Educationally subnormal schools in the 1960s and 1970s
Tabled 27 February 2025 by Kim Johnson
That this House acknowledges the historical injustice suffered by Black children who were wrongly classified as educationally subnormal and placed in schooling for those with severely physical and mental disabilities under racist policies; notes the findings of Subnormal: A British Scandal and the exceptional work of educational campaigners starting with Bernard Coard, who have highlighted the lifelong harm caused by this systemic discrimination; further recognises the generational impact on families and communities whose children were denied access to a fair and equal education; notes the fortieth anniversary of the Swann Report entitled Education for All and its recommendations to combat racism in education, and regrets the lack of full implementation of its conclusions and findings; calls on the Government to issue a formal apology to those affected and to ensure their experiences are properly acknowledged; and urges the Government to establish a full public inquiry into this historic educational injustice to ensure accountability, transparency and meaningful policy changes to prevent such discrimination from ever occurring again.
Signatories (27)
- Kim Johnson Sponsor
- Ellie Chowns
- Rachael Maskell
- Apsana Begum
- Brian Leishman
- Neil Duncan-Jordan
- Jon Trickett
- Imran Hussain
- Jim Shannon
- Shockat Adam
- Ms Diane Abbott
- Wera Hobhouse
- Kate Osborne
- Bell Ribeiro-Addy
- Tom Morrison
- Ian Byrne
- Steve Witherden
- Nadia Whittome
- John McDonnell
- Richard Burgon
- Dawn Butler
- Andrew George
- Clive Lewis
- Siân Berry
- Cat Eccles
- Valerie Vaz
- Jeremy Corbyn