Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Leadership: Shaping the Future of the Teaching Workforce
Written by Susi Waters
Susi Waters, Operations Manager at Norfolk Research School; the Research Schools Network (RSN) Regional EDI Link (East of England and East Midlands); and Operations Manager and ITT Strategic Lead at the Julian Teaching School Hub.
In today’s educational landscape, fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) feels essential for creating a supportive and effective teaching workforce that reflects the lived experiences of the students we serve. This blog post offers some thoughts on the importance of DEIB in educational leadership and highlights the challenges and opportunities for improvement.
Understanding Intersectionality and Privilege in Leadership
One of the key considerations in promoting DEIB in education is recognising intersectionality — the overlapping and interconnected nature of social categorisations such as race and ethnicity, gender, disability, and socioeconomic status. Leadership roles in education have historically been dominated by white cisgender individuals without disabilities, but there’s a growing call for more inclusive representation.
Many of us are familiar with the concept of “checking our privilege,” which can sometimes trigger defensiveness. It’s helpful to remember that, in this context, “privilege” refers to an absence of disadvantage. Having “white privilege” doesn’t equate to guaranteed success; it means that one’s skin colour hasn’t posed societal barriers.
Chris Hildrew, a headteacher in Somerset, articulates this experience well:
“I am usually in the majority. I joke about how I have the privilege full house: White. Male. English. Straight. Cisgender. Middle class. […] When I speak, people listen. They always have. I expect them to.“
Data from Edurio(2021) and NFER (2024) reveal that the representation of non-white educators, disabled individuals, and LGBTQIA+ educators remains low in leadership positions. Addressing these disparities calls for thoughtful recruitment, retention, and career development strategies.
The Role of ITT Recruitment in Teacher Diversity
Recruiting a diverse teaching workforce starts with how we market initial teacher training (ITT) programmes. While people of colour are overrepresented among applicants for ITT, they are significantly underrepresented in the teaching workforce overall. In fact, 60% of schools in England had an all-white teaching staff in 2021 – 22, with 86% having an all-white senior leadership team.
Research by Dr. Gabriella Beckles-Raymond (2020) underlines the importance of targeted recruitment strategies aimed at attracting African, Caribbean, and Asian teachers. Schools and training providers might benefit from adopting inclusive messaging and outreach initiatives to encourage individuals from underrepresented backgrounds to explore teaching careers.
Recruitment should be thoughtful. For instance, we could consider:
- Do providers offer pre-application support, like explaining the English school system to those who didn’t grow up here?
- Are interview processes truly inclusive? Do they provide interview questions in advance or offer online options?
- Is the interview panel diverse in terms of race, gender, and age?
Making sure that trainee teachers have the right support means addressing barriers that can impede career progression. Access to mentorship, leadership training, and workplace policies that foster inclusion are all important aspects to think about.
Making Teaching a Sustainable Career for All
For many educators, especially those from marginalised groups, remaining in the profession long-term can be tough. Research from BERA (2019) on LGBTQIA+ teachers and the “Missing Mothers” project (2024) highlights how workplace culture, lack of support, and discrimination can push talented educators away from the profession.
To encourage sustainability in teaching careers, schools should implement policies that accommodate diverse needs, such as:
- Support for teachers going through menopause.
- Flexible work arrangements for primary caregivers.
Anti-discrimination policies that protect neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ individuals.
Leadership: Breaking Barriers and Creating Opportunities
Leadership in education needs to evolve to better reflect the communities it serves. Disparities persist; for instance, men are twice as likely to take on leadership positions as women, even though women comprise the majority of the teaching workforce. Gaps remain in representation among racial and ethnic minorities, disabled individuals, and LGBTQIA+ professionals.
Educational leaders can play a significant role in advocating for equity by:
- Sponsoring and mentoring diverse talent.
- Implementing transparent hiring and promotion practices.
- Encouraging conversations about privilege and systemic barriers.
- Revisiting senior leadership recruitment processes to ensure job descriptions and interview processes don’t unintentionally place women, disabled individuals, or caregivers at a disadvantage.
Moving Forward
We should ask ourselves: are we really setting up all teachers to enjoy a sustainable and fulfilling career?
Rethinking our approach to leadership is key — not just at senior levels but also in shaping the next generation of educators. There are alternative pathways to leadership in education beyond headteacher roles, such as Teaching School Hubs, Research Schools, and ITT leadership. These roles often offer flexibility, hybrid options, and meaningful opportunities to affect educational policy.
Ultimately, if we don’t act, the next generation of teachers will mirror those who currently remain in the system. Without deliberate attention and change, we risk perpetuating a cycle where leadership remains uniform. However, by embracing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, we have the potential to create a teaching workforce where all educators feel valued and every child sees themselves reflected in their role models.
To cultivate a more inclusive educational system, leaders should commit to ongoing education and implementing best practices. By embracing these principles, we can nurture a teaching workforce where diversity is celebrated, equity is upheld, inclusion is practised, and belonging is experienced by all. The future of education rests on leaders willing to challenge the status quo and promote DEIB at every level.
This blog is a summary of a session that Susi delivered as part of Derby Research School’s Change Champions conference in autumn 2024; it forms part of the RSN and Norfolk Research School’s ongoing work around EDI and developing diverse voices.
All sources and recommended reading can be found here and you can watch the full session here.
Decolonising the curriculum
Written by Shashi Knott
Shashi Knott is an English teacher and former Deputy Head of Sixth Form, with 16 years of experience teaching in state secondary schools across North London. After earning her MSc in Education, Power, and Change, she transitioned from her role as a full-time English teacher to focus on driving change within education. She is interested in working with other professionals to see how we can create more compassionate environments in schools. She is currently an outreach English teacher and Associate Trainer with KCA Training.
