The Myth of Racist Kids is a 23,000 word report that I proposed and subsequently wrote for The Manifesto Club.

I was pleased to see an extract from The Myth of Racist Kids deployed as a component in a teacher training ‘online discussion activity’.  Prepared and piloted by Jane Davies of the University of Sunderland for the Multiverse ‘teacher training resource bank’ the exercise asks students to read the extract and consider some of the counter-arguments.  Its slightly disappointing that the counter-arguments turned out to be the pedantic, rather besides-the-point protest posted by Robin Richardson (who felt the government ‘TeacherNet’ guidance he’d authored had been misinterpreted), and the even more grumpy IRR piece by Jenny Bourne.

It's now very unlikely there will be a new statutory duty imposed on schools this September... but it's coming.

Posted: June 2010

This news should come as some relief to schools who were bracing themselves for yet another layer of procedural obligations extending outward from racist incident reporting and into recording all prejudice-based verbal and physical abuse according to type (i.e. race, religion or culture, disability or special educational needs, sexuality, gender or gender identity).  But if any of us who work in the real world of children behaving childishly were quietly hoping Michael Gove will put a stop to this corrosive policy, we better not hold our breath.

Posted: February 2010

My report 'The Myth of Racist Kids' has triggered some prickly reactions. This isn't surprising.  But if we're to have a constructive debate better to avoid name-calling and telling tales and engage with the real issues like grown-ups.