Lesson video

Hello, I'm Ms. Kumar, and I'm really pleased that you've chosen to learn with me today.

Today's lesson is called "Prejudice and discrimination in Britain." And it's taken from our unit "Communities: How are we all different?" I would really recommend that you do this lesson with a trusted adult as there might be some parts of the lesson that you find tricky to understand or maybe a little bit worrying.

If at any point during the lesson you do feel worried or upset, please pause the video and speak to your trusted adult.

The outcome for today's lesson is: I can explain what prejudice is and why it's important to safely challenge it.

Before we begin any learning, let's remind ourselves of those important ground rules.

Laura reminds us to listen to others.

It's really important to take turns when we speak and not to interrupt one another.

Andeep reminds us to respect privacy.

It's okay for us to share stories, but don't use any names because you might then give away who it is that you're talking about.

Jacob reminds us, "No judgment!" This should be a safe space for us to talk, and we shouldn't laugh or make anyone feel silly for the things that they say.

And finally, Izzy says, "Choose your level of participation." If you don't want to answer a question or take part in a discussion, that's absolutely fine.

Nobody should be made to do anything that they don't want to.

Throughout today's lesson, you'll notice that there are two words in bold, black font.

These are keywords.

Let's take a quick look at today's keywords and what they mean.

Prejudice; prejudice is when someone judges or dislikes others unfairly without knowing them based on things like race, gender, or appearance.

And discrimination; discrimination is treating a person unfairly because of their characteristics.

Today's lesson is split into two parts.

Let's start with part one: What is prejudice? You may have heard of the saying, "Never judge a book by its cover." What do you think this means, and how might it relate to people? You can pause the video to have a quick think, and then press play when you're ready to move on.

The saying means don't decide whether you're going to like what's inside the book simply by looking at the outside.

In other words, don't decide whether you like a person based on just their outward appearance.

This is exactly what prejudice is.

It's judging people without knowing them.

Prejudice means when someone forms a negative opinion about another person or group of people without getting to know them first.

Let's take a look at the word prejudice more closely.

You can see that it's made up of two parts.

The first part of the word, pre, originates from the language of Latin over 2,000 years ago, and it simply means before.

The second part of the word also originates from Latin, this time from the word judicium.

Judicium means judgment.

So, in other words, prejudice literally means judgment before.

It means making a judgment about someone before you know the facts about them.

Ms. Walsh says, "Prejudice involves forming an opinion based on what you think is true rather than what is actually true." Prejudice can be based on many different things, such as someone's race, gender, religion, age, disability, or appearance.

It's always unfair because it judges people without knowing them as individuals.

Time for our first check for understanding.

Complete the missing words in the sentence: Prejudice is when someone forms a blank opinion about another person or group of people, which is not based on blank.

You can pause to have a think, and press play when you're ready to see the answers.

The answers are negative and facts.

Prejudice is when someone forms a negative opinion about another person or group of people which is not based on facts.

Sadly, prejudice has existed throughout history in Britain and around the world.

For example, throughout history, women and girls have faced prejudice.

During the 1800s, some prejudiced beliefs included that women were less intelligent and physically weaker than men.

In fact, because of some of these prejudiced beliefs, women were not even allowed to vote in the 1800s, which is why this photograph shows a picture of women campaigning for the right to vote.

From 1948 to around 1971, many people moved to Britain from the Caribbean as part of the Windrush generation.

Here's a picture of Lucille, who came to Britain as part of the Windrush generation.

The Windrush generation arrived to help rebuild Britain after World War II.

However, many of the families that moved here experienced prejudiced beliefs, particularly around their race and ethnicity.

Historically, people with disabilities have also faced prejudice.

Some unfair attitudes included the belief that people with disabilities were incapable of doing things.

This resulted in people with disabilities having fewer opportunities than people without.

Many people believe that prejudice is a thing of the past.

This is unfortunately incorrect.

Ms. Walsh explains, "Although there has been progress and improvement in the way that many groups of people are treated, Britain still has a long way to go before prejudice is stopped and everyone is treated fairly." True or false? Prejudice has never existed in Britain.

You can pause to have a think, press play when you're ready to move on.

The answer is false, but can you remember why? Prejudice has existed throughout history in Britain and around the world.

Many groups of people, such as women and girls, the Windrush generation, and people with disabilities, have sadly experienced prejudice at times over the years.

That brings us to the first task of today's lesson, Task A.

Write one paragraph to explain what prejudice is.

In your answer, refer to the saying "never judge a book by its cover" and give one example of historic prejudice.

You can pause the video to do this task, and when you're ready to see some possible answers, just press play.

Let's take a look at some answers together.

Your paragraph might include the following: The saying "never judge a book by its cover" means that we shouldn't decide whether we like a person based on just their outward appearance.

This links to prejudice because both involve judging without knowing the full story.

Prejudice is when someone forms a negative opinion about another person or group of people without getting to know them first.

Sadly, prejudice has always existed in Britain.

For example, women and girls experienced prejudice during the 1800s, such as the belief that they were less intelligent and physically weaker than men.

Well done if your answers were along those lines.

That brings us to the second part of today's lesson: Why should prejudice be challenged? Prejudice often leads to discrimination.

Ms. Walsh explains, "Prejudice is forming a negative opinion about a person without getting to know them first.

If the person is then treated unfairly as a result, this is discrimination.

People who experience prejudice are more likely to experience discrimination too." During the 1800s, prejudice against women led to discrimination.

For example, women were not allowed to vote and had less access to education.

Unfortunately, even today, prejudice and discrimination against women and girls continues, such as some people believing that certain jobs or activities are only for boys or only for girls.

Between the 1940s and 1970s, prejudice against the Windrush generation led to discrimination.

