrooms”.
Gareth Conyard, chief executive officer of the Teacher Development Trust, a charity that provides national professional qualifications, agreed that teachers and leaders may need support to “process their own emotions” over recent events.
“This is a complex area and we should be open to lots of ideas - including what professional development might help - as we consider, calmly and intentionally, how to support schools to respond to the challenges of division and violence as we move forward,” he added.
Prepare for ‘traumatised’ pupils, schools warned
Schools have been urged to be mindful of how the riots may have affected pupils.
Schools need “to be well prepared to support those traumatised by riots and violence”, according to the BAMEed Network, which represents diverse educators.
A spokesperson said that schools should “invest in a culture and curriculum that weaves racial justice throughout”.
There “should be no situation where a student is scared to spend summer holidays in their community or return to school in September because their peers hold and act on racist views”, they added.
Caroline Derbyshire, chair of the headteachers’ roundtable, and executive headteacher and chief executive of Saffron Academy Trust, said that schools are “duty bound to tackle issues of discrimination and disinformation”.
“I would always want to tackle such matters head-on,” she added.
The DfE has been contacted for comment.
The Education Support helpline can be reached at 08000 562 561
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