'Free' Expression at School? The Making of Youth Engagements with Race and Faith: Final Project Report and Recommendations

The ‘Free Expression at School?’ study examined the extent to which young people are supported to express themselves on race and faith equality issues at school. The study consisted of substantial quantitative and qualitative fieldwork across schools in England between January 2023 and July 2024 including a survey of over 3000 young people in year 10 (14-15 year olds) across England's schools, and in-depth case studies of urban secondary schools. This report outlines key findings from the study, including an examination of what matters to young people with respect to race and faith equality, the impact of wider politics on how race and faith issues are/are not engaged in schools, curriculum opportunities to explore race and faith equality issues, how schools differ in their approaches and needs, and good practices observed. The report presents recommendations for empowering schools to be anti-racist, addressing the curriculum, inspection/evaluation, teacher professional development, political impartiality, and 'British' values.