Decolonising the curriculum is like finding new love—it’s hard work, often requiring us to let go of what we’ve cherished. It’s a struggle, and one that calls for understanding and acknowledgment of the emotions involved.
The department meeting went silent. A chair scraped awkwardly as we shifted at tables. It was nearly 4.30pm. Everyone had marking to do. Was this about to get tricky?
In London, where I work as an English teacher, 46.2% of residents identify as non-white. It’s not a difficult context to make an argument that the texts we teach our students should be more representative. And yet, somehow, we don’t seem to make it happen.
We could absolutely have spent some of our fast- vanishing department budget on a new set of texts for Year 9. Amazingly, we all agreed that Elizabeth Acevedo’s ‘The Poet X’ would be an excellent choice for the spring term. However, when one of us asked, “What about George Orwell?” I know they were not the only ones thinking this. The silence in the room might have suggested otherwise, and we all knew what we should say next. So when our Head of Department was conciliatory, coming up with the comfort of delay, we were all secretly relieved. “We’ll revisit the discussion at the end of the term.” “ We’ll review again in our gained time.” “We’ll assess our existing schemes of work for diversity. ”
We know what we should be advocating for, but there are so many reasons why teaching ‘Animal Farm’ feels more comfortable, and it’s not just because we already have established schemes of work.
As English teachers and often English graduates, we have all internalised an idea of what constitutes the canon. Literary critic Harold Bloom describes canonical texts as works of ‘aesthetic beauty’ (1994) and therefore, he suggests, to question these texts is to question the merit of art itself. Bloom describes the ‘idealistic resenters’ who ‘denounce competition’ and want to focus on marginalised voices, as missing the point of art and culture. (1994) Whilst Bloom’s ideas have been convincingly challenged and are now certainly out of fashion, they are ideas that we cannot fail to have internalised. Many of us grew up with these views being the dominant narrative in the study of English Literature and speaking for myself, I did much work to embrace the canon. I certainly did not want to be seen as someone who missed the point of art.
We have to acknowledge that decolonising our minds is uncomfortable. It involves acknowledging that some of the texts we loved, we might need to let go. A bit like the way a song from our youth, however rubbish, will always evoke strong feelings, those first occasions of literary love will do the same. The first time you felt seen, grown up, clever, understood. That first moment of connection with the canon. Mine was Keats, the perfect poet for the
misunderstood teen. Decolonising the curriculum involves a deconstruction of the canon, of beloved texts, and that can mean a painful epistemic discomfort. We picked apart those texts. We invested meaning in them. We succeeded at them. That’s why we’re English teachers.
Decolonising the English curriculum is as much about interrogating our own relationship with literature as it is about buying new books or creating schemes of work. It is about being willing to forge new relationships with texts and giving our students those special moments of connection, potentially with texts that are not our one true love. It’s not just about representation for global majority students, it’s about a more inclusive literary canon for everyone.
Maybe as English teachers we need to go forth and find new literary loves. New characters to fall for. New writers to make students feel understood, and to voice, in new ways, all the age old feelings. Not a new canon. Just new names to add in. New, gritty, glittering, literary loves for students of English to come.
References
Bloom, H. (2014) The western canon: The books and school of the ages. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
You can’t just teach a child out of poverty
Written by Sean Harris and Katrina Morley
Sean Harris – Co-author and Director of PLACE (People, Learning and Community Engagement) at Tees Valley Education. Katrina Morley OBE – Co-author and CEO of Tees Valley Education.
One of the most urgent and complex issues schools face today is the deep-rooted impact of poverty on the communities they serve. For school leaders and educators, this isn’t just about data, it’s about real lives, and the daily reality of hardship affecting pupils and families.
The challenges of poverty extend well beyond the school gates. It influences everything from children’s learning experiences to their long-term life chances, often reinforcing cycles of inequality that are difficult to break.
But poverty and inequality do not have to be an inevitable part of the story we write in schools and communities.
Practice to Page
In Tackling Poverty and Disadvantage in Schools, we set out to create more than just another education book.
This is a collaborative guide, designed to support busy educators and stretched school leaders with practical tools and real-world strategies to help dismantle the complexity of inequality.
It reflects the voices of those working at the frontline, educators, leaders, and organisations who know what it means to walk within communities facing adversity.
This book is built on shared experience. It’s by the sector, for the sector, and with the sector.
It also challenges the rhetoric that the only or best way to tackle inequality is through excellent teaching alone.
‘While research consistently highlights the importance of high-quality teaching, policy and practice too often lean on this narrative to imply that a great teacher alone can overcome deep-rooted inequality. In reality, the schools making meaningful strides in addressing disadvantage recognise that delivering education in their communities requires a far more nuanced and holistic approach.’
Sean Harris: co-author
Director of PLACE (People, Learning and Community Engagement) at Tees Valley Education
No egos, no silos
What makes this project distinct is its collective approach. We brought together perspectives from across the UK and beyond: educators, researchers, policymakers, and thought leaders who are tackling educational inequality every day.
Each contributor brings school-based insight, evidence-informed thinking, and grounded practices. From making classrooms more inclusive and curriculum more equitable, to fostering a culture of social justice across whole-school systems, the book is packed with adaptable and proven strategies.
‘Schools alone are not the solution to tackling inequality, but they are an essential part of it. That’s why it was vital for this book to be shaped by the expertise and lived experiences of schools and organisations that are actively driving change. True progress comes through collaboration. Only by working together can we begin to understand and address the complex, enduring nature of disadvantage.’
Katrina Morley OBE
Co-author and CEO of Tees Valley Education
And let us be clear: while schools play a vital role in addressing disadvantage, they cannot do it alone. Education is only one component part of system change.
