A groundbreaking report has highlighted the challenges Black schoolgirls face in the education system, revealing that they often feel overlooked, misjudged, and stereotyped by educators. The See Us, Hear Us report, conducted by community organisation Milk Honey Bees, surveyed 121 Black girls from various London schools. It found that over 60% felt unfairly disciplined, while only 14% received specialist support when incidents were escalated to senior management. The findings indicate a troubling trend—Black girls are more likely to face punitive measures rather than support when they encounter difficulties at school.

The study exposed how Black girls are frequently perceived through a lens of "defiance and aggression," an outlook that significantly affects their mental health and overall well-being. This perception leads to harsher disciplinary actions rather than efforts to understand and address their concerns. Ebinehita Iyere, founder of Milk Honey Bees and co-author of the report alongside Njilan Morris Jarra and Sophie Arinde, warns that these findings may reflect a nationwide issue. Speaking to The Mirror, she expressed concern for Black girls outside of London, emphasising the need for nationwide research and intervention.

“We made sure to include areas where Black girls are a majority, as well as those where they are a minority,” Iyere said. “In the UK, we don’t uplift and celebrate Black girls. We’ve only just started to recognise Black womanhood, and that itself comes with many challenges.” She further explained how societal perceptions of Black girls can shape their future experiences. “If Black girls are not acknowledged for who they are, their transition into womanhood is impacted. This is how the ‘angry Black girl’ stereotype persists into adulthood. But that stereotype is unfair. Everyone experiences anger, yet Black girls are burdened with this label, which affects their education, personal lives, and careers.”

Lead researcher Njilan Morris Jarra reflected on how the experiences described in the report mirrored her own. “Reading the transcripts and writing the report, I often felt deflated and enraged by the familiarity of these findings,” she wrote. The report includes personal testimonies from Black schoolgirls, shedding light on their daily struggles in the classroom. One student recounted an instance of being ignored by her teacher: “For ten minutes straight, I tried to ask a question, but [the teacher] didn’t see my hand. She ignored me and went to someone else. So, I asked the person next to me for help, and then she said, ‘Why are you talking in my lesson?’—even though the whole class was talking.” Another student simply stated: “Teachers only see anger and nothing else.”

Despite the negative findings, the See Us, Hear Us report is not about placing blame on educators but rather about identifying solutions. Iyere emphasises the importance of creating safe spaces for Black girls where they can experience joy and express themselves creatively. “This report was never about blaming schools, educators, or parents,” she said. “It was about finding ways to support Black girls and challenge harmful perceptions to improve their well-being.”

Community Manager and Researcher at Milk Honey Bees, Sophie Arinde, hopes the report will encourage educators to reassess their approach to working with Black girls. “One of our goals was to review current teaching practices and identify areas where teachers might have overlooked certain issues,” Arinde explained. “Many educators unconsciously group Black girls’ needs with those of Black boys, without recognisng the unique challenges they face.”