Schools are to receive updated guidance on impartiality after MPs asked questions about the use of “critical race theory” in Brighton and Hove.
Two MPs raised the subject during education questions in the House of Commons yesterday (Monday 31 January).
Sir John Hayes, the Conservative MP for South Holland and the Deepings, asked Education Minister Michelle Donelan: “Will the minister … investigate how much local authorities are spending on so-called anti-racist education, which is based on deceit, spreads dismay and causes division?
“She will know that this is happening in Brighton and elsewhere.
“Will she therefore meet Don’t Divide Us – parents and teachers who are highlighting these matters – with a view to issuing guidance and if necessary taking legislative steps to prevent this kind of indoctrination?”
The minister replied: “I know that the Minister for School Standards (Robin Walker) will be only too happy to meet my right honourable friend.
“It is important that I remind the House that schools are subject to political impartiality – and guidance on this will be updated shortly.”
Shortly afterwards Julian Lewis, the Conservative MP for New Forest East, asked Mr Walker about the council.
Dr Lewis said: “Given that section 406(1)(b) of the Education Act 1996 already outlaws ‘the promotion of partisan political views in the teaching of any subject in the school’, will the government take appropriate action without further delay against Brighton and Hove City Council, which is planning to indoctrinate seven-year-olds with critical race theory?”
Mr Walker said: “My honourable friend the Minister for Equalities (Kemi Badenoch) has been clear that critical race theory should never be taught as fact. It is a contentious political viewpoint.
“We are working on making sure that we update our guidance on political impartiality in schools to make that absolutely clear.”
The Equalities Minister, who is a former Sussex University student, has previously warned that teaching critical race theory as fact could place council and schools in breach of the equality duties.
The council’s decision to train teachers in critical race theory has attracted questions and criticism and was the subject of a front-page article in the Sunday Telegraph two days ago.
Green councillor Hannah Clare, who chairs the council’s Children, Young People and Skills Committee, tweeted the same day: “Every time a national newspaper writes some kind of ‘hit piece’ (that absolutely isn’t discriminatory itself just ‘anti-woke’) about anti-discrimination work we are doing in our city, the number of racist or transphobic emails I receive fly through the roof. Funny huh?”
She added: “Please do continue to prove the need for the work we are doing.”
At a meeting last month, Don’t Divide Us supporter and former teacher Adrian Hart handed in a petition signed by more 4,000 people criticising “racially divisive” training.
Mr Hart, author of the Myth of Racist Kids, said that critical race theory was a “warped ideology” and that the council had rejected his “freedom of information” request to see what was being taught.
Other councillors, including former teachers, criticised the council’s “secrecy” and said that they too had been unable to see the teaching materials.
The council said that the teaching materials were commercially confidential.
The committee voted in favour of receiving a report about the subject – due in March – and for councillors to see the teaching materials in question.
Today (Tuesday 1 February) the council issued a “statement on training resources recommended by the council for schools’ staff to improve their racial literacy”.
The council said: “Last year, a ‘freedom of information’ request was made asking to see training resources recommended by the council for schools’ staff to improve their racial literacy. To be clear, these training materials are not for pupils.
“This request was refused by council officers on the grounds of commercial interest.
“The council does not have ownership of the training materials, which are commissioned by consultants who also deliver the training elsewhere.
“It was agreed at the time of the initial request that, if the training resources were made public, this would undermine the consultant’s ability in the future to compete for contracts on the open market and that it would also be very likely to harm the council’s own ability to negotiate future contracts for training.
“This decision was challenged and an internal review took place which is standard procedure and undertaken by council officers.
“Yesterday (Monday 31 January) some of the requested training resources were released due to the review finding.
“The full training resources are not within the gift of the council as they are commercially sensitive
“There is a public interest in transparency and accountability in public decision-making and the training sessions that the council provides for staff
“Disclosure would be likely to bring greater public understanding and awareness to the council’s involvement in promoting anti-racism
“There is a public interest in the public being able to see training courses for council staff are appropriate
“Some of the materials are not commercially sensitive and can be released in this context.
“We apologise that officers did not make consultants, councillors and schools aware of this decision before the resources were released.
“We are proud of our pledge and work to be an anti-racist city. How we support schools’ staff on improving their racial literacy is one we stand by and is an essential part of our anti-racist schools strategy.
