Glossary

Ableism

Discrimination or prejudice against people with disabilities, including assumptions about what people with disabilities can or cannot do.

Anti-racist training

Educational programmes that go beyond cultural awareness to actively examine how racism operates within systems and commit to changing policies and practices.

Cultural competence

The ongoing process of reflecting on your own identity and assumptions while learning to work respectfully with people whose experiences differ from your own.

Culturally responsive practices

Approaches that adapt to be informed by children’s cultural, racial and linguistic identities rather than expecting them to adapt to dominant cultural norms.

Disproportionality

When certain groups are over- or under-represented in particular outcomes (such as exclusions, SEND referrals, or gifted programmes) compared to their representation in the general population.

Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA)

When children avoid or refuse school due to emotional distress rather than truancy or defiance.

Global majority

A reframing term that recognises that racially minoritised people in the UK represent the majority of the world’s population, challenging deficit-based language.

Internalised trauma not referred to in text

When individuals absorb and accept negative messages about their identity or group, leading to self-doubt, shame, or reduced expectations of themselves.

Intersectionality

The recognition that different aspects of identity (race, gender, class, disability, etc.) interact to create unique experiences that cannot be understood by looking at any single characteristic alone.

Racialised trauma not referred to in text

The psychological and emotional harm caused by experiences of racism, discrimination and racial violence, which can be passed down through generations and affect entire communities.

Restorative approaches

Practices focused on repairing harm and rebuilding relationships rather than punishment, asking ‘Who was harmed? What do they need? How can relationships be repaired?’

Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)

A SEND category often used to describe children’s behavioural difficulties, sometimes applied without proper investigation of underlying causes.

Single-issue lives

Dr Tembo’s phrase describing the misconception that people experience only one aspect of their identity at a time, rather than the reality of intersectional experiences.

Trauma-informed practice

An approach that understands how trauma affects children’s development and seeks to create safety and support rather than punishment for trauma responses.