Optimism included
This book arrives at a critical moment.
Schools are contending with the lingering effects of COVID-19, the rising cost of living, and increasing poverty-related barriers to learning. We wanted to offer something constructive: a resource that doesn’t just highlight the issues, but offers a roadmap for making a difference.
The book has been written with busy leaders and educators in mind. We wanted to help educators foster environments where every child feels seen, supported, and capable of thriving, no matter their background.
Using the book
We know there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Schools are diverse, complex places where staff face many competing demands. That’s why we designed this book to be both accessible and flexible.
The content is organised around three core themes:
- Whole-school approaches (e.g. leadership and school culture)
- Classroom practices (e.g. including teaching methods and curriculum design)
- Wider interventions (e.g. mentoring, family support, and industry partnerships)
These strands provide different entry points, depending on where your school is in its journey. Whether you’re a new or established teacher looking for classroom ideas or a senior leader seeking systemic change, we hope this book meets you where you are.
Each chapter follows a consistent and easy-to-navigate format:
Research Recap: We summarise key studies and evidence that help contextualise the topic. It’s rigorous but digestible, with signposts for further reading if you want to go deeper.
Case Studies: Real examples from schools and organisations that have put theory into action. These are not silver-bullets but grounded insights from practitioners who’ve tested and refined their approaches.
Reflection: Tools and activities for applying the ideas in your own setting. These can be used individually or with your team. Plus, we’ve included access to an online hub with templates, planning guides, and reflection exercises to keep the work going beyond the page.
Each chapter also ends with concise takeaway points—perfect for sharing over a quick chat with a colleague (caffeine optional, but encouraged!).
Professional generosity
What truly sets this project apart is the generosity and dedication of our contributors. Everyone involved has donated their time and waived royalties. Profits from the book will go directly to supporting initiatives that benefit children and young people living in poverty, through our work with Tees Valley Education.
This spirit of collaboration and shared purpose is at the heart of everything we’ve created here.
We didn’t want to produce another title that simply restates how hard things are or overcomplicates the problem. Instead, we focused on creating a useful, empowering, and hopeful resource for professionals in education.
Importantly, we’ve also been careful to approach the topic with dignity and respect. Children and young people facing poverty are not “problems” to be fixed. The real challenge lies in the systems and structures that make life harder for them. It’s those systems we must work to change—and we believe schools can be powerful agents in that process.
We hope Tackling Poverty and Disadvantage in Schools contributes something meaningful to the ongoing conversation about equity and education. Our thanks go to every school, leader, and educator who continues to show up, innovate, and stand with their communities.
Leaders Engagement in Mothers’ Matters
Written by Emma Sheppard
Emma founded The MTPT Project, the UK's charity for parent teachers, in 2016 when on maternity leave with her first child. She has 12 years experience as an English teacher, Lead Practitioner and ITT Lead, and now runs The MTPT Project full time.
At The MTPT Project, we take our commitment to inclusion seriously. As Founder, I love reviewing our data annually for our Diversity and Inclusion report, the way that this informs our strategies as a small charity and the impact this then goes on to have.
One of these strategies to come out of our 2023-24 report was to improve engagement tracking at events directed to leaders in our sector. We are curious to know whether our work is perceived – in broad terms – as workforce and retention or diversity and mothers.
It makes sense that our programmes aimed at staff who are parents attract an overwhelmingly female audience. Because of our national and sector parenting policies, mothers are still afforded more paid time on birthing maternity leave than fathers and non-birthing partners, and this is when gendered routines around parenting take root and influence the division of domestic and professional labour in the long term – particularly in heterosexual couples.
Our leadership work, however, is aimed at senior leaders and above. Statistically, these are positions where men are over-represented at both primary and secondary level. If our work is (correctly) seen as workforce and retention, then up to 60% of our audience at these events should be men.
At this mid-point in the year, then, how far do school leaders still consider the retention, progression and wellbeing of parent-teachers as a ‘mothers matter’?
We’ve tracked data over 15 events – most of which have been optional to attend – aimed at school and systems leaders, and this is what we’ve found:
- On average, just 17% of attendees at these events have been men
- On three occasions, there has not been a single male face in the room
- Three events have hit our starter target of 24% male representation (the proportion of men in the wider teacher workforce, not at leadership level) and these were events billed as retention, flexible working, or an obligatory meeting for local headteachers
We count a number of men within our professional network who show up regularly to champion the work that we do. They sign off funding, make introductions, speak up on behalf of our community, work on research and data projects, platform our work on social media and speak at our events.
But men are not showing up enough as audience members to learn about the daily, and systems-wide practice that can be implemented to support working mothers for the overall health of our workforce and – ultimately – the schools they are leading.
An acute example of this disconnect: 22% of the speakers at The MTPT Project’s Missing Mothers conference are fathers and leaders from our community, but – two weeks ahead of the event – not one of the 135 ticket holders are men.
When organisations are considered who is “best placed” to attend MTPT events, the data suggests that they are still sending leaders with first-hand experience of motherhood. Clearly, the view is that these mothers’ matters are best handled between mothers and by mothers.
Statistically, however, these mothers, sorting things out between themselves, are less likely to be in leadership positions than men. They are less likely to wield decision-making power and they are less able to role model effective allyship to other men.
If we really want to make a sustainable difference to the teacher retention crisis, our male leaders need to stop seeing mothers as a diversity group, and instead know that mothers are workforce.
To Belong Is Not Enough: Why We Must Move Towards Mattering
Written by Mohamed Abdallah
With almost two decades of experience, Mohamed started his journey in youth work and pupil referral units before spearheading groundbreaking inclusive practices and systems as a leader in an 'Outstanding' all-through mainstream school. Driven by a relentless commitment to positive change, Mohamed now dedicates his efforts to collaborating with school leaders across the nation as the Head of the Inclusive Leadership Course at The Difference.
