Bullying
Cumbria is an increasingly diverse county. This brings a richness of experience, skills and cultures into all our communities. Cumbria Children's Services welcomes this and is fully committed to promoting good race relations between all ethnic groups.
However, the Cumbrian Attitudes Survey, a recent countywide initiative undertaken by Cumbria County Council and Cumbria Constabulary established that there is a considerable level of discrimination and prejudice against minority groups in Cumbria. An analysis of the survey results showed that 73% of respondents are prejudiced against at least one minority group. Of this group, 35% also expressed prejudice towards three or more groups. Both these figures are considerably higher than national averages.
Encouragingly, increasing levels of education are associated with decreasing levels of prejudice. Full results of the survey can be found at:
Although the actual number of racially motivated offences are low in Cumbria, this transfers into a comparatively high rate when calculated per 100,000 population because of the low number of minority ethnic population. By such measures Cumbria is therefore one of the most racist counties in the UK. This can change.
What is racist bullying?
The term racist bullying refers to a range of hurtful behaviour, both physical and psychological, that makes a person feel discriminated against, unwelcome, marginalised, excluded, powerless or worthless because of their colour, ethnicity, language, culture, faith community, national origin or national status.
This can also be described as racism.
Racism can take many forms from direct harassment (e.g. racist name calling or physical bullying) to indirect and institutional racism (e.g. failure to recognise racism as a social problem because the problems faced by minority ethnic pupils are due to them as individuals). Racism can occur between any ethnic groups.
The distinctive feature of racist bullying is that a person is attacked not as an individual, but as the representative of a family, community or group. This has three particularly harmful consequences:
- Other members of the same group, family or community are made to feel threatened and intimidated as well
- Racist words and behaviour are experienced as attacks on the values, loyalties and commitments central to a person's sense of identity and self-worth
- Racist attacks are committed not only against a community but also, in the eyes of offenders themselves, on behalf of a community - offenders see themselves as representative of, and supported in their racism by, their friends, family and peer group
(Adapted from DfES, Countering Racist Bullying)
What should schools do about racist bullying?
Immediately responding to racist incidents is crucial, but is not sufficient in itself to deal with racism. Responses to racist incidents should be a part of a broader whole school strategy with any racist incident as a call for action in the curriculum. Head teachers and senior management must take a strong lead on equality issues and see diversity not as a problem to be overcome, but as a rich resource to support the learning of all. A positive anti-racist school ethos and anti-racist curriculum is vital.
Whether or not a school has minority ethnic pupils is not the key issue, as promoting race equality is about preparing all pupils to live harmoniously in a modern multi-ethnic society. Schools need to ensure that all pupils are able to "challenge discrimination and stereotyping" (Aim 2 of the National Curriculum, 1999). The National Curriculum talks explicitly of the need for all teachers to "create effective learning environments in which...stereotypical views are challenged" as part of their statutory inclusion obligations.
Schools should have structures and procedures in place to allow everyone, including teaching staff, non-teaching staff, governors, parents and pupils, to be able to play a role in tackling racist incidents. Everyone needs to know, and to be reminded regularly, about:
- What the school's values and commitments are
- What constitutes a racist incident
- What the school procedures for dealing with such an incident are
The school's position and procedures should be publicised to the whole school community and should be displayed and referred to in assemblies, tutor periods, home-school agreements etc. Above all, it should be clear to pupils and staff how they report incidents. All staff, teaching and non-teaching, should view dealing with racist incidents as vital to the well-being of the whole school. Whilst pupils may report some incidents, staff need to be proactive and vigilant in identifying other cases.