Troy Deeney suffered at school. As a mixed-race pupil, he felt detached from the other students, "neither White enough to fit in with the White kids or Black enough to fit in with the Black kids". At 15, he was expelled. One teacher even said he would be dead by 25.

After he left school, he turned his life around. Deeney became a professional footballer and passed his exams. In 2020, he was one of the first British players to take the kneeThe practice, a statement against racism, began in the US with American footballer Colin Kaepernick. to protest inequality. Yet two years on, he still receives racist abuse on social media up to 40 times every week. 

Now, Deeney is campaigning for change. On Tuesday, the striker launched a petition calling for the teaching of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) history and experiences to be made mandatory in all British schools. 

"I believe the current system is failing children from ethnic minorities," Deeney wrote in an open letter to UK education secretary Nadhim Zahawi. 

"My mum always says to me, 'You can't understand where you're going if you don't understand where you've come from.' This is an issue I don't want repeated for my own children."

There were few lessons about Black history at Deeney's school in Birmingham. His class watched a US television series about slavery and briefly discussed Martin Luther KingThe civil rights leader was shot dead in Tennessee in 1968. . "There was no one I heard about in lessons who made me think I could be successful."

Today, schools in England can choose which topics and examples to teach in lessons.

But according to a poll commissioned by Deeney, only 12% of British teachers feel "empowered" to teach optional topics such as colonialism, migration and identity. Moreover, 54% of teachers believe the national curriculum has a racial bias. Among ethnic minority teachers, this figure rises to an incredible 93%. 

Deeney is not the only one calling for change. David Olusoga, a leading historian and patron of The Black CurriculumAn initiative campaigning to make Black history a compulsory part of UK education.  , believes schools must teach the "uncomfortable" parts of British history. "We keep editing out the stories when British power and Black stories collided." 

But not everyone agrees that the curriculum needs changing. In 2020, the UK government rejected calls from a group of 30 politicians for a review to add more BAME history to the national curriculum. UK government spokespeople insist that pupils already have more than enough opportunity to learn about BAME figures.

Some say it would be impossible for teachers to address the cultural history and experiences of every pupil in every classroom. 

Others go even further, saying changes to the curriculum could be political and divisive. Last week, the British government issued new guidance on impartiality in schools, warning teachers not to advocateTo publicly recommend or support a particular cause.  for campaign groups such as Black Lives Matter. 

Deeney is not put off by criticism. He believes taking the knee started a conversation, but meaningful change in society must begin in schools. "There is no negativity to being enlightened." 

Yes: Making BAME experiences mandatory teaching would inspire ethnic minority pupils and dispel harmful stereotypes. WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is part of the island of Great Britain.  has already made the change. Now the rest of the UK must follow.

No: It is impossible to teach everything. Teachers already have the option to include lessons on BAME figures, but they should not be forced to do so. Changing the curriculum would be divisive.

Or... The vast majority of teachers are unprepared to teach topics such as colonialism and identity. Schools need more resources and guidance on BAME topics. The government could help to provide them.