“No one would care if I weren’t here.”
I can remember the words hitting me hard. As Designated Safeguarding Lead there were immediate red flags, but on a human level it broke my heart.
100% attendance, great progress, and never in trouble. On paper he belonged – but in reality he thought nobody cared.
Across the country, I hear the language of belonging increasingly referenced in discussions about student engagement, wellbeing, and success. And I welcome it. It’s a refreshing shift in our narrative about the student experience.
Still, something didn’t feel right. Then, it clicked.
It is not enough to simply belong; you should also matter.
My experience has shown me that a student can belong to a school community without ever feeling that their presence or contributions truly matter. A friend recently shared a US study with me that revealed a surprising finding: a sense of ‘belonging’ to a school community did not significantly affect academic performance. But instead there were other factors that determined success, such as participation and self regulated learning.
Think about it this way: You belong to a gym, but do the regulars know your name? You belong to a workplace, but do your ideas shape the way things are done? You belong to a school, but when you are absent, is there a noticeable void?
Mattering is more than belonging to a place or a community; it is about your significance.
One of the most prominent academic advocates for mattering is the US community psychologist Isaac Prilleltensky. He argues that developing a strong sense of mattering depends on two things: feeling you are valued, and feeling that you add value – whether that be within your workplace, your community, your family, or your friendship group. In the UK, my good friend Luke Billingham has been one of the most influential thinkers and writers on young people and mattering.
The Three Components of Mattering in Schools
After multiple voice notes back and forth, Luke and I sat down to discuss this matter (see what I did there!), and we asked:
If a student stopped coming to school tomorrow, would they feel like their absence was noticed?
Does every student have positive and affirming relationships with peers and at least one adult?
Are students actively shaping the school environment, or are they simply complying with expectations?
These questions helped us think more deeply about mattering. Of course, students should belong. But would we be satisfied as school leaders with 100% attendance, high attainment, and zero suspensions, yet students still told us, “No one would care if I weren’t here”?
They should feel they matter.
Reflecting on our experiences in different schools, Luke and I identified some key factors which we think enable students to develop mattering; Voice, Relationships, and Participation.
- Voice: Too often, schools claim to prioritise student voice while keeping real decision-making at the leadership level. But voice is not just about being heard. Schools must embed student experience and perspectives into decision-making, not just through surveys, but by creating opportunities for meaningful dialogue and change. Even when student perspectives challenge us, they offer uncomfortable truths we must engage with. When students see their input shape school culture, they matter.
- Relationships: A student might belong to a school, but do they have relationships that affirm their worth? Schools could cultivate opportunities for positive peer relationships to create strong social bonds, and to ensure every student has at least one trusted adult. Relationships built on trust and recognition, and environments where students feel valued and connected.
- Participation: Mattering isn’t just about feeling noticed, it’s about feeling needed. Students need opportunities to contribute meaningfully to their school communities. This goes beyond enrichment clubs; it means ensuring that students are actively shaping their environments. Whether through student-led campaigns, or engaging with the local community, authentic participation allows students to see their impact.
Why Mattering Matters for Inclusion
I worry that belonging is being used as a catch-all solution for inclusion, or dare I say it, a form of soft inclusion. For many students from marginalised backgrounds, belonging can feel conditional. They may be required to turn up, but do they feel like their presence and identity are essential? Do they see themselves reflected in the curriculum? Are their voices shaping school systems? Are their experiences acknowledged and valued?
Mattering addresses these questions by ensuring that students are not just included, but recognised as integral members of their schools. For students from underrepresented backgrounds, the feeling of mattering can be a protective factor against marginalisation and disengagement.
If we stop at belonging, we risk creating schools where students exist but don’t thrive, they comply but are disengaged, are included but unseen. The real challenge for schools isn’t just inclusion. It’s significance. Instead of asking, ‘Do our students belong?’ ask, ‘Do they know they matter?’
From Lettuce to Leadership: The Recipe for Real DEIB in Schools
Written by Sharon Warmington
Sharon is a diversity of race advocate and trainer, and CEO of the National Black Governors Network. She is an experienced academy trustee and school governor, corporate governance specialist. As an international Governance Practitioner and local school Governor, Sharon Warmington is also a public speaker, facilitator and a strategic leader, having worked nationally and internationally on projects in the private, public and third sector.
The room fell silent. A lone voice cut through the air like a scalpel.
“If we always do what we’ve always done, we’ll always get what we’ve always got.”
A murmur of agreement rippled across the table, but the truth hung heavy. Governance in education wasn’t evolving fast enough. The diversity deficit on school boards was glaring, and yet the solution was tantalisingly within reach.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). A well-rehearsed mantra, a neatly arranged acronym, but in practice? Too often, it was all lettuce—bland, predictable, offering little more than a base layer. And just like a dull, uninspired salad, governance without true DEIB lacked texture, colour, and depth.
The First Ingredient: Diversity
Imagine stepping into a kitchen with only one ingredient. The outcome is predictable—uninspiring, repetitive, and ultimately ineffective. The same is true for governance.
Without representation across different racial, ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic groups, leadership decisions are made in an echo chamber. Diversity isn’t a ‘nice-to-have’; it’s the foundation upon which every other principle of DEIB is built. Without it, equity and inclusion remain unattainable.
The Dressing: Equity
Equity isn’t about throwing different ingredients into the mix and hoping for the best. It’s about recognising that some have been denied access to the kitchen entirely.
