The bystander effect is pretty commonly understood by now – the idea that, while we may tut disapprovingly at injustice, we’ll often do little about it because we just assume someone else will.

It’s encouraging, then, to hear school leaders unequivocally state that they’re not prepared to be bystanders when it comes to the scenes of violence and disorder in Scottish streets last week; that they want to call out the forces lying behind this – and show in a practical sense what schools can do.

“When racism and disinformation become normalised in public discourse, they inevitably find their way into classrooms and school communities,” writes School Leaders Scotland (SLS) today, adding: “School leaders cannot remain neutral in the face of prejudice or discrimination.”

This message is particularly apt coming soon after the announcement of this year’s Saroj Lal Awards, which are named after a pioneering teacher in Edinburgh and described as a celebration of equality and diversity.

Lal, who died in 2020, made a significant contribution to the lives and wellbeing of minority communities, marginalised groups and women across the capital from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s.

Her son, Vineet, set up the awards as a testament to his mother and how “we can all learn from how she stood up for what is right and championed inclusion, equality and anti-racism”. The awards reward and reflect schools that carry on her legacy in myriad ways – with the winning entries offering glimpses of what schools can do.

As SLS is careful to point out, schools cannot tackle huge societal challenges alone. However, schools and educators more broadly can still take a lead and make their stance abundantly clear.

There are all sorts of relevant programmes and resources now available to schools in Scotland, SLS notes, that are designed to “foster the knowledge, empathy and vocabulary needed to actively challenge racism”.

But you don’t just do a course in this sort of thing and tick it off – you don’t just wait to be guided through it.

As SLS puts it, tacking racism has to be “proactive, embedded throughout the curriculum, relationships and wider culture of our schools”.

In other words, being a bystander just won’t cut it.

Henry Hepburn

Scotland Editor, Tes

Bluesky: @henryhepburn.bsky.social

Twitter/X: @Henry_Hepburn

📜 What I read this week: The proportion of school leavers going into education, training or work nine months after leaving is the joint highest since records began, the Scottish government was keen to highlight this week – 93.5 per cent, up from 93.1 per cent the year before. While there have been some health warnings issued over the years about these “positive destinations” statistics, it should not be forgotten that, now more than ever, there is a huge amount of work done in schools to help students make a smooth transition into adulthood.

📵 What I heard this week: There is still time to complete a Qualifications Scotland survey on proposed changes to the National 5s in geography, history, modern studies and philosophy, which would be applied from 2027-28. This is part of the “ongoing maintenance and review” of national courses, ahead of wider qualifications reform taking effect from 2031. The survey is open until 5pm on Tuesday 23 June and should take between five and 15 minutes to complete.

🧠 What made me think this week: Most teachers believe unhealthy food at school can contribute to disruptive behaviour and affect pupils’ ability to concentrate, polling for the Food Foundation reveals. One school leader said that food consumed during the school day “directly shapes the classroom environment”, while a primary head said nutritious food in school had helped to significantly improve attainment.

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