TOWN Hall chiefs say that shock figures highlighting a 40 per cent rise in racist bullying in our classrooms may be misleading.
Luton was one of five towns and cities across the UK, including Middlesborough, Bedford and Oldham, to record a rise of 40 per cent or more in reported incidents deemed by schools to be racist between 2007 and last year.
The staggering statistics, uncovered by the BBC Asian Network following Freedom of Information requests to 90 local authorities, include cases ranging from name calling to physical violence. Nationwide, 87,915 cases were recorded by local authorities.
Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said yesterday: “The impact of racial abuse can be devastating. Schools need to remain places of optimism and belonging for every student. We urge our members to go beyond recording, reporting and compliance to really focus on the culture and ethos of the school and its community to tackle incidents of racial abuse head on.”
But while several leading race charities expressed fears yesterday that the figures were merely ‘the tip of the iceberg’, local education chiefs insisted that the figures could be misleading.
A spokesman for Luton Borough Council said: “The figures indicate a rise on reported incidents not necessarily an increase in incidents. Schools have a range of strategies in place to deal with racism when it occurs, importantly they also work successfully to prevent it through for example Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) lessons and one to one tutoring.
“Ofsted inspections of Luton schools invariably acknowledge harmony between the diverse pupil population. The coalition government does not require schools to report incidents and therefore we cannot comment on figures since 2010.”