A governing board dominated by a single demographic can never truly understand the systemic barriers faced by underrepresented communities. Equity means creating real opportunities, ensuring those at the table have the tools, training, and access they need to contribute meaningfully.
It’s the dressing that brings balance—without it, even the freshest ingredients fail to shine.
The Crunch: Inclusion
Diversity and equity alone are not enough. Inclusion is the crunch, the bite, the assurance that every voice at the table is not just heard but valued.
A tokenistic approach—where individuals from diverse backgrounds are present but sidelined—rings hollow. Effective governance ensures all voices are not just present but shape the conversation. That means active listening, real participation, and a culture where speaking up is met with action, not silence.
The Secret Ingredient: Belonging
The final element, the one that brings it all together, is belonging.
A salad with great ingredients but no harmony is still a mess. The same applies to governance. If board members feel like outsiders—constantly having to prove their worth, explain their existence, or justify their perspectives—then DEIB has failed.
Belonging is the ultimate goal. It’s the point where leaders no longer ‘accommodate’ difference but celebrate it. It’s where representation is no longer an initiative but an expectation.
The Governance Gap: A Recipe for Change
The Department for Education (DfE) mandates that schools and trusts prioritise diversity in governance. The Public Sector Equality Duty requires active promotion of equality and inclusion. And yet, how many governing boards truly reflect the communities they serve?
The data tells its own story. Governing boards remain overwhelmingly white, predominantly male, and heavily weighted towards those over 50. Meanwhile, young voices, Black and Asian perspectives, and disabled representation remain painfully absent.
The solution? A new approach.
Turning Theory into Action
If schools are serious about DEIB, they must move beyond rhetoric. This means:
- Mapping the gaps: Who is missing from your governing board?
- Expanding the search: Looking beyond the usual networks—engaging with Black professional groups, student unions, disability organisations.
- Creating real pathways: Making governance accessible for those who may never have considered it.
DEIB isn’t about optics—it’s about outcomes. Schools with diverse governance bodies are better equipped to navigate the complexities of modern education. They make stronger decisions, build more inclusive policies, and ultimately create better environments for students.
The Call to Action
So, the question isn’t whether DEIB is important—it’s whether we’re brave enough to do the work.
Are we prepared to step beyond our comfort zones? To challenge long-standing norms? To build governing boards that truly represent the schools they serve?
The choice is ours. We can keep serving up plain lettuce, or we can create something extraordinary.
Breaking Barriers: The Transformative Effect of Black Educators in Leadership
Written by Krystian McInnis
Krystian McInnis is a Religious Education consultant, advisor, and researcher specialising in decolonising and diversifying Religious Education. With a career that spans the public, private, and charity sectors, he brings extensive national and international experience in curriculum diversification and decolonisation. As the Co-Founder of Reimagining Education, Krystian is dedicated to creating a more inclusive and equitable educational system where everyone feels seen, heard, and that they belong.
One percent. This is the stark figure of Black Headteachers in England with a slight increase to 1.3% for Deputy Headteachers, compared to 92.5% and 90.8% respectively for White British equivalent (DfE, 2023). With many of the positions held by Black senior leaders highly concentrated within inner London, the figures decline as we venture further afield from the capital, with the northeast of England the worst affected, where whilst children of Black-African origin make up 1.3 per cent of the student population, just 0.1 per cent of the region’s teachers identify in the same way (Gorard et al. 2023).
The data is there for all to see, and whilst the conversation about change has been ongoing for many years, with copious localised initiatives to address the issue, the results appear the same, with little momentum or genuine centralised government appetite for structural or transformative change. Whilst the implementation of short
lived ‘successful’ localised responses to this historic problem has led some to herald this as progress, worthy of celebration, I think it pertinent that we ask ourselves the following questions:
- How much work, dedication and strategic planning did it take for us to reach this mere one percent?
- What are the systemic barriers contributing to the underrepresentation of Black Headteachers and Deputy Headteachers, and how can they be effectively addressed?
- If achieving racial equity is a sincere aim that we are striving towards, why have we become comfortable with tokenistic adulations, for results that quite frankly fall below mediocre?
Navigating the Leadership Ladder: Obstacles for Black Educators in Advancing
The underrepresentation of Black educators in senior leadership roles is not due to a lack of eNort or ambition among teachers. In fact, Black teachers have repeatedly demonstrated a strong desire to attain leadership positions. Evidence shows that Black teachers nationally are able to successfully navigate to middle leadership, but the cliN that appears in front of them when stepping into senior leadership, is one that many fall oN (NfER, 2020). It seems there is little room for their presence around senior leadership tables, with many only able to sit on the periphery in newly formed roles such as secondee, associate assistant head or under the guise of being part of an ‘extended’ leadership team. The illustrious title of Assistant Headteacher or Assistant Principal, as the first step in senior leadership, appears for many, out of their reach. The actuality of one step forward, two steps back is far too apparent. Good enough to take on additional workload, but not good enough to be part of the substantive team.
Teacher Diversity and Its Impact on Student Experiences
Underrepresentation of Black teachers has been disproportionately low for decades in the UK and despite Black people making up 4.6% of the working age population, only 2.5% of teachers identify as Black (Glowach et al. 2023). The issues that arise however, are plenty. Gorard (2018) found that one of the downsides to a lack of ethnic minority teachers is the real possibility that this underrepresentation is not only having a negative effect on educational processes but on student outcomes too.
Beyond just students outcome however, what is interesting to note, is that ethnic minority students with similarly ethnic minority teachers are often less likely to be seen as disruptive (Dee, 2005), be referred for disciplinary reasons, be excluded (Grissom et al., 2009, Lindsay and Hart, 2017), or suspended from school (Gordon et al. 2023, Wright, 2015). With suspension rates at an all-time high (Busby, 2024), along with the fact that Black children are up to six times more likely to be excluded from school than their White peers (McIntyre et al. 2021), it appears clear that the recruiting of teachers from racially diverse backgrounds, might in fact help with this current crisis we find ourselves within.
