Schools see rise in race incidents

THERE were 396 race incidents across Oldham’s primary and secondary schools last year.

Teachers pinpointed racist jokes, intimidation, name-calling and racist literature among the complaints.

Under race-equality laws, schools have to report every racist incident and record action taken.

The figure is up from 281 in 2009, making Oldham second to Manchester regionally for the largest number of incidents.

One Oldham school — which was not named in a Freedom of Information request — had 62 racist incidents. In some cases, schools referred the incidents to outside agencies, including the police and social workers.

A council spokesman said that all schools are required to respond effectively to racist incidents and report them on a weekly basis to the council.

He added: “Oldham Council is committed to dealing with racist incidents at all of our schools.

“There is a wide range of projects and initiatives that schools can participate in to support their work in promoting community cohesion.

“We track school reporting over time and provide support to and challenge schools as appropriate.

“In addition, training is available to schools to support them in developing their competence and confidence in responding appropriately and effectively to incidents when they occur.”