Primary schoolchildren as young as seven are being taught about “white privilege” as part of an anti-racism drive developed by a coalition of schools in Sheffield, sparking fierce political backlash and raising questions about how contested concepts are presented in classrooms.
The Core Concept of White Privilege
The lesson plans, produced by the Hallam Teaching School Alliance and led by the Government-designated national teaching school Notre Dame High School, include materials designed for pupils aged seven to 11. One lesson plan sets aside time for “empathy building” and explicitly states: “In Britain, white people are likely to be privileged by the colour of their skin. This privilege arises because they are much less likely to be affected by racist behaviour, including bias, discrimination and verbal and physical abuse.”
The materials go on to define the responsibility that supposedly comes with this privilege: “Privileged people have a responsibility to reduce racism by: being aware of it; improving their own language and behaviour; challenging their friends’ language and behaviour; reporting incidents of racism; providing support to those who have been harmed by discrimination.”
For older students, the teaching materials draw a sharp distinction between prejudice and racism. According to the guidance, while black people can hold prejudice against white people, this does not amount to racism because racism can only be exercised by those with “cultural power” — in Britain, that means white people over black people. The programme is intended, the group said, to “empower” students and teachers to examine how race education can challenge “the unequal systems that surround us in society”.
The Hallam Teaching School Alliance is a partnership that includes Malin Bridge Primary School in Sheffield and Welbourne Primary School in Tottenham, London. Defending the resources, the group said: “Our standalone unit by no means ‘does the job’ of interrupting systemic racism, but we believe it provides an exciting, impactful first step for schools with strong social justice values.”
Notre Dame High School, which takes the lead in the alliance, has developed an Anti-Racism Policy for 2025–2026 and an Equal Opportunities Policy. The school’s “Solidarity Statement” denounces all forms of racial intolerance and brutality and expresses solidarity with those fighting systemic racism. Staff have received anti-racism training, and the school aims to embed social justice ideas across the curriculum, serving an increasingly diverse intake.
The Sheffield initiative fits within a broader push for anti-racism education in UK schools. Organisations such as ARISE (Anti-Racism in Schools and Education) and the Every Future Foundation (EFF) offer assemblies, workshops and teacher training. The Black Curriculum is another partner working to diversify school curricula. In Sheffield itself, Learn Sheffield is delivering a “Developing Racial Literacy Across Sheffield Schools” programme, building on the findings of the city’s Race Equality Commission. That commission’s 2022 report concluded that “race and racism remain significant throughout the life course of Sheffield citizens” and recommended that school leaders equip staff to challenge racism and consider how the curriculum embeds Black, Asian and minority ethnic histories.
How the Lessons Are Applied
In addition to the primary school materials, the alliance has produced handouts for older teenagers that urge students to “think critically” about the role of race in Britain’s criminal justice system. One handout cites that black people are ten times more likely to be stopped and searched by police. Students are then asked a series of probing questions: “What is happening? Why is this an example of racism? If race isn’t real, how do you explain this? Has the concept of race led some people to believe that some groups of people are different to others? Are certain racial groups being treated differently? Are there other possible explanations for this?”
The inclusion of such exercises has drawn particular attention because the government has previously warned schools against teaching “contested theories and opinions … such as white privilege” as fact. In October 2021, then-Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi stated that schools should not teach “contested views about ‘white privilege’” as fact. The Department for Education has issued non-statutory guidance on political impartiality, emphasising that teachers must not promote partisan political views and should present different views in a balanced and factual manner. The government has also suggested that teaching “white privilege” as an uncontested fact could breach the Equality Act 2010.
Ofsted Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman has advised schools to tread a “careful path” when addressing controversial subjects like gender and race, urging them to maintain impartiality and avoid being perceived as “woke”. The debate over anti-racism education has also been fuelled by a 2021 report from a Conservative-dominated education committee, which suggested that terms such as “white privilege” may have contributed to the “systemic neglect of white disadvantaged communities”.
Political Reaction and Government Guidance
The Sheffield initiative has provoked strong condemnation from Conservative MPs, who accuse the schools of stoking divisions and enforcing a political agenda. Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott said: “It is deeply alarming that children as young as seven are being exposed to divisive identity politics in schools under the banner of ‘anti-racism education’. These materials teach children that black prejudice against white people cannot be described as racism, present contested concepts like ‘white privilege’ as unquestionable fact and encourage pupils to see themselves primarily through the lens of race. It is hugely damaging and exactly the kind of Left-wing ideological nonsense that should be nowhere near our classrooms.”
Shadow minister Neil O’Brien went further, vowing that the Conservatives would crack down on such teaching if returned to power. “Kemi Badenoch and the Conservatives are going to come down like a tonne of bricks on this kind of political indoctrination in our schools,” he said. “We will start enforcing the law and rooting out this kind of thing.”
The equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, had previously warned that schools teaching white privilege as an uncontested fact were breaking the law. The Department for Education’s guidance on political impartiality reinforces existing legal duties under the Education Act 1996, which requires maintained schools to ensure that “where political issues are brought to the attention of pupils … they are offered a balanced presentation of opposing views”. The public sector equality duty under the Equality Act 2010 also requires schools to eliminate discrimination and advance equality of opportunity — a duty the government argues is undermined when contested theories are presented as settled fact.