Furthermore, even more intriguing, is that students with teachers from similar ethnic backgrounds to their own are also less likely to be classified as requiring special education (Stiefel et al., 2022) and in fact, where ethnic minority students have teachers of a similar ethnic minority to their own, they are more likely to be referred to a gifted programme (Grissom and Redding, 2016, Grissom et al., 2017, Ofori, 2023, Egalite and Kisida, 2016). Please note, this is not to suggest that students are being wrongly diagnosed by professionals, but rather creates a space for questions to be further explored. Historically however, the misdiagnosis of students from ethnic minority backgrounds was certainly the case, specifically those of Caribbean ancestry. The seminal work by Bernard Coard, ‘How the West Indian Child is Made Educationally Subnormal in the British School System’, written in 1971, explored the educational inequalities within the British educational system and found that West Indian students were disproportionately represented and often wrongly enrolled in ‘educationally subnormal’ schools. 50 years on, it appears this legacy continues.
Moving Beyond Tokenism: The Role of White Allies in Educational Reform
Now, allow for there to be no confusion to the argument being made. An increase in Black teachers and leaders is no silver bullet. It will not solve the abundance of issues within the educational system nor is there a golden percentage to be achieved. What it required, however, are meaningful steps in the right direction, the removal of barriers, and for many more White leaders and allies to go beyond mere rhetoric and delve into the world of action.
Whilst reviewing recruitment policies are fundamental, these are often used as a delay tactic to consciously, or subconsciously, buy time before genuine action is taken. With continuous delays and excuses, the cultural masquerading in many schools is far too prevalent. One of BHM celebrations, the monotonous assembly being delivered year after year on MLK Jr or Rosa Parks, where the only information changed is the date, or posters scarcely scattered about the school building pinned up, only to be pulled down on the Friday before the half term break, shoved back into a dark cupboard for another year. This must change. Note, I am not suggesting that these celebrations should not take place, but rather, they must be part of wider school initiatives instead of a plaster, attempting to cover over a gushing wound.
From Rhetoric to Reality: Creating Pathways from Middle to Senior Leadership
Delay tactics must be abandoned. Whilst many schools move towards actively considering the diversity of their workforce and have a staffing body that reflects the community they serve, much more work is required than to add a tokenistic phrase ‘we encourage applications from diverse candidates’ within job advertisements or the belief that by removing names from CVs all issues are solved in eliminating biases within recruitment processes. Schools must step out of their comfort zones on how they have always done things, a way which is no longer working (and arguably never has), and actively seek and develop talent. The time has come for leaders to go beyond providing a mere TLR to the only ethnic member of staff in the school to oversee all things diversity, as they are ‘the best fit’, and ensure it becomes part of the larger conversation around the leadership table.
For substantial and sustainable change to take place, leadership teams must collaborate with teachers and external organisations who in many instances, with the greatest of respect, are more knowledgeable than they are in areas such as this. Peaking over the horizon however, help is on the way. Through forward thinking initiatives such as the Leaders Like Us programme and Aspiring Heads programme to name a few, the current landscape supporting senior leaders from GMH backgrounds is shifting.
Therefore, as we move towards a brighter and more equitable future, I leave the following questions for you to ponder:
- In what ways does your organisation address and dismantle barriers that may hinder the advancement of minority ethnic teachers into leadership roles?
- What partnerships or collaborations do you have in place to support the leadership development of teachers from minority ethnic backgrounds?
- How are you ensuring your organisation is not pushing diverse talent of the middle leader to senior leadership cliff, but rather building a bridge for them to cross?
References:
Busby, E. (2024) Exclusions and suspensions hit record high as warning issued to all schools, Independent, Available at:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/school-exclusions-suspensions figures-record-b2581943.html
Dee, T. F. (2005) A Teacher Like Me: Does Race, Ethnicity, or Gender Matter? The American Economic Review 95(2): 158–165.
DfE (2023) School teacher workforce, Available at: https://www.ethnicity-facts figures.service.gov.uk/workforce-and-business/workforce-diversity/school-teacher workforce/latest/#full-page-history
Demie, F., Kulwinder, M., Race, R. (2023) Ethnic inequality in the teaching workforce in schools: Why it matters, BERA
Egalite, A. J., Kisida, B. (2016) The Many Ways Teacher Diversity May Benefit Students, Education Next 24(3)
Glowach, T., Richards, M., Mitchell, R. (2023) More ethnic minority teachers are needed in UK schools – but teaching can affect their mental health and wellbeing, School of Education University of Bristol
Gorard, S. (2018) Education Policy. Bristol: Policy Press
Gorard, S., Chen, W., Tan, Y., Huat See, B., Gazmuri, C., Tereschchenko, A., Demie, F., Siddiqui, N. (2023) The disproportionality of ethnic minority teachers in England: trends, patterns, and problems, Routledge Open Research, 13(2) 1-28.
Grissom J., & Redding C. (2016) Discretion and Disproportionality: Explaining The Underrepresentation of High-Achieving Students of Color In Gifted Programs, AERA.
Grissom J., Nicholson-Crotty J., Nicholson-Crotty, S. (2009) Race, Region, and Representative Bureaucracy Public Adm Review; 69: 911–919.
Grissom J., Rodriguez L., Kern E. (2017) Teacher And Principal Diversity And The Representation Of Students Of Color In Gifted Programs, The University of Chicago Press, 117(3).
Lindsay, C. A., & Hart, C. M. D. (2017) Exposure to same-race teachers and student disciplinary outcomes for Black students in North Carolina, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 39(3), 485–510.
