The Manifesto Club will launch a new publication, The Myth of Racist Kids, at a lunchtime discussion at Civitas, 77 Great Peter Street, London SW1P 2EZ. The publication looks at anti-racist policies and the growing regulation of school life.

The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 led to a requirement on schools to report ‘racist incidents’ to local education authorities, which has resulted in the reporting of an estimated 250,000 incidents. Many of these ‘racist incidents’ involved very young children, and included cases of name-calling in the playground and arguments between friends. A growing ‘race relations industry’ has moved into the daily life of schools and even nurseries, with the aim of combating prejudice in children as young as three. This book argues that these policies bring officials into the playground: they have meant a growing regulation of children’s peer relationships, and the undermining of teachers’ ability to deal with classroom incidents. Worse, the growing myth of racist kids can actually create ethnic tensions, stifling the trend towards increasing openness and intermixing.

This is an INVITATION ONLY event. However, if you are interested in attending, contact the Manifesto Club: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)