Claim: UK primary schools are teaching 7‑year‑old students that they are born with “white privilege.”
75%Based on my research, here's my analysis:
Reasoning:
- A coalition of Sheffield schools has developed anti-racism lesson plans for pupils aged 7–11 that teach about white privilege12.
- The lesson plan text states: "In Britain, white people are likely to be privileged by the colour of their skin. This privilege arises because they are much less likely to be affected by racist behaviour, including bias, discrimination and verbal and physical abuse"2.
- Some reporting describes this as teaching children that white people "benefit from inherent privilege because of their skin colour"2. The term "inherent" suggests an intrinsic or birth-related characteristic, though the actual lesson plan does not appear to use the exact phrase "born with."
- The materials have drawn criticism from Conservative politicians, including Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott, who called it "divisive identity politics" and noted the materials "present contested concepts like 'white privilege' as unquestionable fact"21.
- The government has previously stated that teaching white privilege as an "uncontested fact" is illegal, and ministers have said they do not want white children taught about "inherited racial guilt"3.
Overall validity: 75%