Hackney Council has formally approved a new education strategy with a resolute anti-racist stance, aiming to tackle systemic inequalities and disproportionate exclusion rates affecting Black children and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
A Vision for Inclusion and Anti-Racism
The strategy, given final approval by the council's Cabinet on Monday, 15 December 2025, pledges to build a "child-centred and anti-racist" model across the borough's schools. This follows a public consultation that concluded in September, during which mental health groups, including an NHS partnership with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), urged the authority to be transparent about the disproportionate impact of exclusion on these pupil groups.
The council's vision includes three core pillars: implementing a diverse curriculum, providing more specialised support for pupils with complex SEND, and embedding an anti-racist principle as foundational to its entire educational approach. The move comes amid a long-standing review of behaviour policies, initiated in February, to address Hackney's historically higher-than-average school exclusion rate for London.
Pressure from the Community and a Damning Report
The policy refresh follows significant pressure from local youth organisations, which warned in July that some schools' behaviour rules were "damaging" children and, in some cases, racist. This context was sharply underscored by a recent safeguarding investigation into Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy (MVPA), a high-performing academy not under direct council control.
The review, led by Hackney's former Director of Children's Services, found the school's strict disciplinary culture had caused harm to vulnerable students, corroborating earlier complaints about shouting, public humiliation, and inadequate SEND support. Councillor Anntoinette Bramble, the cabinet member for education, described the findings as a "critical moment" for the borough.
Collaboration and Calls for Accountability
While academy schools like MVPA have statutory freedom over their policies, Cllr Bramble emphasised that this must align with Department for Education guidance. She stated the council is "absolutely committed" to driving out harmful practices and expressed a desire to collaborate with all schools in Hackney on anti-racism and inclusion.
Hugh Viney, Head of Minerva Virtual Academy, welcomed the council's vision, noting that a one-size-fits-all system often fails SEND pupils and advocating for alternative educational cultures focused on wellbeing. However, the local Green Party criticised the strategy for lacking clear accountability measures and explicit action on exclusions, warning that without them, patterns of harm would continue.
Despite the issues at MVPA, the consultation process highlighted that another school within the same multi-academy trust, Mossbourne Community Academy, was praised for its good practice in collaborating with the council on pupil mental health.