McIntyre, N., Parveen, N., Thomas, T. (2021) Exclusion rates five times higher for black Caribbean pupils in parts of England, The Guardian, Available at:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/mar/24/exclusion-rates-black caribbean-pupils-england
NfER; Kettlewell, K., Lucas, M., McCrone, T., Liht, J., & Sims, D. (2020) School and trust governance investigative report: October 2020, London: Department for Education
Ofori, M. (2023) Lack of diversity in teaching in England means minority ethnic pupils miss out, The Guardian, Available at:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/aug/29/lack-diversity-teaching-means minority-ethnic-pupils-england-miss-out
Stiefel L., Syeda S., Cimpian J., O;Hagan, K. (2022) The Role of School Context in Explaining Racial Disproportionality in Special Education, EdWorkingPaper: 22-661.
White, N. (2024) No Black or Asian teachers in more than half of English primary schools, report finds, Independent, Available at:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/no-black-asian-teachers-england primary-schools-b2544072.html
Wright, A. (2015) Teachers’ perceptions of students’ disruptive behavior: The Effect of Racial Congruence and Consequences for School Suspension, Association for Education Finance and Policy Annual Conference.
Inclusive Recruitment: 20 Tips to Consider
Written by Hannah Wilson
Founder of Diverse Educators
‘Diversifying Recruitment’ and ‘Inclusive Recruitment’ are two terms that we often hear being mentioned frequently in education circles, but what is the difference in approach?
Diverse or diversifying suggests the focus is on finding diverse candidates. Inclusive or ‘inclusifying’ (phrase coined by Professor Paul Miller which we have adopted) suggests the focus is instead on including diverse candidates. A subtle and nuanced difference which makes the commitment more authentic and meaningful for all parties.
As fans of Simon Sinek’s ‘Golden Circle’ from his TED Talk: ‘Start With Why’, we would suggest that you start in your thinking and in your discussions as an educational employer, by using the model (Golden Circle = Why > How > What) to map out and align the purpose of recruiting differently.
Example 1:
- Why do we want to diversify our staff body?
- How diverse is our community and how does this compare to our various stakeholder groups?
- What impact/ legacy are we striving for by diversifying our staff?
Example 2:
- Why do we want to make our recruitment process more inclusive?
- How inclusive are our existing policies, processes and practices?
- What is the impact of a more inclusive approach to our recruitment and to our workplace?
The clarity of understanding what we are trying to change and why we are trying to change it, is an important starting point in transforming how we do things. Moreover, becoming more conscious, confident and competent in identifying and removing/ reducing existing barriers facing candidates in the recruitment process is an ongoing training priority.
A shared understanding, a shared language and a shared approach will lead to a greater consistency in experience for all.
Some key language to consider and explore:
- ‘Unconscious bias’ – have we discussed this in advance of starting a recruitment process and have key stakeholders had training?
- ‘Glass ceiling’ – are we aware of where this sits above the women in education in the system and in our own organisation?
- ‘Concrete ceiling’ – are we aware of where this sits about the people of colour in education in the system and in our own organisation?
Moreover, have we discussed, are we values-aligned and do we have a strategic approach when it comes to topics such as flexible working and the pay gap?
We get asked a lot to support schools, colleges and trusts in their approach to recruitment, but the request is often too late in the process to make a real difference and to make changes meaningful. There are some quick wins you can make in the short term to create a more inclusive recruitment process and experience, but really this needs to be a medium to long term project and we need to be planning for Summer 2025 and Autumn 2025 activities to get us better prepared for the Spring 2026 recruitment.
Here are 20 tips to reflect on and discuss with colleagues:
Tip 1: Review the JD & PS – particularly look at what is down as being ‘desirable’ v ‘essential’ as some people will not apply if they do not meet all of the criteria. We are creating false barriers e.g. you must have the NASENCO or NPQH award to apply for this job is incorrect – they can be working towards it or start it once appointed.
Tip 2: Review the Job Advert – screen the wording for bias and especially review any gendered language. Some language choices will suggest only a certain type of candidate should apply e.g. for headship a leader ‘with gravitas’ might lead to more male candidates applying.
Tip 3: Articulate your DEIB Commitment – consider where in the initial documentation would a candidate know that you are on a DEIB journey and truly committed to change as an organisation. Do you have a DEIB statement that can be lifted and included? A policy and/ or a DEIB action plan that can be hyperlinked?
Tip 4: Share your Commitment to Flexible Working – research shows us that by mentioning an openness to flexible working you get an increase in applicants. Since the Flexible Working Bill was passed the system has had to consider flexible working as a recruitment tool as well as a retention tool. Make it explicit from the beginning of the process what might be possible so candidates do not waste your time and you do not waste their time either!
Tip 5: Consider where to Advertise – if we keep doing the same we will keep getting the same. Some Jobs Boards are very expensive and draw a certain audience. Diversifying where you are advertising can also lead to you finding more diverse candidates. E.g. for governance you can post adverts in special interest Linkedin groups and networks such as Black Governors Network.
Tip 6: Consider who is Sharing the Advert and where / to who – recruitment needs to become a team sport and not just the work of HR. If your staff are outward facing and are on socials, ask them to share opportunities with their networks. Push it beyond the immediate network around the organisation to find people beyond that.
Tip 7: Review the Application Form – you might already be doing all of the above and wondering why it is not working, but have you looked at the fields the candidate has to complete at application level and the information they have to read as often forms are out of date and undermine the DEIB work that is happening e.g. asking a question like What is your gender? With binary answers like M/F. How would someone trans or non-binary complete this question? How might this put off trans allies from applying too?
