The ‘experiences of black students in education’ was not a topic I was initially aware of or focused on. However, I began to notice a pattern revealing disproportionate challenges that affect black students’ ability to excel in the UK education system. My attention was first drawn to the challenges faced by black boys, young men and men, such as being stopped by police to check if the car they are driving is theirs, disproportionate involvement in knife crime statistics, or their imprisonment.
As I continued my research and hosted over twelve conferences in Leeds, I realised black girls, young women and women also experienced similar challenges. Through continued research, I realised how the UK Education system significantly impacts black students’ academic achievement from Nursery through University. These issues begin far earlier than I once imagined, shaping outcomes from the earliest stages. I had initially thought the problem started in high school, given the high exclusion rates, but further investigation revealed that black students face racial issues even in early childhood.
We may not view black children as students in nursery, but they are in learning environments shaped by wider society. If nursery staff have unconscious perceptions, black children can experience unfair treatment from an early age, with long-term negative impacts.
You may have heard a black student say, “The teacher is picking on me”, or “I didn’t do anything, the other students did it.” These feelings are not always caused by ethnicity, but, whether due to conscious or subconscious actions, black students’ concerns of being discriminated against are often valid and tend to recur throughout their education. The consequences of this constant scrutiny of black students are significant. Such treatment can lead to disengagement, refusal to attend, or behavioural responses that reinforce teacher biases. Black students’ lack of enthusiasm is often rooted not just in personal or developmental challenges but is linked to the environment and how they are treated by education staff.
For black students to succeed, all education institutions from Nursery to University must critically evaluate how their practices affect these students. Addressing the root causes—ideologies, exclusion, and systemic racism—through ongoing reflection and anti-racism, intercultural understanding and racial justice initiatives is essential. These barriers contribute directly to low diversity in further education and persist as long as the issues remain unaddressed. To move forward, I encourage all educators, school leaders, and policymakers to actively implement awareness training addressing these challenges and advocate for policies that foster a culture of intolerance to racism. Reflect on your daily practices, seek feedback from colleagues and students, and collaborate to develop learning environments with understanding about people of different ethnicities and the challenges they face in education. By committing to ongoing self-education and dialogue, we can collectively ensure that black students have equitable opportunities to succeed alongside their peers.
Dwayne Hutchinson
Owner, Founder and CEO of AccomplishBCEL®