From Awareness to Action
You understand the problem. Now here's what to do about it. Practical, evidence-based strategies you can implement immediately to reduce bias, build relationships, and improve outcomes for African / Black students.
Choose your focus area
Target specific aspects of your practice to drive the most impact.
Recognising Bias
Spot bias in your language, discipline, and expectations
Culturally Responsive Teaching
Integrate diverse voices, adapt teaching for all learners
Behaviour Management
Discipline without bias, de-escalation strategies
Inclusive Curriculum
Represent African voices across all subjects
Supporting EAL Learners
Work with multilingual African students effectively
Spotting bias in your practice
Bias isn't always obvious. It shows up in small moments: the words you choose, who you call on, whose behaviour you notice. Learning to spot these patterns is the first step to changing them.
The words you use matter
How we describe students shapes how we treat them and how they see themselves.
| When describing Black students | When describing White students |
|---|---|
| Aggressive | Assertive |
| Loud | Enthusiastic |
| Confrontational | Confident |
| Has an attitude | Has strong opinions |
| Disrespectful | Questions authority |
Action: Record
Record yourself teaching for one lesson and listen back.
Action: Analyze
What language do you use for different students? Any patterns?
Action: Adjust
Describe behaviour neutrally ("raised voice") not character ("aggressive").
"Would I respond the same way if this child were White?"
Practice this pause before you react to behaviour. It's the simplest and most effective way to interrupt unconscious bias in real-time.
Student does something (talks, interrupts, questions)
PAUSE before reacting
ASK the question
ADJUST if the answer is no
Numbers don't lie
Data provides an objective mirror of our practice. Track these metrics for one week to see the reality of bias in your classroom.
- Who do you send out of class? (by race)
- Who do you give detentions to? (by race)
- Who do you call on during discussions? (by race)
- Who do you praise publicly? (by race)
"If Black students are overrepresented in negative data: This is bias. It's fixable. Start with the pause question."
Teaching that reflects all students
Culturally responsive teaching isn't 'adding diversity.' It's teaching in a way that acknowledges all students' cultures, experiences, and ways of knowing. It's better teaching for everyone.
Who's in your curriculum?
Audit your unit plans with these questions:
- How many Black authors do you teach?
- How many African scientists do you mention?
- How many Black mathematicians feature in your lessons?
- Do your history lessons include African civilisations beyond slavery?
- Do your geography lessons show modern, thriving African cities?
Action steps:
- Audit one subject this week
- Identify gaps in representation
- Add one Black voice/example per unit
- Build from there
Excellence by Subject
Maths
Mention African fractal mathematics, or use Nigerian market scenarios in word problems
Science
Highlight Black scientists (Mae Jemison, Maggie Aderin-Pocock, etc.)
English
Include novels by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Malorie Blackman, Benjamin Zephaniah
History
Teach Ancient Egypt, Kush, Great Zimbabwe, Benin Kingdom, not just slavery
Geography
Study Lagos, Nairobi, Accra as modern tech/business hubs
Expect excellence, provide support
The problem:
Teachers often have lower expectations for Black students, even unconsciously. This shows up as: Not putting them forward for top sets, praising effort but not ability, or being surprised when they excel.
The Fix:
Assume competence
Treat every Black student as capable until proven otherwise.
Praise ability AND effort
"You're brilliant at this" not just "You worked hard."
Push them
Give challenging work, don't water down curriculum.
Support them
High expectations + high support = growth.
"When I saw myself in the lessons, I felt like the classroom belonged to me too."
— Year 9 Student
Discipline that's fair and effective
African students are significantly more likely to be excluded for subjective behaviours. Fair discipline requires de-escalation over exclusion and radical consistency.
De-escalation Over Exclusion
A better way:
- 1Lower your voice (don't match their volume)
- 2Give space (physically step back)
- 3Acknowledge feeling: "I can see you're frustrated"
- 4Offer choice: "You can take a break or we can talk through what's difficult"
- 5Follow up later when everyone is calm
Consistent Consequences
The rule: If you wouldn't exclude a White child for it, don't exclude a Black child for it. Radical consistency is the enemy of bias.
Write down your behaviour policy responses
Apply them the same way every time
Review your exclusion data monthly
If Black students are overrepresented, investigate why
Ready-to-use resources
Download our vetted toolkits to start transforming your practice today.
Bias Self-Audit Tool
10-minute reflection, identify blind spots
Culturally Responsive Lesson Planning
Integrate diverse perspectives into any subject
De-escalation Scripts
What to say in tense moments
40%
Drop in exclusions
Within just 6 months of implementation
What change looks like
School: Primary school, Midlands
Issue: Black boys were being excluded at 4x the rate of White boys. Staff felt they were being fair, but the data showed a different reality.
What they did:
- Reviewed behaviour data and saw the pattern
- Trained all staff on bias recognition
- Implemented "the pause question" before discipline
- Introduced restorative approaches over exclusion
"We thought we were being fair. The data showed we weren't. Once we saw it, we couldn't unsee it. The changes were simple but the impact was huge."— Headteacher
Put this into practice
Take action now
Download one resource and use it this week. It takes less than 5 minutes to start the language audit.
Browse DownloadsCollaborate
Share with a colleague and discuss. Teaching is better when we learn from each other's experiences.
Scale impact
Book whole-staff training. Individual change is good. Systemic change is better and more sustainable.
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