Tell it like it is

How our schools fail black children

Brian Richardson (ed), Bookmarks Publications and Trentham Books, 240 pages, paperback, £6.99

The discrimination faced by black children in Britain’s school system was first brought to public attention 35 years ago in the landmark study How the West Indian child is made educationally subnormal in the British school system.

Written by Grenadian scholar Bernard Coard, the pamphlet exposed the endemic racism faced by black children who were shunted into special schools for the “educationally subnormal”.

This book reprints Coard’s seminal text alongside a variety of new contributions from academics, school governors, trade unionists and others.

Contributors include general secretary Steve Sinnott of the NUT teachers’ union who points out that Coard’s pamphlet “galvanised the NUT to focus on race equality issues in education in a much more sustained manner than before.”

The book is both a tribute to Coard’s groundbreaking work, and a timely reminder of the many barriers which need to be overcome before black students can achieve their true potential.