More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Ex-pupils of two grammar schools have written open letters to their former teachers calling for better teaching of race and issues raised by the Black Lives Matter campaign.
The letters, which are being shared online and have been signed by both former and current students, call on both Maidstone Grammar School for Girls and Maidstone Grammar School to ensure pupils are "better educated on black history and issues affecting BAME communities".
The authors decry the current school curriculum as "whitewashed" and say there is still too little acknowledgement of Britain’s colonial past.
Alice Cachia, a 25-year-old journalist who left MGGS in 2013, began seeking support for curriculum changes and that campaign has since been taken up at the second school.
She said: "I hope this petition will encourage my former school, one which I and so many others are exceptionally proud to have been educated at, to act on the hundreds of signatures and suggestions made by students both past and present.
"The nearly 500 signatures that have been gathered in just 24 hours shows that many are dissatisfied with a whitewashed curriculum, which is severely lacking in black history and issues that affect BAME communities.
"As headmistress, Miss Stanley now has the opportunity to make immediate improvements and lead by example for other schools.
"We are not looking to shame them but for them to be accountable..."
"I will be sharing the petition responses with her next week and look forward to hearing how she plans to enhance MGGS' education and encourage further discussion on these issues."
The concerted campaign by former Kent school pupils comes as the Black Lives Matter movement and protests following the death of George Floyd in the United States raise fresh questions about Britain's reckoning with its own history of racism and injustice.
The letter to the girls' grammar headteacher Deborah Stanley reads: "We write to ask that you reflect anew on the whole school curriculum and opportunities in light of the recent spotlight that has been shone on the need for increased anti-racism education at all levels in society.
"As past students, we request enhancement of Maidstone Grammar School for Girls' education about black history, British imperialism and the continued existence of systemic racism and white privilege in modern society."
It adds: "You are letting both current black students and future black students down by excluding the narrative of their oppression from the curriculum."
The letter also points out the school's pupils, living in a predominantly white community, are statistically more likely to continue to higher education, citing that in 2016 just 6% of black school leavers attended a Russell Group university, compared with 11% of their white peers.
Its authors also say: "By excluding the evils of British imperialism, along with how members of the African diaspora contributed to the British nation-state, British children are robbed of understanding how colonialist ideology was implemented."
It goes on to urge Miss Stanley to respond "meaningfully and proactively" as a matter of urgency, suggesting neither the school summer holidays nor the coronavirus crisis should delay a response.
Anna Farrow, who published the letter to Maidstone Grammar School with fellow former students Tobias Graham and Louis Harris, says it has also already received hundreds of signatures from pupils past and present.
The 24-year-old kitchen designer said: "We are hoping that the letter will prompt the school to acknowledge their part in the systematic racism within schools.
"We are not looking to shame them but for them to be accountable for holding up the values that they promote both publicly on their website and directly to the students."
"They should learn about the campaigns by black workers for equal treatment and the stand against injustice..."
The letter from former pupils of Maidstone Grammar School has been addressed to headteacher Mark Tomkins.
Commenting on the ongoing protests, Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: "This is not the time for patience but for action against racism.
"We must improve the curriculum so that students learn about how Britain was founded on global histories. Students should learn about the achievements and roles of black Britons in every field of human endeavour. And they should learn about the campaigns by black workers for equal treatment and the stand against injustice."
Both Maidstone Grammar School and Maidstone Grammar School for Girls have been approached for comment.
