Following the highly publicised and tragic murder in Woolwich in May, there has been a rise in Islamophobic attacks and in particular of online harassments of individuals. Some of this harassment is carried out by young people. There have been attacks on some mosques and teachers have reported conversations in classrooms, corridors and playgrounds which have caused them concern.

It is important that teachers know where to find advice and information about:
how to discuss issues around Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and other forms of racism; and
what strategies can be used to prevent and counter prejudice and to challenge and reduce stereotypes about race and religion.

Information and resources to use in classroom are available including:

1. Do not tolerate intolerance: racism, Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia
2. School project on racist and religious Hate Crime developed by the NUT, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Anthony Walker Foundation
3. Show Racism the Red Card
4. Love Music Hate Racism
5. Kick It Out

This Charter on promoting the achievement of black Caribbean boys is rooted in the belief about the nature and purpose of education.In its education statement, ‘Bringing Down the Barriers’, the National Union of Teachers set out its views on how education should be carried forward over the next decade.

This document is intended to be used with a wide range of audiences interested in promoting the achievement of black Caribbean boys.

All forms of racism are unacceptable

Anti-Semitism is on the rise. In Britain, attacks on Jewish people or property have increased by 260 per cent over a two year period. There have been attacks on synagogues, Jewish schools and community centres and the desecration of Jewish graves with swastikas.

In France, 455 racist and anti-Semitic incidents occurred in one term prompting the French Government to take strong action to deal with racism in schools. Teachers were also reporting that teaching about the Holocaust in some classrooms had become impossible because of the hostility towards the subject by students of Arab origin.

Anti-Semitism has connections and similarities with other forms of racism. There are some important similarities and overlaps between anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. There is a strong religious element, for example, in both kinds of hostility and negative stereotypes are used to justify exclusion and discrimination. It is therefore important that action at school level against anti-Semitism is integrated with action against other forms of racism and discrimination. The struggle against racism should be holistic and indivisible: an attack on one minority group is an attack on all.

In December 2010 the NUT, in partnership with the National Association for Language Development in the Curriculum (NALDIC) carried out a survey on the impact of Ethnic Minority Achievement (EMA) Grant & local authority (LA) funding changes on provision for the education of bilingual and minority ethnic pupils. Attached is the report of the survey.

In March 2011, the NUT and NALDIC made a joint freedom of information request to all local authorities in England seeking information such as whether the local authority has agreed to continue to hold back the £150,000 or 15% of the EMAG grant from the DSG. Attached is the report from our findings.

In October 2011 the NUT, in partnership with the National Association for Language Development in the Curriculum (NALDIC) carried out a survey on the impact of Ethnic Minority Achievement (EMA) Grant and LA funding changes on provision for the education of bilingual and ethnic minority pupils. Attached is the report of the survey.

In November 2010 the NUT, in partnership with the Inner London Traveller Education Consortium, carried out the “National Traveller Education Survey”. Attached is the report of the survey.