Bosses at one of Manchester’s most prestigious schools have promised to address a lack of diversity within the teaching staff.
Hundreds of current and former pupils signed a letter addressed to Manchester High School for Girls which raised concerns about the way racism is taught and the school's policy on uniform and hairstyles.
They also asked senior staff to address a lack of diversity within the current teaching staff and called for at least one of the school's four houses to be named after an inspirational black woman.
Headteacher Claire Hewitt said racism and discrimination has no place at the school and apologised if any member of the school community had ever felt anything less than welcome, respected and valued.
“We acknowledge that the racial diversity of our student body, of which we are so proud, is not reflected among our staff and we will scrutinise our recruitment processes,” she said.
“This will include taking steps to attract applicants from as broad a range of backgrounds as possible and ensuring that our shortlisting and interviewing processes are unbiased and fair.
“We will also keep on with our work to diversify and develop our curriculum.”
Mrs Hewitt encouraged pupils to share any concerns about racial inequality or lack of representation and promised to review the names of the school houses, continue work to diversify the curriculum and “scrutinise” the recruitment processes to attract applicants from a broad range of backgrounds.
The letter has been signed by more than 650 current and former pupils, parents and a former teacher.
It follows two weeks of protests across the country - including Greater Manchester - by the Black Lives Matter movement following the killing in the US of George Floyd - who died as a white police officer knelt on his neck.
It states that education at the school “could be a great deal more diverse; reflecting the varied histories of its student population”.
“While we learn about civil rights and racism in the US, albeit primarily when we reach Sixth Form, we do not dedicate time to learn about our own country’s history of racism,” it reads.
The letter also mentions the diversity of MHSG’s teaching staff.
“We would like to see Manchester High do much more to address the imbalance between the ethnic make-up of its teaching staff and that of modern British society, as well as of its own students.”
It adds: “Teachers often serve as role models for students – if certain groups don’t see themselves represented, what message does that give out? It is not up to its students to become future teachers.
“Black students right now don’t see themselves in management or teaching roles, but in cleaning staff. This has to be addressed immediately, not just by creating future teachers.”
The letter also calls for one of the school’s house names, Nightingale, to be changed to instead represent an inspirational black woman.
The letter puts forward Mary Seacole, Manchester’s first black senior nursing officer Louise Da-Cocodia MBE or abolitionist and doctor Sarah Parker Remond as suggestions.
The letter also states that students past and present are concerned about “the application of the school’s dress code to black pupils”.
It reads: “Manchester High has a legitimate dress code, which we respect. What we cannot understand is the unfair application of such a dress code.
“Black girls we have spoken to have been told to ‘tame down’ their natural hair; take their braids out because they ‘stand out’, while girls who have worn scarves or bandanas to keep their hair tidy have been told, by teachers, that they look ‘like they were associated with gangs’. This is unacceptable.”
The school said the wording of the uniform policy was reviewed last year to avoid any ambiguity regarding hair.
Headmistress Mrs Hewitt said racism and discrimination have no place at the school.
“We want all our pupils, their families and our alumnae to feel welcome, respected and valued at MHSG, for exactly who they are and we are sorry if any member of our school community has ever felt anything less than this,” she said.
“We have been shocked and disturbed by the killing of George Floyd and the subsequent events in the United States. These events show how deep and appalling the issues of racism and racial equality are.
“We are listening to the views of our school community and are committed to improvement.”
In recent years the school has developed the History curriculum to ensure all pupils now study the American Civil Rights Movement in Year 8 and social change in the UK in Year 9.
Musicians such as Aretha Franklin, Milly Small and Duke Ellington, abolitionists including Olaudah Equiano and civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks have been included in the curriculum and pupils are encouraged to research inspirational women from diverse backgrounds such as Mary Seacole and Michelle Obama.