“The city’s teachers and schools’ staff are incredibly intelligent and analytical professionals who are very capable of evaluating different perspectives on racism and considering how to apply them to improve their own understanding of their pupils’ experiences and needs.
“We have received very positive feedback from schools on the resources we are recommending. It is the decision of the schools to use the resources or not.
“We are committed to working with all people from all ethnicities to combat racism and break the cycle of oppression that has built up over many generations.
“Helping schools to address racism and bias in the educational curriculum is a key part of this work.”
“the number of racist or transphobic emails I receive fly through the roof. Funny huh?” = very funny
you sound really lovely
There seems to be no end to how far down the gutter the Greens will drag themselves into, and most of that is all down to Hannah.
Funny huh?
No, not to Brighton residents it isn’t.
“Green councillor Hannah Clare, who chairs the council’s children, young people and skills committee, said last week: “Critical race theory is our lens for developing our understanding of the complexities of racism”
Excuse me folks, but I am an oldie and come from an era when 7-year-olds were just taught reading, writing and arithmetic, (which local schools might do well to concentrate on, just as an aside). I do not really understand what CRT is and do not understand anything Cllr Clare has ever said and wish she would just go away and get out of the City, but could somebody please explain in simple words of one syllable, hopefully, why on earth she is getting transphobic and racist emails on this subject, what these emails have to do with the subject-matter – and why doesn’t she report them to the police?
>why on earth she is getting transphobic and racist emails on this subject
Opponents to this sort of work generally overlap with prejudiced people. They’re obviously letting their general opinions (shall we say) fly in their emails to her.
>what these emails have to do with the subject-matter
CRT is basically saying “you can still be racist or biased without being a klan member” and lots of quietly bigoted people are nervous they’ll be outed if the people around them are paying attention. Hence the outrage.
>and why doesn’t she report them to the police?
No idea. Maybe she is?
Some Guy, you need to read the source material a little more closely. Opponents of Critical Race Theory include a black former Sussex Uni student with ministerial responsibility for equalities, as well as all sorts of people at the liberal and progressive end of the political spectrum, here and in the USA.
You don’t need to be a raving white supremacist to worry about the sneaky way our teaching staff are being indoctrinated in CRT. Just read what Manjeet Birk, one of its advocates, has to say about ‘diversity’ and ‘progressives’ being the problem.
https://theconversation.com/critical-race-theory-diversity-is-not-the-solution-dismantling-white-supremacy-is-163398
For ‘progressives’, read a broad tranche of the Green and Labour parties. In the eyes of many advocates of CRT, you and your well-meaning ways are a huge part the problem, as much as Conservatives or reactionaries.
Manjeet Birk writes, ‘Diversity has become a way to appease the masses and occupy people like me, the critical race agitators so we chase diversity up the chain of command instead of demanding radical change. Instead of starting a revolution.’
Funnily enough, I’m not sure I want teachers teaching my children we need a revolution.
You may not have to be a klan member to be racist, but there is a big difference between those who try to bridge the many types of differences between us (like race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, wealth, social class) and those who try to emphasise the differences in a way that stokes conflict.
According to Wikipedia, which is only one source, ‘Academic critics of CRT argue it is based on storytelling instead of evidence and reason, rejects truth and merit, and opposes liberalism.’
Personally, much as I value the power of stories (one of the reasons I visit this site), I also believe in evidence and reason, rationalism and the key enlightment principles (also among the reasons I visit this site).
Liberalism may have its flaws, but I personally find many of those who oppose liberalism, from the political Left and Right, deeply unappealing.
Opposition to critical race theory may be loudest on the political Right in the US, but plenty of Democrats have strong reservations. The opponents are not all white, either, just as the most vocal critic in Parliament is the Equalities Minister, who is not white.
In my job, I have spent time in our organisation’s mandatory training sessions to help us fulfil our equalities duties, including those relating to race.
The most recent of these have been led by advocates of critical race theory and have been far more strident and confrontational than the more effective training previously given.
Some of the most ardent adherents of critical race theory seem to me to thrive on conflict and driving people apart, rather than healing divides and bringing people together.
The Labour MP Jo Cox famously said in her maiden speech, ‘We are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us.’
I would have greater admiration for the council and the Greens if they were able to commission anti-racism training that had a more positive track record and was far less divisive.