Curriculum reviews launched to increase focus on ‘race equality’ in wake of BLM protests

Several of the UK’s largest multi-academy trusts have launched curriculum reviews in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, aimed at making courses more “diverse” and focussing on “race equality”.

Some have even appointed “dedicated equalities-coordinators” or launched steering groups to “drive” the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) agenda across their schools.

Calls to “decolonise” the curriculum have been gaining pace at universities in recent years, where students have been urging their professors to examine whether courses are too dominated by white, male European points of view.

An analysis of the annual accounts of the country’s leading multi-academy trusts by The Telegraph reveals that in the wake of the death of George Floyd, several are now looking to overhaul the content of lessons.

Rev Steve Chalke, founder of the Oasis Charitable Trust which runs 52 schools, said there is a team of “equality and diversity champions” who promote race equality across the trust.

He said that their work began four years ago but was given a “fresh impetus” following the death of George Floyd.

“It’s not enough to say you are not racist, you have to proactively be anti racist,” he told The Telegraph. “This isn’t one or two changes, this is across the whole piece: what goes on our walls, assembly materials, music, history arts, literature - we dropped various books like Of Mice and Men and have introduced new ones.”

Rev Chalke explained that whereas previously inspirational quotes on school classroom walls were from historic figures such as Shakespeare and Einstein, these have now been changed to make it less about “white men dominating history”.

Inspirational quotes from Nelson Mandela and the African-American poet Maya Angelou have now been added, he said.

Academies are funded directly by the Government and have more control over the way they operate. They do not have to follow the national curriculum in the way that other local authority-run state schools do.

The United Learning Trust, runs 13 independent schools and 76 state schools, said in its annual report that a “a group-wide curriculum review on diversity and inclusion focusing on race equality” was undertaken “following the killing of George Floyd and the subsequent Black Lives Matter movement”.

The trust, which is one of the largest in the UK, said that their curriculum has been updated to “better promote diversity and inclusion across all subject areas and give a voice to ethnic minorities as well as groups whose voices have not always been heard”.

'Inclusion strategy'

Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust (BDAT), which runs 17 primary and secondary schools, has an “inclusion strategy” which includes a pledge to “review and revise the curriculum at all Key Stages so that it represents the diverse culture of society and encourages tolerance and respect”.

The trust’s annual report explains: “All of us were affected by the tragic circumstances surrounding the death of George Floyd and the spotlight it put on both the unintentional and intentionally systematic racism which runs through modern society.

“BDAT recognise 2020 has been a year where we have seen a number of inequalities, gaps and biases come to the forefront across our society. The Black Lives Matter agenda showed that inherent racial inequality and prejudice is still prevalent in our country”.

The Kemnal Academies Trust, which runs 45 schools in the south-east and east of England, has also listed as one of its “core aims” for the year ahead to “develop representative curriculums” and ensure pupils leave school with a “proper understanding of the importance of equality and respecting and understanding differences."

The trust also said it will make sure all employees attend “unconscious bias training” sessions in the year ahead.

Focus Trust, which runs 15 primary schools in the north west of England, said it expects all employees to “actively challenge and address discrimination and unconscious bias in structures, systems and the curriculum”.

The Guildford Education Partnership’s last annual report notes that one of its schools has a “dedicated equalities co-ordinator” while the David Ross Education Trust, which runs 34 schools, has an EDI steering group to “drive the EDI agenda across the trust”.