The Respect for all web pages were developed in 2001 and have become a vital resource for teachers looking for ways to integrate race equality, diversity and inclusion issues into the taught curriculum.

Interest is growing in these areas. The recommendations of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry, the specific duties for schools in the Race Relations (Amendment) Act (2000), Ofsted’s Framework for the inspection of schools in England from September 2005 (July 2005), and the requirements of the national curriculum have put issues of inclusion and racial equality firmly on school agendas.

Many local authorities have actively supported initiatives to promote good practice in local schools, using the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG) and other funding sources to appoint advisers, provide INSET, support curriculum development, centralise resources and develop web-based guidelines.

There has also been a growing focus on raising African-Caribbean achievement, which has increased awareness of the need for resources to reflect the background and interests of all pupils, including those from ethnic and religious minorities.

Across the country, pupils are being encouraged to engage with issues of local, national and global diversity in the classroom, often in innovative ways.

Schools are:

• using interactive drama to challenge inappropriate attitudes
• organising visits to, for example, the touring Anne Frank exhibition and the Commission for Racial Equality’s ‘Roots of the future’ exhibition
• making Black History Month an annual, whole-school event
• encouraging pupils to research and debate issues of global significance such as slavery, the Holocaust, ethnic cleansing and international terrorism.

Such activities are not confined to schools in multi-ethnic communities. Schools in rural areas where ethnic and social diversity may be less visible have gone to great lengths to ensure that pupils are exposed to and at ease with difference. They have twinned themselves with schools in multicultural areas, established email contact with children in other countries, organised visits to mosques and gurdwaras, and established links with asylum seekers and community groups.

There is still a widespread perception that these issues are confined to PSHE and citizenship, or in primary schools, to circle time. The practice of confining activities to Black History Month or Holocaust Week, when they should arise naturally all year round, is also of ongoing concern.

Despite the growth in activity, awareness of the difference between valuing diversity and challenging racism remains low. Multiculturalism is still widely preferred, encouraging a focus on music, dance, food and different cultural practices at the expense of issues of discrimination and inequality. However, feedback from teachers confirms that there is growing demand for relevant, good quality INSET and resources in these areas.