For instance, people had difficulty finding jobs or housing.

Sadly, people from different ethnic backgrounds still face prejudice and discrimination today, such as being treated unfairly because of their race or culture.

Historically, people with disabilities faced prejudice and discrimination.

For example, they were often excluded from schools and workplaces because people assumed they couldn't learn or work.

Sadly, to this day, prejudice against people with disabilities leads to discrimination, such as buildings lacking access for mobility aids or people assuming that someone with a disability cannot do certain things.

Change one word in the sentence to make it correct.

Prejudice never leads to discrimination.

You can pause to have a quick think, and then press play when you're ready to move on.

The word that needed correcting was never.

It should say often.

Prejudice often leads to discrimination.

Both prejudice and discrimination can have a negative impact on people.

It might make them feel lonely, not valued or respected, less confident, upset, worried, or scared, and stressed and anxious.

Prejudice and discrimination could make people feel, A, valued and respected, B, stressed and anxious, or C, more confident.

You can pause to have a quick think, and press play when you're ready to see the answer.

The answer is B, stressed and anxious.

The Equality Act of 2010.

Britain has laws that protect people from discrimination.

The Equality Act of 2010 was introduced to ensure that everyone, whatever their characteristics, is given the things they need to have the same opportunities as other people.

In Britain, people are also encouraged to live by the British values.

These are democracy, where everyone should have a say and fair votes, rule of law, where we all follow the same fair rules, individual liberty; this is where we have the freedom to make our own choices as long as we don't harm others, and mutual respect and tolerance; this is where we treat everyone fairly and kindly, even when we're different.

These values can help us to live together happily and peacefully in our diverse society.

True or false? Britain has laws and values to protect people from discrimination.

You can pause to have a think, press play when you're ready to move on.

The answer is true.

Can you remember why? The Equality Act 2010 is a law that protects people from discrimination, and the British values encourage us to treat everyone with respect and tolerance.

We can all play a part in challenging prejudice and discrimination.

Ms. Walsh says, "When we respectfully speak up against prejudice, this encourages people to rethink their beliefs, which can reduce discrimination.

A world without prejudice and discrimination is fairer and more inclusive." However, it's really important that we challenge prejudice safely.

This means only speaking up if you feel safe to do so, always telling a trusted adult, like a teacher, parent, or carer, if you see or experience prejudice or discrimination, never putting yourself in danger to challenge prejudice, and remembering that adults are responsible for dealing with serious situations.

It can be tricky to find the right words sometimes, but there are some helpful phrases that we can learn if it feels safe to use them.

For example, "Actually, I don't agree with that." "I think that's an unfair thing to say." "Maybe you should get to know them before you decide." "Please remember that we all deserve respect." "Is what you're saying factually true?" Ms. Walsh adds, "Remember, if you're ever unsure about what to do, or if the situation feels too big or serious, always tell a trusted adult.

We are there to help and protect you." Time for our last check for understanding.

How can we help reduce prejudice and discrimination? A, by challenging it on our own, even if we feel unsafe, B, by ignoring it and hoping it goes away, or C, by safely challenging it and always telling a trusted adult.

You can pause to have a quick think, and then just press play when you're ready to move on.

The answer is C, by safely challenging it and always telling a trusted adult.

That brings us to the second and final task for today's lesson, Task B.

This task is split into two parts.

Let's start with part one.

For each of the following groups of people, write one example of discrimination that they may face today.

We've got women and girls, people with disabilities, and people from different ethnic backgrounds.

You can pause to carry out this task, and when you're ready to see some answers, just press play.

Let's take a look at your answers and see how you got on.

Your examples might include the following: For women and girls, some people believe certain jobs or sports are only for boys.

For people with disabilities, some buildings may lack access for mobility aids.

And for people from different ethnic backgrounds, being treated unfairly because of their race or culture.

Well done if your answers were along these lines.

And now for part two.

With your talk partner, discuss the following: A, the impact of prejudice and discrimination on a person, B, why prejudice and discrimination should be challenged, and C, how we can safely challenge prejudice and discrimination, including when we should tell a trusted adult.

You can pause to have this discussion, and when you're ready to see some answers, just press play.

Let's take a look at the answers together.

Your discussions might have included the following: For A, prejudice and discrimination can make a person feel lonely, not valued or respected, less confident, upset, worried, scared, stressed, or anxious.

For B, prejudice should be challenged because it encourages people to rethink their beliefs, which can reduce discrimination.

A world without prejudice and discrimination is fairer and more inclusive.

And for C, we can challenge prejudice by using helpful phrases such as "Actually, I don't agree with that" or "Please remember, we all deserve respect." However, we should only do this if it feels safe, and we should always tell a trusted adult if we see or experience prejudice or discrimination.

Well done if your answers were along these lines.

That brings us to the end of today's lesson, but before we finish, let's take a quick look at today's lesson summary.

Prejudice involves forming a negative opinion about people without getting to know them first.

Prejudice has existed throughout history in Britain and around the world.

There has been progress; however, there is still a long way to go before everyone is treated fairly.

Prejudice often leads to discrimination, and both of these can have a negative impact on people.

The Equality Act of 2010 protects people from discrimination, and the British values remind us to treat other people fairly and kindly.

We can all play a part in safely challenging prejudice and discrimination.

We must always tell a trusted adult if we witness or experience it.

Today was a tricky lesson, so well done on all your hard work.

I hope that you now have a better understanding of prejudice and discrimination in Britain.

If you need any support following on from today's lesson, you can look at these websites.

Childline; this is a website and phone line which is able to offer confidential advice and support.

And CEOP; CEOP helps protect children from online abuse and exploitation.