West Yorkshire Citizens Youth Assembly
West Yorkshire Citizens Youth Assembly
On 4th July, young leaders from West Yorkshire Citizens organised and chaired a Youth Assembly at Atlas Community Primary School in Bradford. The young people were from Atlas Community Primary, Beckfoot Thornton, Beckfoot Heaton Primary, Beckfoot School, Immanuel College, Dixons Sixth Form Academy, Dixons Allerton Academy, Dixons McMillan Academy, Dixons Trinity Academy, and five other Priestley Academy Trust primary schools.
They met with Baroness Anne Longfield, the former Children’s Commissioner for England and founder of the Centre for Young Lives, and spoke about their work on the Racial Equity in Education Campaign. The campaign has been one of the founding and fundamental strands of the work done in West Yorkshire Citizens, looking at issues around racism, inclusion and belonging. They spoke about racist incidents in their schools and public spaces, including buses, supermarkets and streets.
They asked for support with wider reforms to the education system, including:
- better training for school staff - including teacher training across career phases
- integrating diversity across the curriculum so that everyone can belong a more diverse workforce
- improvements to the way racist incidents are treated - starting with making improvements to the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance.
Baroness Longfield offered her full support and committed to continuing the conversation in the autumn term at Westminster. She also pledged to connect students with key decision-makers who can help turn their ideas into lasting change.
Young leaders from Priestley Trust primary schools also discussed their Safe Spaces project, which aims to create a community space where all children can play, including those who are refugees or who are seeking asylum that are often living in hotel rooms with very little space. Baroness Longfield agreed that play is fundamental to the lives of all children and committed to support the project as they look for a local solution.
“I feel proud from the achievements made today as I believe that the educational community will benefit greatly from the requests that will be put to action. It is important to raise concerns that affect the education of students so that learning can be made more fun and accessible for all students. I like the fact that Baroness Longfield gave us advice on how to complete our requests and shared her opinions about the different topics discussed. I feel that this meeting has been productive and informative and all the concerns that have been expressed will be put into action.”
Annabelle, community leader from West Yorkshire Citizens.
Education should be an equaliser, with schools as places where every child has an equal chance to thrive. Sadly, this is not yet the case. We have listened to a diverse range of children, young people, parents and educators who have told us about their experiences of racial inequity within the education system. Find out how we are organising to build more inclusive spaces that foster a positive learning environment and support the well-being of students and staff through our Racial Equity in Education campaign.