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Britain's schools are riddled with “endemic racism”, a hard-hitting report warns today.

Black and ethnic minority teachers’ morale is hit by “stubbornly persistent” racism throughout the education system, according to the NASUWT union and Runnymede Trust think tank.

Their 22-page study highlights evidence “of everyday racism in schools and colleges, discrimination, harassment, ostracism, lack of pay progression, and BME teachers being held back from promotion”.

Researchers add: “As these concerns have been examined in more depth, it is increasingly clear that they remain deep-rooted, endemic and institutionalised.”

More than twice the proportion of BME teachers - 31% - reported suffering workplace discrimination in the past year compared to their white counterparts.

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And almost four in five ethnic minority teachers (79%) believed they were not paid at a level “commensurate with their skills and experiences” compared with less than two thirds (64%) of white teachers.

Nearly two thirds of BME teachers (64%) had been the targets of verbal abuse by pupils, compared to 51% of their white peers.

A 2015 NASUWT poll of 450 BME teachers found 54% had been subject to discrimination or harassment at work because of their race or ethnicity.

The same survey revealed 62% of teachers did not believe schools treated BME pupils fairly, and 60% believed schools did not respect BME teachers.

(Image: Getty)

Today’s report says “racism – both overt and covert – is still a significant issue in schools” - and the “experiences and careers of ethnic minority teachers found that teachers faced considerable racist and stereotypical attitudes from their colleagues, which not only hindered their career progression, but also prevented them from supporting BME pupils”.

Runnymede Trust research associate Dr Zubaida Haque said: “The review of the evidence shows us that black and ethnic minority teachers are running into closed doors at almost every step of the way in a profession that is already beleaguered by funding cuts and red tape.

“There is a chronic shortage of BME teachers in an education system where there is increasing diversity among its pupils, but the combination of an ineffective government recruitment strategy and increasing career dissatisfaction among BME teachers suggests another broken social mobility promise for black and ethnic minority groups.

“What kind of signal does it send to the British public and to the next generation of adults if trusted school leaders are indicating that there are different rules and opportunities for teachers from different ethnic backgrounds in the education system?”

(Image: Getty)

NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said: “BME teachers are as committed to teaching as their white colleagues but are being held back by racial prejudice and discrimination.

“BME teachers are, on average, paid less than their peers, commonly face discrimination and prejudice when applying for jobs or promotion and typically face both overt and covert racism in the workplace.”