Paul Patrick, head of a school in west London, is working hard to combat racism and has successfully encouraged staff from different ethnic backgrounds.
Mr Patrick, head of Cardinal Wiseman RC high, Greenford, Ealing, was the first port of call for a 14-year-old girl who was called a “black bitch” in the playground.
He now patrols the school every breaktime so incidents can be resolved immediately.
When he arrived six years ago at the 11 to 18 comprehensive, there were just two ethnic minority teachers in a staff of 105. Today there are 37. He said: “It is almost unheard of to have so many ethnic minority staff in a Catholic school. It puts across a powerful message that racism will not be tolerated and provides children with role models. In many schools black faces are too often the ones serving dinner and cleaning toilets.”
The Catholic Education Service also praised The Zacchaeus Centre in Birmingham for its work in preventing the exclusion of black pupils.
