By ADF Newsdesk –

Community-led study exposes deep mistrust in education system — and unveils a grassroots model for real accountability

A hard-hitting new report has revealed that Black children in Southwark and Lambeth continue to feel unsafe in school, despite the widespread adoption of anti-racist statements and charters across the education sector.

The study, titled Community-Led Exploration of Race Equity in Education, gathers the voices of nearly 300 young people, parents and educators.

Far from reflecting official messaging around progress, the report uncovers a painful truth: while schools may speak the language of equality, the daily experiences of Black pupils tell a very different story.

“Policed” in Their Own Classrooms

The findings paint a distressing picture of childhoods overshadowed by surveillance, exclusion and emotional strain.

Young people reported feeling “policed” in environments that are supposed to nurture and protect them.

The result is not only low self-esteem and a fractured sense of belonging, but a growing detachment from the institutions tasked with their care.

Perhaps most alarming is the breakdown in trust. When confronted with racism, Black pupils are more likely to seek support from peers than from teachers or school staff.

The report describes this as a severe safeguarding failure, leaving young people without confidence in the very systems designed to protect them.

Parents, too, describe a familiar struggle, a constant battle to be heard. Many report being dismissed or ignored when raising issues of racial inequity, leaving them isolated in their attempts to defend their children’s dignity.

Communities Aren’t Waiting, They’re Building Solutions

Refusing to wait for institutional change, the organisations behind the report have developed a tangible alternative: a Community Advisory Group (CAG) model.

Co-produced with families, schools and Black-led organisations, the model creates a shared space where parents, pupils and educators can work together to monitor and drive race equity efforts, turning empty promises into real accountability.

The project was spearheaded by the Race Equity in Education Group (REEG) and developed in collaboration with organisations including Paradigm Project, Theatre Peckham, and UDA, with further support from Poetic Unity, Milk Honey Bees, and others.

“We have to move beyond statements and slogans,” said Joel Dunn, Founder of Paradigm Project and lead researcher.

“This research shows that young people and families are calling for structures that keep them safe and voices that are genuinely listened to.

The prototype we co-produced is proof that communities already hold the solutions; what is missing is the commitment to resource and embed them.”

Capturing the Journey on Film

The story of the report and the movement behind it has been documented in a short film by director Marcus Jones, premiering as part of Black History Month 2025.

The film serves both as testimony and rallying cry, a vivid reminder that real change begins with listening to those most affected.

Watch the film here above