The Consultation, Engagement and Equalities Manager presented a report, the purpose of which, was to update Cabinet Committee Equalities on the Equalities work within schools within Bridgend County Borough, to include incidents of bullying, racial incidents, partnership working, the impact of the community cohesion officer role and working with the police.

She advised Members that on 18 March 2019 all schools were sent guidance on reporting racist incidents within schools.

The schools were also provided with an updated Racist Incident Report Form (Appendix 1 to the report referred).

This report outlined the incidents reported during academic years 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, the work carried out in schools by the inclusion team and the collaborative work with the police during this period.

In the academic year 2018-2019 there were ten racist incidents reported by schools across the county borough. Incidents were reported from the  schools identified in paragraph 4.1 of the report.

The majority of incidents recorded by age of perpetrator and victim were between the ages of 7 to 11 years.

In seven of the incidents the perpetrator was recorded as White British, for the other three incidents the ethnicity of the perpetrator was not recorded. This section of the report also included details of the gender of the perpetrators and the victims.

As a result of these incidents, the Consultation, Engagement and Equalities Manager advised that training for pupils in the form of a series of Workshops was arranged for Schools, Early Help groups and the Third Sector.

She proceeded further, by advising that a schools LGBTQ network had been established to support school staff and pupils. Members of the network, along with members form the Youth Council joined the Equalities Team and Proud Councils in the PRIDE Cymru march in August 2019.

In the academic year 2019-2020, so far there have been there have been 12 racist incidents reported by schools across the county borough. Incidents have been reported from the schools contained in paragraph 4.3 of the report. A further breakdown on the type of incidents were outlined in the subsequent sections of this part of the report, once more, including the ages of perpetrators and victims. This was as at March 2020.

The Consultation, Engagement and Equalities Manager, advised that in Autumn 2019 Welsh Government announced a number of grant funded streams to deal with Hate Crime. Amongst these was a project for work specifically in 100 schools, and its aim was to deliver critical thinking skills and raise awareness of all aspects of Hate Crime in schools, with a focus on Key Stage 3. The aim is to begin this work in the academic year 2019-2020.

She further explained that following a series of meetings between WLGA, Community Cohesion Coordinators and preferred providers for delivering hate crime projects, a number of schools in Bridgend were identified on the basis of analysis on reported hate crime in the community, anti-social behaviour in the area and discussions with the school liaison officers.

The five schools identified were shown in paragraph 4.4.3 of the report.

The WLGA had also in January 2020, commissioned Show Racism the Red Card as a partner to deliver the project to identified schools across Wales.

A Member referred to paragraph 4.2.3 of the report and asked why so many schools, particularly of Primary age had not attended the three Workshops that had been arranged for the purpose of training pupils in respect of issues such as Hate Crime, homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying etc.

The Consultation, Engagement and Equalities Manager, confirmed that she would look into this question and update Members either outside of the meeting or at the October meeting of the Committee.

A Member noted that previous data had shown that the year before last, there were more incidents if Hate Crime etc in Primary as opposed to Secondary Schools, but this had now reversed. She felt therefore, that training should have possibly been delivered to Primary Schools earlier than it had.

The Consultation, Engagement and Equalities Manager stated that Race Cymru Council were going to deliver further training to schools and that the relevant data on the outcome of such training, would in turn, be shared with Members at its meeting in March 2021.

A Member pointed out that as well as Hate Crime etc, issues surrounding training in sexism also needed to be given to schools, particularly for younger children, before bad habits relating to equalities and bullying etc, are embedded in them.

The Consultation, Engagement and Equalities Manager confirmed that as well as the training initiatives detailed in the report, Critical Thinking training  is included in the training being rolled out to schools.

A Member felt that it was important for work to be undertaken with families and children of a young age through schools, teaching pupils the values relating to avoiding acts of discrimination. He added that, it was also important for teachers and tutors to understand that the use of language and phrases by pupils also had a different meaning in some cases to what they did in the past. Therefore, it was also about interpretation sometimes of what some young people said to others and the correct meaning of this.

The Chairperson referred to paragraph 4.1.7 of the report, where it referred to interventions that would be put into place for abusive perpetrators, including a Support Plan. She asked the lead Officer to expand upon this.

The Consultation, Engagement and Equalities Manager advised that all incidents that took place in schools etc, were reported to her and the school  would then work with the perpetrator and their parents/guardian, the School teacher (where appropriate) and the victim also, in order to establish the details of what had occurred and the reasons behind this and develop an individual support plan. The plan would be put in place to ensure such an incident was not repeated. Sometimes the plan is put in place for the perpetrator but on occasions, it would affect both he/she and the victim.

The Leader concluded debate on this item, by advising that consideration needed to be given to try and ensure that all incidents as referred to in the report were reported. He added that training for all issues of discrimination needed to be pursued, as well as problems purely relating to racism.

RESOLVED:                            That the Committee received and considered the report.