A Scots high school is facing allegations of racism from more than 30 former pupils – after a campaign was launched by one student to highlight the issue.
Miguel Chui, 19, complied a full dossier of independent testimonies from pupils at St Augustine's RC High School, in Edinburgh outlining racial discrimination they say they have experienced.
They brand the school’s environment “toxic” and say pupils were branded racist slurs such as "monkey" or "slave".
Among the allegations, students say there is a 'lack of support from senior leadership', which has allowed racist behaviour to continue in the school.
Students from Asian, Black and White-Polish communities give accounts of being subjected to racial stereotypes, including ‘Nigerian people are so loud'.
The Edinburgh Evening News report that one pupil wrote: “I would have been in the class of 2020 but I left early due to the toxic environment."
Another statement wrote: "There have been countless times where I have been called names such as "monkey" or "slave" and when I would report it to senior management they would never do anything about the situation."
The statements from recent and current pupils at St Augustine's have been submitted to the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government.
Miguel, a law student at The University of Edinburgh, who is of Malaysian and Chinese identity, said: "The main reason why racism thrives at St Augustine's is due to senior staff members ignoring reports of racism and thereby allowing racist incidents to continue.
"Phrases such as 'go back to where you came from', 'Muslims are terrorists' and 'Chinese people eat dogs' are commonly heard from pupils and when reported will often result in silence from senior staff.
"As a result of the school's approach to handling racist incidents, pupils are not afraid to be racist towards other students of colour, knowing that they will be protected by the system."
A teacher who works at the high school, and has more than 25 years of experience, said issues are being 'swept under the carpet'.
The teacher, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: "While I have not seen any racism in my own classroom I have witnessed parents who have come into school over issues of racial bullying after the issue has been initially swept under the carpet as 'normal child fallout'.
"When I first heard about the allegations I felt disbelief, but then I realised I couldn't be surprised by them.
"In light of everything we are hearing about what is happening in the world, it makes sense that it is also happening at St Augustines."
Miguel said he has been inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests in America to take a stand against racial injustice in Scottish schools.
He added: "I would like to stress that St. Augustine's is not an isolated case.
"Racism is ingrained across the education system in Scotland."
Councillor Alison Dickie, the city council's vice-convener for education, children and families, said: "Although there is a lot of positive work taking place across our schools, we fully realise that much more needs to be done.
"This involves listening to the young people who have experienced racism and placing them in the driving seat of our work towards race equality."
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The Scottish Government is clear that there is no place for racism in our schools.
"Diversity and equality are at the heart of policies that underpin education in Scotland.
"We need to be vigilant in challenging any racist and abusive behaviour in our schools."
