Introduction
Dealing with Racist Incidents
All our staff have received training to use this policy confidently whenever a racist incident occurs. The policy has been reviewed by our Governing Body, our School Development Board, and external consultants.
We record all incidents on our safeguarding system, My Concern. This helps us monitor patterns of racist behaviour and identify if a child has repeatedly experienced or displayed racism.
All incidents are investigated by the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). After an incident, we provide support for any child affected. This support is given by one of our Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSAs). Our ELSAs and Wellbeing team have received specialist training from Mpula Lawton at A.R.I.S.E to guide this work.
Contacting Us
If you want to talk about our work on anti-racism or if you have a concern, all teachers are happy to meet with you. We encourage parents to come forward so we can continue learning and improving.
You can also contact:
- Kirstie Henry, Pastoral Lead: khenry@coleridgeprimary.net
- Leon Choueke, Headteacher: head@coleridgeprimary.net
We are always here to listen and support.
A full staff list is available under the Staff List section of this website.
Racial Literacy
At Coleridge, we aim to help our whole school community understand and talk about race and racism. This is called racial literacy, and we provide regular professional development for all staff on this.
It is very important to us that all staff can confidently and empathetically discuss issues around race with each other, with children, and with parents and carers. Over the past two years, staff have received training from experts including Mpula Lawton from ARISE, Hemisphere Education, Tracy Campbell and Orlene Badu, as well as in-house training led by our school team.
Training has focused on:
- Understanding the language of anti-racism
- Systemic racism and microaggressions
- Hair equality
- Talking to children about race and racism
- Responding to racist incidents and following our policies
Staff feedback shows they feel more confident discussing and understanding race and racism as a result of this training.
Three members of our staff team, including Leon Choueke the Headteacher, are also part of the Haringey Education Partnership (HEP) Racial Equity Champions Group.
An Inclusive Curriculum
Over the last three years, we have redesigned our school curriculum to make sure it reflects our diverse school community. We want all our children to see themselves—their ethnicity, race, and religion represented in what they learn.
Our History, Geography, and Religion & World Views curriculum is based on the Haringey Education Partnership’s Opening World Curriculum, which is known for its global and cultural breadth. It celebrates diversity across ethnicity, gender, region, and community.
We also invite education consultants to carry out reviews supporting our curriculum development. They work with subject leaders across History, Geography, Religion, Art, Music, and Reading.
Time is also set aside throughout the year to teach children about anti-racism. This happens in class, during assemblies, and through workshops led by our staff as well as external speakers.
If you would like to know more about our curriculum, weekly updates on what your child is learning are posted on Parent Hub, and full year plans are available on our school website. Some examples of how we’ve integrated anti-racism are below.
English
In English, we have invested in a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books that reflect our school community. These books are available in classrooms and the school libraries. Across all subjects, children are exposed to many different genres and authors. Teachers also make sure that images and texts used in lessons reflect the diversity of our school.
History
In History, children learn about a wide range of global civilizations and how they have shaped modern society.
Geography
In Geography, children study countries such as Jamaica and Ethiopia and explore migration and how it has shaped London.
Music
Each year, we celebrate and learn about a variety of diverse musicians and artists. These have included Labi Siffre, Nina Simone, Bill Withers, and Stormzy.
As part of our Black History Month celebrations last year, the whole school learned and performed “Blinded by Your Grace, Pt. 2” by Stormzy. The children performed together and sounded amazing. Although the song has religious undertones, we chose it because it reflects our core value of Caring. We spoke to the children about how the song is about having faith in others and the difference we can make by being there for each other. We also discussed how Stormzy has contributed to society through his work with charities and movements focused on fighting racial inequality, justice reform, and empowering Black communities in the UK.
Art
We ran an art project inspired by the work of renowned artist Lubaina Himid. Children created their own interpretations of her sculptures, while also thinking about identity and celebrating the many cultures that make up our school community.
We have also explored the work of other celebrated artists, including Njideka Akunyili Crosby and Pascal Marthine Tayou.
Extra Curricular
In our Book Making project, children have also learnt about contemporary and influential Black British figures—including artists, musicians, politicians, authors, poets, and journalists. Each class has created a class book about the people they have studied. Below is a sample of the children’s books from this term.
Podcasts
We have also created a podcast series where parents and children read their favourite stories in a variety of languages.
Parent Involvement
At Coleridge, parents play a vital role in our school, especially in helping us ensure that we are actively anti-racist.
We have run a number of sessions for parents, focusing on how to talk to your children about inclusivity and racism. These sessions provide practical advice and resources to support families at home.
We have run surveys with our parents about our approaches to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The results of these surveys help guide our work as a school.
Our Racial Equity Group meets half-termly to discuss and guide the school’s work on anti-racism. This group includes governors, senior leaders, staff, and parents and has been invaluable in shaping our approach.
We also have a parent group called CARN (Coleridge Anti-Racism Network). This group organises social events to connect and support our racially minoritised parents. They also have supported parents to raise issues with the school and work together to find solutions.
Anti Racism Resources
We have lots of anti-racism resources, including videos of talks we’ve had at school, and recommendations for further reading, watching and listening, on our Anti-Racism Resources page.