Blatant racism from school - parent won’t do anything

[Wishthingswerenouting]

My niece who is mixed race is at a predominantly white school. She is 1 of 2 kids who aren’t white. Let’s call my niece Sarah. Let’s say the other kid is called Jenny.

there’s this one teacher who tried to give my niece detention for “wearing fake tan” told her her legs are orange and said that she’s breaching uniform policy. My niece explained that it’s just her skin tone and in the end managed to avoid the detention. She has also been a bit of an arse to my niece separate to this.

this same teacher calls my niece Jenny, and Jenny Sarah. They look absolutely nothing alike. Not even similar skin tone aside from anything else.

my sister says I’m being dramatic in saying that it’s outrageous and she should complain. My niece agrees with me but her mum won’t raise it. Aibu to think this is very blatant - at best ignorance - and should be logged?

No, it means safeguarding lead.

Senior Leadership Team

Wishthingswerenouting

This needs to come from your neice or her Mother and Father.
The only thing that you can do is discuss this with your family and put this forward as an option.

The over the top responses are not helpful either. Those who constantly see "micro aggressions" everywhere are bullies who create racism. 😳🤦‍♀️

Report her.

I was only one of three Asian kids in secondady schoo. A teacher who was white, when I was 13 was reading the register and had my name in front of him and called out the name of the other Asian kid. We have nothing in common at all and she even was bullying me at the time. He then repeated it twice and I am still so ashamed that I answered "here sir" rather then calling it out.

Our name was not even remotely the same and as looked nothing alike except for race. I still feel sad that I didn't have the confidence to tell my parents or to even raise it myself and still feel that shame years later. OP I would advocate for your niece or support them to make the complaint, if just to empower her and to feel listened to.

Don't be ridiculous, it's not at all the same!

Senior Leadership Team

Yes, this is blatant racism and a racist teacher has no business in that role. You can see it's alive and well on here too, with people defending the names getting muddled up.

No of course not, and that’s different depending on which country you are in for a start! we’re talking about the teacher being racist here though - I think this just makes it harder to prove this was in fact racism. It’s best to stick to things where she can’t say eg oh I get everyone mixed up all the time. As a lot of people do, everywhere! I think in a lot of cases (obviously not this one due to the fake tan thing) there is no ill intent and as it is just lazy. (A LOT of people say old bald white men look the same) Coming from a POC would I atomically start chanting racist? Personally no.

The fake tan incident has been dealt with, teacher's mistake and won't happen again. As for mixing up names, I often mix up 2 names in classes but in secondary there are so many classes!

Teachers often muddle names up, for me it's never been with any malicious intent, just struggling with so many classes. Xx

I don't think you can really complain yourself, but the school ought to have suspended that teacher with a view to sacking them.

It doesn’t matter if the teacher mixes other students names up, they’re consistently mixing up the only two mixed race students in the school and not making any effort to correct themselves. Ignorance at that level IS racism.

This brought back memories. I'm 40 this year but I remember being 11 and starting secondary school and a dinner lady came up to and asked me why I wore fake tan every day. I told her I was mixed race and she said I know someone in your situation. I wasn't upset and found her stupidity rather amusing. I don't think there was any malice in it. She was just a bit thick.

Are there any diverse schools in the area? Would moving her be an option? At the very least I would really lay into the school to be honest and maybe try and teach them micro aggressions aren’t ok. I wouldn’t say you’re overstepping as her aunt. My children are half Indian. It was so important for me to send them to a diverse school. There were two options, the predominantly white and predominantly Asian school. I went with the latter, I felt they were safer there. It’s also the better performing school thankfully. Yes this shouldn’t be a thing in 2026 but it still is and since I met my partner my eyes have been opened. I can’t change peoples prejudices I can only teach my children where these prejudices stem from and try and protect them. Keep being a good aunt, they are vital to young girls! Good luck, I really hope it all works out for your niece

Did we Go "back from the future"??? I thought we were 2026 🤪😘

You are not the legal guardian of your niece, therefore under data protection the school will only speak to her parents, not you. I am in total agreement that what was said to your niece is disgusting, there is no excuse. Tbh, l am gobsmacked that any offensive language should come out of a teachers mouth, they should know better..

The fake tan comment is ridiculous! If it was a genuine mistake, the teacher should have sincerely apologised to your niece.

The mixing up names, im a teacher and i have some students i muddle who look absolutely nothing alike and theres no logical reason for it. The class laugh at it even though im embarrassed and apologise everytime!

How old is your niece? You can support her in making a formal complaint herself. I submitted a written complaint about a teacher when I was at school and they took it seriously.

If the teacher genuinely thought it was fake tan then it’s not racism, is it? The teacher may have just glanced around the classroom and seen what she thought was makeup of sorts. My 13 year old daughter is at an all girls school and the amount of fake tan and other stuff some of the girls use is extreme.

OP put your concerns in writing to the school governors.
State the facts of what happened calmly , keep emotions out of it. Ensure your letter is professional ( use AI to help you draft this it really helps with “tone”)
Ask for a response in writing about how institutional racism is being tackled.
Racist incidents have to reported by schools.
Wishing you well x

The teacher and the fake tan, that’s not on and is racist.

Getting kids names mixed up is not. If I’ve been introduced to two kids Fred and Tom together, I’ll know them as Fred and Tom and always get them mixed up. Nothing to do with race. Teachers have hundreds of names to learn.

And how many at your daughters school are mixed race girls that use fake tan?

As a mixed race woman myself, one of the joys of being mixed race, is the fact I DON’T need to use fake tan.

Your sister is teaching her DD to take this crao! She is also saying to her DD that she is not and will not advocate for her!
How old is your niece ?