Nursery World - Birth to 5 Matters experts hit back at criticism of guidance's stance on anti-racism by Conservative MPs

The group that developed Birth to 5 Matters has responded to criticisms by Tory MPs about the use of the term ‘white privilege’, in its recently published guidance, when addressing issues of equality in early years settings.

Following the launch of ‘Birth to 5 Matters – Guidance for the sector, by the sector', last Thursday, the document hit national newspaper headlines for its recommendations about how to combat racism in the early years.

The guidance states, 'Talking about race is a first step in countering racism.

'It is a mistaken assumption that treating all people in the same way and ignoring differences in race is a sufficient response to racism. This approach simply allows the continuation of bias in society which disadvantages people from black and minoritised groups. Instead of a colour-blind approach to race, more proactive anti-racism is needed.

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