Written question asked by Laurence Robertson (Conservative) on Thursday, 26 November 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 1 December 2009. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Tuesday, 1 December 2009 on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Schools: Racism

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what requirements there are on schools to record alleged racist statements and actions which take place on their grounds; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 places a general duty on all public authorities, including schools, to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination; promote equality of opportunity; and promote good race relations.In 2006 the Department issued two guidance documents to schools on race relations. The first document, "Recording and reporting racist incidents guidance", states that a school must have a written race equality policy; advises on recording and investigating incidents; and recommends that schools should report all incidents to the local authority at least annually. The second document, "Tackling bullying around race, religion and culture", forms part of our overall guidance to schools on bullying, "Safe to Learn: Embedding Anti-bullying Work in Schools". The guidance recommends that schools should record all incidents of bullying and use the data to monitor their anti-bullying policies.In 2010, the DCSF intend to introduce a new statutory duty on schools to record incidents of bullying between pupils, racist incidents and incidents of verbal and physical abuse against school staff. We intend to consult later this year on whether the new duty should require schools to report all bullying incidents to their local authority, and whether types of bullying incident (eg racist, disablist, homophobic, etc.) should be included.

Secondary information