Was I unreasonable to correct this?

[PablosHoney]

I work for a school and a student came in today to make a statement/report about a ‘coloured girl’ her mum had told her to come and report the incident so I presume it was maybe mums words? I didn’t tell her off I just said that it was a word we don’t use any more and to leave it out of the statement. Was I wrong?

I would put it in.
“X referred to Y as ‘a coloured girl’. I told X that that was inappropriate.”

Factual and brief.

Coloured is the favoured term by some people now, particularly in the US and online

What is the correct term nowadays?

Well seeing as every skin tone is a colour it doesn't narrow it down.
Inappropriate.
I would correct.

I'm not sure what the correct term is at the moment. Is it "person of colour"? Is "black" acceptable? Not being funny, I'm genuinely not sure.

I do know that coloured is very old fashioned and not PC anymore so I think that it's fine to correct this, especially considering this happened in a school. It's your job to correct inappropriate student behaviour, don't feel bad about it.

Aussie keep your fucking biscuit. You're giving Australians a bad name

The post just seems a little goady. But maybe I'm just in a irritable mood this afternoon. OP you were right to correct, it's not the right term to use and it's dated.

@FelicityBeedle every time someone does or says something rude or distasteful on MN someone chimes in and claims the Americans are doing it. I can’t speak for my entire enormous country so I’m not sure how you can but I’ve never heard the word “colored” used in that context other than in historical books/films, e.g. about Martin Luther King Jr.

Which parts of America have you heard the word colored used in this way?

Felicity, you are going to need a time machine to find anyone in the US that thinks "colored" is an appropriate way of talking.

@billhadersnewwife @AussieBeauty I don't know if there is background between the two of you but Bill you seem to have jumped on aussie a bit quickly here and made an uncalled for comment.

So what term is currently acceptable? Seriously.

I think some people don’t pick up on subtlety very well. ‘People/person of colour’ (color, in American English, I guess) is an acceptable term in America, however that is quite distinct from coloured, which I don’t think is used very much at all.

Coloured brings to mind apartheid-era South Africa, but I particularly dislike it because we are all coloured. White people (cream, pale pink or peach tones) are coloured just as much as black or Asian people.

Just completed my safeguarding training. It said you use students exact words when writing up their statement.

I know that it is dated and it’s not PC these days, I just don’t understand why?

African/Asian/Dual/Mixed heritage/ethnicity will suffice. Delete as appropriate. If you want to keep it simple, stick to black. Black people aren’t actually black in colour, but black is an accepted shorthand description for people with African heritage. Some others use the term too, like Australian aborigines, and some people, some Asians for example, use black as a political term.

It's ok to call us black. We are black. It's sad hilarious to me when talking to someone and they go through all hoops to avoid the word black.

No African American will want to be called black.

South African "coloured" refers to anyone not white in apartheid context.

Caucasians truly have a lot to answer for smh

@FelicityBeedle that would be ‘person of colour’. Coloured is considered just as derogatory in the US.

I'm not white. I don't like the term colored or half caste and will correct anyone who says them to me. My rule of thumb has been listen to what newsreaders and newspapers say. You never hear those terms used anywhere like that anymore. I haven't had to correct anyone in a while though so I think most people know now.

Black, white, Asian, mixed heritage. Blanket term BME, black/minority ethnic.

Surely school makes the terminology clear? If in doubt, ask your line manager. Use Seaweed's sensible suggestion and quote what the child actually said and your response.

Coloured is also one of the old South African apartheid terms. It seems antiquated now, and is certainly something the child has heard adults say!

In the UK I think the word 'coloured' is not favoured, but rather 'black' is preferred.
If anyone from this heritage could correct/confirm that would be helpful

The girl must have heard an adult use the term as the older generation (such as my mother) still uses the term 'coloured'. My mother feels black is inappropriate, but coloured is more PC.

It's a minefield 🤷

It is not a good word but when taking a statement you have to record exactly the words they use. Girasole is right. It is part of safeguarding training.

@Teacher22 How is using appropriate language pushing a far left agenda?

I wasn’t taking her statement she wrote it herself. I don’t see how it’s goady, it happened and I wondered if I’d done the right thing that is the sum total of it, jaysus. She isn’t my child so I don’t feel it’s my place to not raise her as a useful idiot, mine own kids don’t use that expression and they know the reasons behind it too. I’d say black.