The adultification of Black girls in the British school system continues to jeopardise their safety and wellbeing. In schools, Black girls are persistently over-policed and under-protected, exposing them to increased levels of danger and vulnerability, often with devastating consequences.

Last week, a video went viral of a 15-year-old Black schoolgirl enduring a prolonged, vicious attack by a gang of white thugs outside of the victim’s school – Thomas Knyvett College in Surrey. 

Four suspects have since been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated assault including two 11-year-old girls, a 16-year-old-girl and a 39-year-old woman. Another woman and a 43-year-old man were also arrested, with a 15-year-old girl is wanted in connection with the attack.

“As a mother, it saddened me. I was so, so heartbroken to see what I saw in that video clip,” says Tracey, mum to a 13-year-old Black girl living in London. Referring to the arrested woman, Tracey continues, “I was wondering where her nurturing instincts were. She was coaching her child on how to inflict pain on another human being.”