Sheffield schools are teaching children as young as seven that white people have racial ‘privilege’ and that black people cannot be racist towards white people.
Children aged 7-11 face being taught racism can only be committed by white people (Image: Getty)
A group of Sheffield schools has come under fire after introducing lesson plans that tell children as young as seven that white people enjoy racial privilege, and that black people are incapable of being racist towards white people, prompting accusations of “political indoctrination” from Conservative politicians.
The lesson plans, devised by a teaching school alliance allegedly led by Notre Dame High School, a Government-designated national teaching school, reportedly aim to “empower” students and teachers to challenge “the unequal systems that surround us in society.”
What do the Sheffield school lesson plans say about racism?
The Express understands the materials draw a distinction between racial prejudice and racism, telling older pupils that while black people may harbour prejudice towards white people, this falls short of racism, which the lesson plans define as something only those with cultural power, such as white people, are capable of exhibiting.
Children aged between seven and 11 are reportedly taught that white people in Britain are “likely to be privileged” because of their skin colour. The lesson materials state, according to the Telegraph: “In Britain, white people are likely to be privileged by the colour of their skin. This privilege arises because they are much less likely to be affected by racist behaviour, including bias, discrimination and verbal and physical abuse.”
Notre Dame High School was invited to comment by the Express via email.
Pupils are also understood to be told that “privileged people have a responsibility to reduce racism by: being aware of it; improving their own language and behaviour; challenging their friends’ language and behaviour; reporting incidents of racism; providing support to those who have been harmed by discrimination.”
Accoding to the report, secondary school pupils are also presented with criminal justice statistics, including the claim that black people face stop and search by police at ten times the rate of white people and are significantly more likely to receive custodial sentences for drug-related offences. Questions in that section appear to proceed from the assumption that this disparity is the result of racism.
What did the teaching school alliance say about the lesson plans?
The alliance behind the materials, reportedly said: “Our standalone unit by no means ‘does the job’ of interrupting systemic racism, but we believe it provides an exciting, impactful first step for schools with strong social justice values.”
The concept of “white privilege” is fiercely contested. Those who use it say it captures the invisible, unearned benefits that accrue to white people by default; opponents say it is a blunt instrument that ignores the realities of disadvantaged white communities and sets people against each other.
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What do the Conservatives say about the Sheffield school lesson plans?
The materials drew sharp criticism from Tory politicians, who accused the scheme of amounting to “political indoctrination” and pledged to crack down on “third-party” resources produced by groups with an ideological agenda if they returned to government.
Shadow education secretary Laura Trott urged the Government to intervene to ensure no school made use of the materials. She said: “It is deeply alarming that children as young as seven are being exposed to divisive identity politics in schools under the banner of ‘anti-racism education.’
“These materials teach children that black prejudice against white people cannot be described as racism, present contested concepts like ‘white privilege’ as unquestionable fact and encourage pupils to see themselves primarily through the lens of race.
“It is hugely damaging and exactly the kind of Left-wing ideological nonsense that should be nowhere near our classrooms. Labelling children by race and teaching them to focus on what divides them will only foster resentment and deepen division.”
Shadow minister Neil O’Brien added: “Kemi Badenoch and the Conservatives are going to come down like a tonne of bricks on this kind of political indoctrination in our schools. We will start enforcing the law and rooting out this kind of thing.”
The row echoes a previous national controversy involving Labour MP Diane Abbott, who came under fire after arguing that although Jewish, Irish and traveller communities faced real prejudice, their experience differed in kind from the sustained racism endured by black people throughout their lives.