The Group

London South East Education Group actively welcomes individuals from all backgrounds to be a part of our cohesive community of teaching, learning and working.

We proudly celebrate the diversity of our students, staff, stakeholders and our wider communities. We are deeply committed to the promotion and advancement of equality in every aspect of our operation. The Group does not accept or tolerate any form of discrimination, victimisation or harassment on any grounds.

We aim to develop the full potential of all staff and students within an ethos which recognises and values the benefits that a diverse workforce supporting a diverse student body can bring to both the local and wider world.

For more  information on our commitment to advancing equality, eliminating discrimination and fostering positive relations please see our:

• Equality and Diversity Statement June 2020

• Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Statement of Intent January 2021

As a Group we want to build a legacy of hope and empower our staff, students and wider communities to be bold, spirited and free to help make change we want, and need, to see.

Racism, oppression, discrimination and all other forms of inequality simply must be eliminated.  

• Click here to read our CEO and Group Principal Sam Parrett’s full statement
• Learn more about the steps we are taking to help bring about change. 

Explore resources to help you understand the Black Lives Matter movement and learn more about the history of black oppression. We’ve signposted some of these resources below: 

Learn more 

Whether you want to learn more about the rich history and culture of black people, or you’re looking to learn more about the history of oppression black people have suffered – and the inspirational opposition to it through the ages – there’s a wealth of books, films, and courses that can expand your understanding.   

Books 

• Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
• Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire - Musician, activist, and academic Akala charts the historical legacy of British racism and colonial oppression.  
• Between The World And Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates  - Author Coates explores American racism in the form of a letter to his 14-year-old son.  
• Women, Race and Class by Angela Davis  - A ground breaking exploration of the intersection of related oppressions – how the system works to keep down women, blacks, and workers, all at once.  
• Unapologetic - A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements by Charlene Carruthers - Exploring the history of black liberation back to the Haitian Revolution, Carruthers appeals to her readers to make black liberation more queer, more feminist, and more radical.

Films  

• 13th by Ava DuVernay  - In this documentary, director DuVernay contends that slavery in the United States was replaced by systemic oppression of black people – through the prison system, the war on drugs, and longstanding police and public violence.  
• The Black Power Mixtape 1967 - 1975 by Göran Olsson - A collection of news footage shot in the late 1960s and early 70s by Swedish national television – that acts as a unique portrait of the black activists at the forefront of the radical civil rights movement. Featuring interviews with Angela Davis, Stokely Carmichael and Huey P. Newton.  
• I Am Not Your Negro by Raoul Peck  - This documentary collects author James Baldwin’s observations on American history and racial injustice, including his thoughts on civil rights leaders Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr.  
  

Support your mental health

According to the Mental Health Foundation, black people are more likely to suffer mental health issues than their white counterparts, and more likely to face discrimination in mental health services.

• MIND has local groups, some of which are BAME specific.  
• Black Thrive is a South London-based group aiming to address mental health inequalities experienced by London’s black communities.  
• Sharing Voices is a charity dedicated to reducing mental health inequalities for BAME communities.  

What can/should I do if see someone being racially discriminated against?   

Always report it. Never put yourself in an unsafe position but tell someone when it is safe to do so.   

If you feel safe to raise it in the moment do, if not, speak to a person in authority who can help you with it. At home this could be your parents or other family members, in the community it could be the police or a community group, at college it could be a tutor, the safeguarding team or other member of staff. Do not ignore racism when you see it.