Nursery teachers should be taught to give lessons on white privilege, says guidance
PLAYGROUP teachers need an “understanding about white privilege” so toddlers can learn to “recognise racist behaviours and develop anti-racist views”, according to new guidance.
The advice, drawn up as an alternative to the Government’s statutory guidance by representatives from unions and charities, said it was “time to challenge the widespread notion that ‘children do not see race’ and are colour blind to difference”.
It states that “children’s racial prejudice” is at risk of being “maintained or reinforced” unless teachers have specialist training.
Last night it was criticised by Conservative MPs for being the “wrong way to go about” combating racism as it risked early-years learning “becoming some kind of political Soviet indoctrination session”. It was published a day after an official government report found that factors such as family structure, class, socio-economic background, geography, culture and religion had “more significant impact on life chances than the existence of racism”.
The Early Years Coalition’s new 128page guidance – titled “Birth to 5 Matters” – was developed over the past six months by an 18-strong steering group including representatives from the National Education Union, the National Day Nurseries Association and the Association for Professional Development in Early Years.
Birth to 5 Matters is seen as an alternative to the Government’s non-statutory guidance on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), titled “Development Matters”, which comes into effect in September.
The official government guidance requires five-year-olds to “know some similarities and differences between different religious and cultural communities in this country, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class”.
However, Birth to 5 Matters goes further, advising staff that “talking about race is a first step in countering racism”.
“Practitioner training is an important step toward opening dialogue and developing understanding about white privilege, systemic racism, and how racism affects children and families in early years settings,” it says.
“Encouraging dialogue about difference can evoke children’s strong sense of fairness and break down false assumptions about everyone being able to succeed on their merits, so that children recognise racist behaviours and develop anti-racist views.”
Robert Halfon, chairman of the education select committee, said: “This is
just unacceptable. This dogma and doctrine is totally out of place. We have all got to combat racism but this is the absolute wrong way to go about it, and insults white working-class people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“The whole purpose of children learning is to learn, not for some kind of political Soviet indoctrination session.”
Sir John Hayes, chairman of the Common Sense Group of Tory MPs, said: “If you tell some children they are privileged you have to by definition tell some others that they are not, that they are somehow disadvantaged or underprivileged. It is really destructive to the welfare of children.”
Beatrice Merrick, chairman of the Early Years Coalition, told The Sunday Telegraph that Birth to 5 Matters “includes a section on equalities to support practitioners in understanding how their legal duties under the EYFS and equalities legislation impact on their practice, and issues they need to consider in ensuring all children and families are treated equitably”.
A Department for Education spokesman said: “Birth to 5 Matters is not government guidance. It has been produced by an independent organisation and it has not been endorsed by the Department.”