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A research project which is working to create anti-racist environments in schools has been awarded a grant which will be used to offer the Â鶹ƵµÀ Leicester (DMU) programme to primary-age pupils.

Teaching to Transform and the Racial Literacy Project - run by DMU’s Stephen Lawrence Research Centre (SLRC) - have been a huge success in secondary schools around Leicester and Leicestershire.

Pupils at a Teaching To Transform event with Jessica Neal from the Stephen Lawrence Foundation and Education Consultant Natasha Boyce

The two projects, which run side-by-side, support teachers and senior leaders so they understand the dynamics of racism as it exists in schools and adopt anti-racist practices - the work of actively opposing racism by advocating for changes that promote racial equity in society.

This can, in turn, improve teaching and learning methods and make positive changes to the curriculum.

The £5,000 grant from the BERA Small Grants Fund will allow SLRC associate researcher Camille London-Miyo to evaluate the work already done over the past two years and develop a framework to expand the project.

Camille, who is completing her PhD at DMU about the experiences of Black educators in Leicester schools, said: “I am delighted for the communities and the schools that we have worked with.

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“The award is from a nationally recognised body of great repute and it is not only a justification of the work we are doing here, but also testament to the schools involved, showing that what they are doing is worthwhile.

“School pupils are seeing these are the things that DMU is committed to. It makes a connection between DMU and any young people who may not have previously been inspired to go to university.

“These schools that we are working with are leading the way in terms of this sort of work.

An audience of teachers and pupils at a Teaching To transform event

“They are saying ‘these are our principles and these are our core values and we are committed to it’.

“In a time that we have had racial tension and disruption in the UK, these schools have remained positive. It brings great hope to our young people. Our young people are the ones who can make things better for everyone because they have the right ideas about what social justice means.

“This is just the start for us and we are looking for other funding streams to make our research go even further.”

Sherilyn Pereira, Deputy Director of the SLRC, added: “We are getting a lot of inquiries from primary schools in Leicester, Leicestershire and further afield.

“So, we want to make sure that what we have done previously is working and that it can be introduced to primary-age pupils and teachers.

“What is really important is that we are carrying out action-based research. We take that research into our schools to see how the theory matches the practice and look at how we can continue to improve things.

“We want the research we do to be a practical benefit to the communities that we are based in. 

“It is really exciting for schools that have taken part in this journey with us and it means the work can continue and help even more pupils and teachers.”

The BERA Small Grants Fund awards funding annually to research on a different, pressing theme each year, with the intention that each project will:

• make important contributions to the discipline by contributing to and leading current debates; 
• develop research capacity by involving postgraduate students and early career researchers.