ABSTRACT
Drawing on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and illustrating with examples from the English system, the paper addresses the hidden racist dimension to contemporary education reforms and argues that this is a predictable and recurrent theme at times of economic crisis. A woman in her 30s, who was involved in the riots in north London, said: ‘I think some people were there for justice for that boy who got killed. And the rest of them because of what’s happening: the cuts, the government not doing the right thing. No job, no money. One of the most influential concepts in the CRT canon addresses the means by which policy is re/made through a process that balances the interests of White elites against the dangers of pushing minoritised groups to the point of rebellion.
