Welcome to the Stephen Lawrence Education Standard Website

Update April 2012 –

Thank you for your interest in the Stephen Lawrence Education Standard.

In view of the changing role of the Local Authority and other national changes we have also taken the opportunity to use this period of unprecedented change to look at the future form of the Stephen Lawrence Education Standard (SLES). The current SLES has been more or less the same for many years, but we feel that it needs to be refreshed so that it continues to support and embed good practice in race equality in schools and settings in light of many national changes such as the Equality Act 2010, New Ofsted Framework 2012, as well as, of course, the changing role of LAs. 

As part of an ongoing web replacement project, sections of the original website will also be migrated to a new site. We hope to provide a further update regarding this over the next couple of months once this is in place. 

If you have any enquiries or wish to express an interest in the Stephen Lawrence Education Standard then please feel free to call 0113 39 50009.

The Stephen Lawrence Education Standard

The Stephen Lawrence Education Standard is unique to Leeds. It was developed in partnership between Education Leeds, the Leeds City Council and Black and Minority community representatives, in response to the tragic murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993 and the publication of the Macpherson Inquiry Report into Stephen’s death in 1999.

The Standard was developed in partnership between the former Education Leeds, Leeds City Council and black and minority community representatives, in response to the tragic murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993 and the publication of the Macpherson Inquiry Report into his death six years later.

The Standard was launched in 2003, evolving from a competitive award established in 2000.  The award was the first of its kind in the country. In 2010 the programme was launched nationally and is now available to schools and learning settings across the country.

Developed in 2003, the Standard is awarded to schools, early years centres and colleges which demonstrate knowledge, understanding and evidence of promoting inclusion and race equality to help transform education. Around 77 per cent of Leeds’ 263 schools have already achieved the award, with many more working towards it.

The programme provides a powerful framework and programme for schools and learning settings to work in partnership to enrich and improve the learning experience of children, young people and adults.

The innovative curriculum projects to make schools and learning settings inclusive have been shared through ‘Harmony’, the news magazine of the Stephen Lawrence Education Standard.  Archive editions can be found by clicking here.

Councillor Judith Blake, executive member responsible for children’s services at Leeds City Council said:

“In Leeds we have a proud tradition of celebrating cultural diversity and the Stephen Lawrence Education Standard is an excellent way to broaden young people’s horizons and embed a culture of equality in our schools and communities.

“Our aim to be a Child Friendly City can only be achieved if our young people understand the importance of race equality, not only in schools, but in all walks of life. The standard encourages our children and young people to treat everybody equally regardless of their race, beliefs or religion.”