Management Information Sheet
Reporting Prejudice Related Incidents
At the end of the Summer term we asked you to complete an annual return for the 2021/22 school year (see MI Sheet 128/22). This provides us with an overview of incidents within the LA. We are grateful to those education settings who have already responded. This information is invaluable as it contributes to our planning and ensures that we are focusing on the right areas, it also means we can direct our resources to the areas you tell us are a priority. If you have not already sent in your return, there is still time and you can follow the link here.
You are asked to report on all incidents relating to protected characteristics as detailed in the Equality Act 2010.
The protected characteristics are:
- Race (ethnicity)
- Sex (gender)
- Disability
- Religion or belief
- Sexual orientation
- Gender reassignment
- Pregnancy and maternity
- Marriage*
- Age*
*These refer to staff but not pupils.
As we now collect this information annually there is no need to submit individual reports to the LA during the year. However, it is really important that you continue to keep records of incidents in your own setting. This should have details of the incident but also information about how you have successfully responded.
The nature of incidents should be monitored regularly with follow up action evaluated. Your response could include individual or group work with children and young people or you might identify that staff would value training on how to deal with incidents.
Many schools and settings have developed an action plan alongside their equality objectives which sets out exactly how they are promoting this important area. Learning and Inclusion are keen to work with in partnership with you can find further information including a range of information and resources here: Equality - Schools (norfolk.gov.uk).
Recording prejudice related incidents
Recording racist incidents was a recommendation of the 1999 MacPherson Report of the inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence. In addition to in-school reporting procedures, sharing the data with the Local Authority allows the identification of patterns and contributes to the monitoring of the effectiveness of countywide strategy and training and the development of models of best practice.
The analysis of this data evidences how schools, settings and the Local Authority:
- Foster good relations
- Advance equality of opportunity
- Eliminate discrimination
These are requirements of the Equality Act.
How to decide if it is a prejudice related incident or bullying
A prejudiced-related incident is any incident which is perceived by the victim, or any other person, to be prejudiced towards an individual, due to one or more of the protected characteristics.
Bullying is the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. It can happen face to face or online. There are four key elements to this definition:
- Hurtful
- Repetition
- Power imbalance
- Intentional
Further information is available here: What is bullying? (anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk).
Bullying may be because of a protected characteristic but this is not always the case.
A prejudice related incident may not be bullying. Bullying related to a protected characteristic would always be a prejudice related incident.
Perceptive Discrimination
"Perceptive discrimination which is the legal term that applies when an individual is treated unfairly because it is believed that they have a certain protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, whether or not it is true. And associative discrimination. Under the Equality Act 2010, discrimination against a person because of their association with another person who has a protected characteristic is unlawful. Protection against associative discrimination covers age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation."