Racism at School: Supporting Children and Cultural Identity

Signs a child may need support

Children respond to racism in different ways. Some speak directly about what happened. Others may show changes that have several possible explanations. Look for patterns such as:

• Wanting to avoid school, a class, an activity or a particular route home.
• Changes in sleep, appetite, concentration, mood or physical complaints.
• Feeling ashamed of a name, language, appearance, culture, religion or family background.
• Trying to change how they speak, dress or identify so they will attract less attention.
• Becoming watchful, withdrawn, angry or distressed after school or online activity.
• A drop in participation, learning confidence, friendships or sense of belonging.
• Repeated disciplinary action where the child or family believes race may be influencing how behaviour is interpreted.

None of these signs proves that racism has occurred. They are reasons to ask with care and take the child’s answer seriously.

How to respond when a child tells you about racism

1. Listen and believe the experience. Thank the child for telling you. Avoid debating whether the other person ‘meant it’ or asking the child to prove their feelings.
2. Check immediate safety. Ask whether there were threats, physical harm, ongoing contact or online material that needs urgent attention.
3. Clarify what the child wants. Some children want adults to act immediately. Others first want information, reassurance or help deciding what feels safe.
4. Record the facts. Note dates, places, words or actions, witnesses and the impact. Preserve relevant messages or screenshots without redistributing harmful material.
5. Contact the school. Describe the behaviour clearly and ask about safety, investigation, communication, support and follow-up. Do not rely only on a general message about kindness.
6. Review the response. Check whether the behaviour stopped, the child feels safer and any educational or wellbeing effects are being addressed.

In NSW public schools, every school is required to have an Anti-Racism Contact Officer who assists the principal with anti-racism education and processes. Families in other school systems can ask the principal or wellbeing team for the school’s reporting and complaint pathway. A child should not be required to mediate with the person responsible, accept an apology or educate classmates as a condition of receiving support.

If racism is occurring through messages, games or social media, follow the platform and eSafety pathways described in our cyberbullying guide.

What parents can do every day

Name racism accurately

Children benefit when adults can say that racism is wrong and explain it in age-appropriate language. A ‘we do not see colour’ approach can unintentionally dismiss the child’s identity and the unequal treatment they experienced. Focus on the behaviour, its impact and the systems that should respond.

Strengthen identity and connection

Make space for the child’s languages, stories, relationships, cultural practices and community connections. Follow the child and family’s preferences. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, connection to family, kin, community, culture and Country may be especially important, but support should be guided by the child, family and relevant community.

Review books, media and everyday messages

Choose material that includes varied people in ordinary, complex and positive roles. Talk about stereotypes when they appear. Avoid introducing children to people from another background as an educational exercise or expecting a friend to represent an entire culture.

Teach safe bystander choices

Children who witness racism can learn several options: name the behaviour if safe, stand beside the targeted child, seek an adult, record what happened or check in afterwards. One script is, ‘That comment is racist. It is not okay here.’ Safety comes first. A child should not confront someone when there is a risk of violence or retaliation.

Model reflection and repair

Adults can examine their own assumptions, correct stereotypes and apologise when they cause harm. This is more useful than presenting racism as something only overtly prejudiced people do. Anti-racism involves ongoing attention to interpersonal behaviour, power and systems.

Support without shifting responsibility

Strategies that help a child cope can protect wellbeing, but they do not make racism the child’s responsibility to manage. Keep pursuing safety and accountability while supporting regulation, connection and participation. Our guides to bullying and social exclusion at school provide additional practical steps.

What effective school action includes

A celebration day or multicultural display can be positive, but it is not a complete anti-racism strategy. The Australian Human Rights Commission’s 2024 National Anti-Racism Framework calls for action across policies, institutions and everyday practice. The NSW Department of Education’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2024-2035 similarly emphasises capacity, trusted reporting systems, appropriate support and effective responses.

Whole-school action can include:

• Clear definitions, policies and confidential reporting pathways that children and families can understand.
• Prompt, transparent and proportionate responses to incidents, with protection from retaliation.
• Support for the child affected that respects their preferences and cultural context.
• Staff learning about bias, institutional racism, First Nations histories, cultural safety and how racism can affect behaviour and participation.
• Curriculum and resources that represent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures accurately and include diverse communities without stereotyping.
• Review of discipline, achievement, attendance, complaints and participation data for inequitable patterns.
• Meaningful partnerships with families, First Nations communities and relevant community-controlled organisations.
• Student voice that is voluntary, supported and does not place the labour of fixing racism on affected children.

Cultural awareness is not the same as cultural safety. The National Anti-Racism Framework explains that cultural safety involves reflection on power, colonisation and institutional practice and is determined by the people receiving the service. Learning a list of cultural customs is not enough.

When to seek additional help

Consider professional support when distress, fear, sleep difficulties, school avoidance, low mood, anxiety, self-harm thoughts or changes in functioning persist. A culturally responsive child psychologist can explore the child’s experience without treating culture as the problem and can collaborate with the family, school and other supports when consent and safety allow. Seek urgent help if there is immediate danger, serious violence or suicidal intent. Call Triple Zero (000) in an emergency.

Parents can read how to get mental health support for a child or book an initial consultation to discuss whether Quirky Kid is an appropriate service.