What to do if your child experiences racism at school

It’s important that your child knows they can always talk to you about racism, and tell you about any incidents they may have experienced. 

Be on the lookout for signs of distress or changes in behaviour which may be linked to worry or fears about racism or racist incidents. Encourage your child to discuss any concerns with you, at any time. 

Even with your support, children and young people can find it very challenging to report racism at school. They may think that adults in school won’t understand, or that they won’t be taken seriously. They may be worried about being seen as a troublemaker or facing further racism or victimisation after reporting an incident. 

It may help to let your child know that you’re listening to their concerns and that you support them. 

If your child has come to you because they’ve experienced racism at school, or have seen someone else treated unfairly or unpleasantly because of their race, it’s important to let the school know as soon as possible. Your child may not realise that what’s happened is a racist incident, but it’s still important to report it.

You may feel uncertain or anxious about reporting a racist incident to your child’s school. You may be unsure what to say, worried that your concerns won’t be taken seriously, or there may be communication or language barriers. But it’s important to remember that schools should take all reports of racist incidents seriously and should always look into them. 

It may be helpful to ask to speak to a teacher or staff member that you know, or who has previously taught your child. If there are language barriers, schools should make it easier for you to communicate with them. You could also ask a friend to support you and help you report the issue.

Following a report of a racist incident, a school may:

• Provide support for your child to help them feel comfortable and safe in school.
• Provide support for all children and young people involved, to help them understand the impact of the incident and why racism and racist incidents are not acceptable.
• Speak to the parents, carers or family members of all children or young people involved to explain what response will be taken to the incident.
• Make a record of what has happened.

The Scottish Government has guidance on how schools should respond to racism and racist incidents experienced by children and young people which explains this in more detail.

If your child has experienced racism at school, or you’re worried about the impact on your child, the following organisations can help:

• Intercultural Youth Scotland provide counselling for children and young Black People of Colour aged 12-25 based in Scotland
• If you’re not happy with the way the school has dealt with the issue, the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER) has an advocacy and advice service for parents and carers of children and young people facing racism at school.

Sadly, parents, carers and family members can also experience racism or racist behaviour when taking part in school community life, for example:

• when you’re helping your child learn at home
• when you’re taking part in school activities, like accompanying a school trip
• during routine activities in the school day, such as drop-off and pick-up
• seeing material at school (like racist graffiti on school walls) or shared by the school (like the content of your child’s homework),

If you’ve experienced racism at your child’s school, it’s important to tell the school as soon as you can. You may wish to start by speaking to a teacher or staff member that you know. They can then refer your report to the head teacher or school leadership team.

Sometimes, parents or family members may experience racism from another parent or family member in school. School staff can’t settle incidents between parents or family members, but there are lots of things they can do to promote good relations, respect and understanding. For example:

• Schools can provide signposting to support for families who are experiencing racism in the wider school community.
• They may be able to improve the safety of the school environment, for example by making arrangements to limit the chance of a parent affected by racism encountering the person responsible.

Some types of racist behaviour may be a criminal offence, such as a hate crime. Adults should seek immediate help from Police Scotland if they suspect or believe that a crime may have happened, or that a child or young person has been seriously harmed. Our page on hate crime has more information.