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Re: Regarding your local authority’s strategic and operational activity in support of anti-racist education. I am seeking information specific to your local authority. Professional Learning Provision 1a. What anti-racist professional learning has been delivered, commissioned, or supported by your authority in the past two academic years for: - Governors - Headteachers and senior leaders - Teachers - Teaching assistants/support staff - Families - Children and young people 1b. Have any of these opportunities taken place as annual events or ongoing programmes (e.g., in line with Williams Review, Recommendation 27)? Curriculum Diversification 2a. What support has your authority provided to schools to support curriculum diversification in line with the Curriculum for Wales? 2b. Have schools been provided with: - Case studies or positive examples of local school initiatives? - Links to relevant community organisations? - Signposting to specialist online platforms or curriculum tools? - Access to networks for peer-to-peer or school-to-school practice sharing? 2c. Have local leadership networks focused on anti-racist education been established (Williams, Rec. 39)? Strategic Equality Planning 3a. How are schools supported in reviewing and updating their Strategic Equality Plans (SEPs) with respect to race equality, curriculum and learning? 3b. How are schools supported in reviewing and updating their School Development Plans (SDPs) with respect to race equality, curriculum and learning? 3b. Does the local authority have any mechanism to monitor or evaluate the quality or implementation of SEPs or SDPs? 3c. What are the specific anti-racist education priorities identified in your current Strategic Equality Plan (SEP)? Please also provide a copy of the current SEP or a link to where it is published. Safeguarding, Monitoring and Staff Wellbeing 4a. What mechanisms are in place to record and monitor racist incidents involving pupils in schools? 4b. Are schools required to report racist incidents to the local authority? If so, how is this data collected, analysed and acted upon? 4c. What intervention measures or follow-up procedures are in place when patterns of racial harm or discrimination are identified? 4d. What support is available to children and young people experiencing racism outside of the school environment? 4e. What support structures are in place for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff experiencing racism at work? Local Data 5a. The number of anti-racism-related events, training sessions or initiatives delivered, commissioned or supported by your authority in the last two academic years.

Ateb

Professional Learning Provision 1. What anti-racist professional learning has been delivered, commissioned, or supported by your authority in the past two academic years for: ? Governors ? Headteachers and senior leaders ? Teachers ? Teaching assistants/support staff ? Families ? Children and young people As part of Safeguarding Conference November 2023 Show Racism the Red Card and Fearless were commissioned to deliver anti-racism workshops to pupils. Not necessary training, but resources have been distributed to schools to facilitate their own workshops Governor Training Sessions CSC Diversity and Anti Racism Conference – 11 October 2023 Shout out UK - 18th February 2025 Shout out UK - 19th February 2025 Shout out UK - 20th February 2025 Shout out UK - 21st February 2025 Shout out UK - 25th March 2025 2. Have any of these opportunities taken place as annual events or ongoing programmes (e.g., in line with Williams Review, Recommendation 27)? Safeguarding Conference takes place annually. Each year there is a different theme set by the Regional Safeguarding Board. The workshops commissioned as part of the day can vary depending on the theme. Curriculum Diversification 3. What support has your authority provided to schools to support curriculum diversification in line with the Curriculum for Wales? Provided via agreement with Central South Consortium (CSC) 4. Have schools been provided with: ? Case studies or positive examples of local school initiatives? ? Links to relevant community organisations? ? Signposting to specialist online platforms or curriculum tools? ? Access to networks for peer-to-peer or school-to-school practice sharing? Schools are regularly sent information and links to relevant training and resources to support them in delivering their own lessons or workshops. Our Education Department has signposted schools to relevant agencies and online tools dependant on the theme and query The safeguarding forum and Safety Hero meetings have provided opportunities for peer to peer and school to school sharing of best practise. 5. Have local leadership networks focused on anti-racist education been established (Williams, Rec. 39)? Afon Taf Cluster – Cluster HT focus on Diversity. This is a collaborative project with the schools and not monitored nor instigated by the Council. Strategic Equality Planning 6. How are schools supported in reviewing and updating their Strategic Equality Plans (SEPs) with respect to race equality, curriculum and learning? Governor support sent letter to all governors from EHRC 13th February 2025. The Council’s Equalities Team is working with Education to review the current model policy to send to schools for personalisation in Summer term 25. 7. How are schools supported in reviewing and updating their School Development Plans (SDPs) with respect to race equality, curriculum and learning? Schools have an assigned Improvement Partner who reviews their SDP. If race equality, curriculum, learning is on their SDP, it will be picked up through this means in line with the School Improvement, evaluation and accountability framework. 6 schools have diversity on their SDP for 2024-25. No LA support has been requested. 8. Does the local authority have any mechanism to monitor or evaluate the quality or implementation of SEPs or SDPs? SDP are monitored through the School Improvement Service via Improvement Partners. The LA receives a termly performance report. Where statutory requirements for SDPs are not met, these are reported sooner. This is not the case for any schools in Merthyr. IPs will carry out side by side quality assurance of first hand evidence to monitor the implementation of the SDP. They also meet with school leaders for this. 9. What are the specific anti-racist education priorities identified in your current Strategic Equality Plan (SEP)? Please also provide a copy of the current SEP or a link to where it is published. The Strategic Equality Plan 2024-2028 contains an action to “deliver the specific Local Authority actions within relevant Welsh Government Strategies e.g. Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan, LGBTQIA+ Action Plan and any other plans developed” and covers raising awareness of the ARWAP and including relevant training where required, implementing new legislation that has come into force and identifying the impact of new legislation and implementing relevant changes. This covers all areas within the Local Authority. The plan can be found using the following link Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council Strategic Equality Plan 2024-2028. Safeguarding, Monitoring and Staff Wellbeing 10. What mechanisms are in place to record and monitor racist incidents involving pupils in schools? Schools record this information internally and inform the LA on a termly basis. Through fortnightly exclusion meeting we monitor exclusion reasons within schools and identify if any exclusions are for racism. 11. Are schools required to report racist incidents to the local authority? If so, how is this data collected, analysed and acted upon? Yes, on a termly basis. 12. What intervention measures or follow-up procedures are in place when patterns of racial harm or discrimination are identified? Information/data from schools is considered by the LA and follow up discussions take place with individual schools if required and to determine any next steps. 13. What support is available to children and young people experiencing racism outside of the school environment? Specialist outside agencies can provide support via a referral route if racism is identified. 14. What support structures are in place for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff experiencing racism at work? Instances of racism fall under gross misconduct in the disciplinary policy ‘unlawful discrimination or harassment’. If someone was experiencing racism at work then they are encouraged to report it to their line manager and in turn People Services. The matter would be dealt with very seriously and we would instigate an initial assessment into the claims. A disciplinary investigation would be the likely outcome as we have a zero-tolerance approach to racism in the workplace. There are no specific networks or groups set up internally but anyone experiencing racism in work would be supported by People Services. The dignity and respect at work policy also covers bullying, harassment and discrimination. Equalities is covered within the corporate induction and any new starters receive information on bullying, harassment and victimisation. More cultural awareness training corporately is being discussed, in line with the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan and actions within the Strategic Equality Plan. Local Data 15. The number of anti-racism-related events, training sessions or initiatives delivered, commissioned or supported by your authority in the last two academic years. Safeguarding Conference 2023 Racism discussed as an issue in Safeguarding forum.