Tory MPs slam union guidance for nursery teachers to be taught about white privilege

Conservative MPs have criticised new guidance issued by a group of unions and charities that suggests nursery teachers should be taught about white privilege.

An 18-strong steering group, including representatives from the National Education Union, has drawn up an alternative guide to the current Government guidance, saying it is needed so that toddlers can ‘develop anti-racist views’.

Last night, Tory politicians said it was the ‘wrong way to go about’ combating racism, with Robert Halfon, the chairman of the House of Commons Education select committee, telling The Sunday Telegraph: ‘This is just unacceptable.

‘This dogma and doctrine is totally out of place.

‘We have all got to combat racism but this is the absolute wrong way to go about it, and insults white working-class people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

‘The whole purpose of children learning is to learn – not for some kind of political Soviet indoctrination session.’

The new 128-page guidance, entitled Birth to 5 Matters, says it is time to challenge the notion ‘that children do not see race’. 

The Early Years Coalition said children are at risk of having ‘racial prejudice maintained or reinforced’ unless early years teachers had specialist training to help them understand ‘system racism and how racism affects children and families in early years settings’.

A spokesman for the Department for Education said: ‘Birth to 5 Matters is not Government guidance.

‘It has been produced by an independent organisation and it has not been endorsed by the Department.’