Leeds school head reacts after Micah Richards says he 'never experienced racism' there in Sky documentary

Former England international and Manchester City footballer Micah Richards says he experienced racism on the football pitch, but never at the north Leeds primary school he attended when he grew up in Leeds.

Richards praised Allerton CE Primary school in Alwoodley and said he experienced no racism there in a new Sky documentary, Micah Richards: Tackling Racism.

Richards spoke powerfully about how he and his family encountered racism at football games when he was growing up; his father was racially abused on the sidelines while he was bullied on the field.

The documentary begins and ends at Allerton Primary, where Mr Richards reconnected with his old teacher Mr Moore, who encouraged him in his football career, putting him forward for trials for the Leeds City Boys team.

He said: “Mr Moore helped me out so much, he even took me to football matches when my dad was working.

“He didn’t know if I was going to make it or not, and he did it out of the goodness of his heart so that’s why it’s emotional, someone was actually willing to take time out to give me an opportunity."

Mr Richards said Mr Moore was typical of his experience at Allerton Primary, “supportive, understanding and free from prejudice, adding he was “forever in debt.”

Helen Stott, headteacher at Allerton Primary, said the documentary was a beautiful tribute to the power of a teacher.

She said: “It’s well worth watching to get a feel of what my school’s about.”

Allerton Primary are continuing Mr Moore’s work today. Rather than shying away from the subject of racism, they are celebrating diversity through their ‘diversity defenders’ initiative.

Mrs Stott said: “The diversity defenders are an extension of our School Council.

“They are a group of emerging activists who want to channel their energy into different projects that matter to them.

“These usually link directly to our PSHE provision and themes and concepts within our curriculum.

“They have arranged charity film nights, anti-bullying pickets and mental health campaigns.

“They focus on raising awareness around diversity within the school community, this includes delving into issues of identity and prejudice, looking at what makes us unique and how this should be celebrated.

“Tackling stereotyping and identifying how to positively tackle prejudice based behaviour is all a part of this.”

As well as the diversity defenders, Mrs Stott said the school has a concept based curriculum linked directly to the values it wants to nurture in its students, including mutual respect, activism, democracy and kindness.

She said discussions about injustice and prejudices including racism are weaved through the curriculum in an age appropriate manner.

This is done through story books, current affairs, debate, and ‘Arts fortnights’ for every class, which Mrs Stott said are integral to Allerton Primary and cover a diverse range of artists and genres.

Mrs Stott said: “We realise our children come from a range of backgrounds and this needs to be reflected in the work we do.

“We have cultural events and focus weeks.

“However, crucial content like black history is not a bolt on, it is weaved within our provision.

“Like all schools we are on a journey with this, and understand the value of continual professional development.

“We started the term off with unconscious bias training.

“This provided staff with an opportunity to discuss important issues around identity and heritage, as well as an important opportunity to reflect on and evaluate what we do.”