Naomi Bakare was only eight years old when she realized that she had no choice but to leave her school. She experienced racist bullying that started in reception class that eventually escalated to the point where her classmates wore masks in her presence and told her that she “smelled.”
She explained, “I felt like an outcast and an alien. It was a constant onslaught from the moment I started in reception until I left in year 3. They just wouldn’t leave me alone.”
Bakare’s story is just one of many shocking accounts of the lived experiences of children in modern Britain related to The Guardian. Along with the disproportionate exclusion rates and police presence in minority ethnic areas, this evidence raises questions about whether there is a hidden epidemic of racism in British schools.
Bakare, now 17, revealed that she had been called “poo” and that, once, a pupil slashed a ruler across her arm and threatened to cut it off. She said, “By this point, I was terrified and felt that nothing I did would make them like me. I would never be allowed to fit in.”
She added, “I often told the teachers what was happening, hoping that they would intervene, but they never did. They simply just let the bullying continue. Nothing was being done.”
Although Bakare’s experiences at primary school were more than a decade ago, their impact is still noticeable today. “I struggled with insecurity and anxiety because of how I was treated in primary school,” she explained. “Racism in schools is a huge problem, and not enough action is being taken to prevent it from happening. Schools must work harder to ensure that children do not suffer like I did.”
Several children and teenagers shared stories in response to a callout from The Guardian about racism in schools today. These children and teenagers include a 15-year-old boy from Bradford who was compared to Osama bin Laden and called the P-word repeatedly, a 14-year-old girl from Greater Manchester who was forced to move schools after her hijab was ripped off, and a 15-year-old boy who was called the N-word by his peers before delivering an assembly explaining why it was a racial slur.
Meanwhile, a 12-year-old Irish Traveller girl who attends a secondary school in Sussex frequently hid her heritage due to repeated racist insults. She revealed, “As I walk down the halls at school, some people say ‘p*key’ to their friends – except one person who says it to my face. Some people are unaware that it’s racist.”
Omie Dale, who encountered racism at her state secondary school, Stanground Academy, published an open letter outlining her experience after George Floyd’s death last summer. Dale, who is of Gambian heritage, said that it took her several years to realize that the abuse she and other students experienced had been normalized by the school at the time.
Her letter revealed numerous incidents, including pupils saying “n***** lips” and “gorilla fingers,” as well as what she described as an accepted culture of xenophobia against Polish and Lithuanian students and Islamophobia against Muslim children.
“I felt incredibly conscious of my skin color for the first time and started feeling ostracized,” she revealed. “But what stands out to me now is that the school did nothing to stop it. The bullying was just allowed to continue.”
Dale recounted that a large group of students planned on attending an English Defence League march. Although the students were not allowed to attend eventually, she revealed that the school did not appear to make any effort to understand their reasons for wanting to attend it.
She concluded, “There is still an unwillingness to understand why racism exists in certain schools. Ignorant attitudes are disregarded, hoping that they will just disappear.” Resultantly, Greenwood Academies Trust, which operates Stanground Academy among its 37 schools, invited Dale, who left the school in 2013, to become an advisor on racism to Wayne Norrie, the trust’s CEO.
As the CEO of the trust since 2016, we have instilled a collective responsibility to cultivate a diversified, inclusive and welcoming environment throughout our 37 academies. We operate a zero-tolerance policy towards racism and inequality in any of our institutions,” stated the CEO.
“Although I am happy with the progress made thus far, there is still more work to be done. I did not know Omie personally because she left the school before my arrival. Nonetheless, after learning about Omie’s experiences, I have been working together with her to ensure that we maintain a culture that welcomes, supports and provides an equal platform for all students and staff to pursue happy and successful lives."
Appy Kokoricha shared her ordeal regarding hair discrimination, which she faced during her time at Kesteven and Grantham girls’ school in Lincolnshire, where she was one of the very few students of colour.
“I attended an all-white school, and I can count on my fingers the number of mixed-race people in my entire year,” she recounted.
Kokoricha, who usually braided her hair with beads, cut her hair short one day. She received a negative comment from her teacher about her new haircut, which she deemed harmless.
“I can recall a teacher remarking that my new appearance made me look like a drug dealer,” she remembered.
Kokoricha was also removed from class by another teacher who considered her hair inappropriate. The teacher gave her a piece of cloth to cover up her hair.
Kokoricha was humiliated by the incident. “It felt like I had assaulted a teacher or something. Being told that I couldn’t wear my natural hair because it was offensive to them is ridiculous and degrading,” she said.
The Head Teacher of the Kesteven and Grantham Girls’ School, James Fuller, said that the school never received any complaints or reports regarding Kokoricha’s experience. “Kesteven and Grantham Girls’ School is inclusive and works on inclusiveness as demonstrated in our policies and practices and positive experiences of our female students,” he added.
“Our uniform policy outlines clear expectations of every student. Nonetheless, allowances for any religious or cultural requirements are made. You can refer to our website to read our policies, including our equality and diversity policy, and learn how the school promotes equality and diversity among our school community,” he concluded.
A recent study by YMCA revealed that young people of black and mixed ethnicity often feel like they need to change their identity to be accepted. 95% confirmed witnessing racist language at school, while 49% believe racism is the biggest obstacle to academic achievement.
Furthermore, Friends, Families and Travellers across 23 children from a Gypsy, Roma and Traveller background disclosed that 61% encountered racism in school with 87% saying that more needs to be taught about Gypsy, Roma and Traveller cultures and histories. 43% disclosed that racism is the most significant challenge as far as school is concerned.
Penny Rabiger, co-founder and trustee of BAMEed Network representing minority school staff, elaborated that racism in schools isn’t always clear, but also structural. She said that it includes "seemingly simple enforcements of policies, rules or so-called norms, which act to ‘other’ and exclude a significant and valued element of our school communities from participation as equals around the table. The effects, as we see, are deeply wounding and longlasting."
According to Sarah Mann, director of Friends, Families and Travellers, the intro to society for most pupils leaves a scarred impression when students face racist bullying, a lack of understanding and an attitude that blames the student.
