Meeting of the Parliament 19 February 2026 [Draft]
I am very shocked to hear that pupils have been encouraged to move schools, in some instances, because they have been on the receiving end of persistent racist bullying. That should not be happening in our schools, and I reiterate that there is no place for that type of hatred in them.
Where that type of behaviour does occur, it needs to be robustly addressed. That is why the forthcoming whole-school approach guidance, which I mentioned in my previous response, will offer a further response to our councils and schools on the handling of racist incidents. That guidance has been developed with the racism and racist incidents sub-groups, the work of which is being taken forward as part of the national action plan on relationships and behaviour.
Education Scotland’s building racial literacy programme is open to teachers across the country and, as I understand it, it has been a worthwhile initiative that has helped support teachers in our schools. The programme provides access to online learning, which allows teachers from all local authorities to take part. More than 1,000 teachers have completed the programme so far, and 24 anti-racist mentors now support schools across the country, including in rural areas such as Highland and Orkney.