Our Response to the Report of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities

We recognise that there have been some strides in race equality in the education sector. We are incredibly proud of the hard work that students, parents and teachers have put in to fight persistent inequalities and increase education attainment.

Whilst we agree that some advances have been made, there is still a long way to go before we achieve race equality in education. It is crucial that we recognise, listen, and more importantly, respect the experiences of people of colour. With UK schools recording more than 60,000 racist incidents over the past five years, black graduates still being underrepresented in a range of academic careers, and almost half of English schools having no teachers from ethnic minority backgrounds, it is clear that there is still much more work that needs to be done. 

Real equality is only achieved when we have equality in education for all. We need to work together and ensure the best outcomes for all racialised groups - with a particular focus on support for Black Caribbean students, given the latest statistics. Furthermore, it is crucial we consider education outcomes - whilst some Black and Asian groups have made progress in terms of attainment, statistics show that students of colour are still less likely to enter Russell Group universities, end up in highly-skilled jobs, study further or have career satisfaction.

In addition, the school curriculum needs urgent attention if it is to “achieve inclusivity”, which the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities refers to, therefore we look forward to urgent government action on this with the exam boards and teacher training institutions.

We collectively stand firm in our mission to advance race equality in education, and are determined to support students, parents and teachers across the UK.