Tip 8: Review your ‘Shop Window’ – your organisation’s website and your social media accounts also need reviewing and updating so everything is harmonised. If you are saying in the call to action you are interested in hearing from diverse candidates who reflect the diversity of the local community, but your website imagery does not reflect this it creates dissonance. If the person running the social media accounts has not been briefed and is only amplifying white, male thought leaders and people who share exclusionary content online, this will contradict the DEIB commitment you have articulated and this will lead to further self deselection.
Tip 9: Create a ‘Blank’ Selection Process – lots of organisations pride themselves on running ‘blind’ recruitment processes. Consider how ableist this language is and how it might undermine your commitment to DEIB. Is there another way of sharing what you are doing to try to remove bias in the process from blanking out names, race, age, salaries and institutions candidates have worked/ studied at?
Tip 10: Diversify who is Involved in the Long and Short Listing Process – bias creeps in as soon as applicants start arriving. Different people reviewing and handling the applications will have their own biases around spelling, punctuation and grammar, around font choice and formatting, around language choices before you even start digging into the details. Consider who is involved in creating and applying the selection criteria and how you score the application.
Tip 11: Articulate in the Invitation to Interview what Support is Available – instead of waiting for diversity to wave at you and say ‘hey, I am different and need this from you…’ consider leading with what you can offer as adjustments and support, and share this with all candidates. E.g. On the day you will have access to allocated parking, a lift, a quiet room, a prayer room… we serve Halal food in our school kitchen. People will feel more comfortable confirming what they need to thrive at the interview, but this will also show all candidates that you are fully committed to inclusion.
Tip 12: Send out Interview Questions out in Advance – many institutions are now sending questions out in advance to support neurodivergent applicants with processing time. But this approach also benefits other candidates including those who are less confident, introverted or who have had some time out of the system. Everyone will perform better! There are concerns that people will cheat and use ChatGTP to craft responses but we will be able to identify a contrived response and interrogate further.
Tip 13: Create an Accessible and Inclusive Interview Experience – ensure the interview format, tasks and briefing documents are accessible for all candidates, thus removing any barriers. Build in a task or a question to check for values alignment to your organisational commitment to DEIB. Values tasks can be scenario-based but can also be sent out in advance to reflect on and prepare as a pre-task to share at the interview.
Tip 14: Consider all of the Candidate Touchstones – curate the range of people that the candidates will interact with at each point of the process from ringing up to book a visit, coming for a pre-interview tour, to the day itself and communications from the HR lead before, during and after. Where are the opportunities for candidates to see themselves and other diverse identities in the process?
Tip 15: Be Authentic and Honest, Avoid Being Performative – we get regular feedback from candidates that they appreciate transparency from prospective employers. If an organisation can identify and articulate their gaps/ shortcomings this acknowledges that they are aware of their gaps and they want to do better in representing the diversity of their community in the diversity of the staff body. We are also aware that some organisations use stock images of diverse staff and center a couple of children from marginalised identities in all of their marketing materials.
Tip 16: Close the Training Gaps for HR, SLT, Governors and Administrative Staff – creating a more inclusive approach to recruitment to diversify the staff, takes a lot of time and energy. This starts with identifying the training needs of all of the stakeholders potentially involved in recruitment. The DEIB training needs to be scheduled, in advance and form part of an ongoing commitment to upskilling all managers and leaders in HR matters to bring the people strategy to life. We know that we need Safer Recruitment training in place, wrap the DEIB and unconscious bias training around it.
Tip 17: Plan for Induction – finding and securing candidates is the start of the journey of onboarding new staff into your team to ensure they are included. As new staff are oriented into your ways of working, ensure that DEIB is a golden thread. Have a standardised DEIB session for line managers to deliver to all new staff at the start of each term, or get your DEIB lead to deliver it or pre-record it so everyone gets a consistent message.
Tip 18: Outline Development Opportunities – see the vacancy as an opportunity to showcase how you develop and nurture your staff. Find an opportunity at interview or in the interview documentation to share the talent management strategy and what CPD is on offer. This will inspire and motivate staff, and affirm that you invest in your staff including offering coaching and mentoring to empower them to have impact in their roles.
Tip 19: Focus on Retention as much as Recruitment – efforts are often focused on recruitment, but we also need to pay attention to staff retention. We need to regularly scrutinise and share our attrition data, identifying patterns and trends. If we are losing our mothers, how family-friendly is our school? If we are losing our neurodivergent staff, how neuro-inclusive are we? Exit interviews are too late to find out what is going on and what is going wrong, create feedback loops to listen and learn from staff surveys/ staff voice around levels of inclusion and belonging to make regular tweaks to the approach.
Tip 20: Give and Get Feedback from all of the Candidates – we hear from so many candidates who are not offered feedback following an interview, or who receive feedback that is not specific, constructive nor helpful for their development. Build into the process how feedback will be harvested and cascaded, see this as part of the value-add to all candidates but also as an opportunity to show your commitment to staff development. Also ask for feedback, be open to what worked and did not work to consider changes in future interview activities.
Our biggest advice is plan ahead and design for inclusion. These tips can all feed into a longer term piece of strategic work around your talent management process and people strategy. A strategic approach to inclusive recruitment and diversifying the workforce means we are focused on being proactive, preemptive and preventive instead of being reactive.
We have worked with some trusts where the training starts in May, the summer term is spent mapping milestones out with key stakeholders. The HR and recruitment team spend the summer period whilst schools are closed to review and update documentation. Then in the Autumn updates can be shared through meetings and training sessions for all stakeholders involved in recruitment. This means that our processes, policies, practices and people will be ready for the big push on recruitment from the Winter/ early Spring.
Our call to action is to be brave and to commit to doing things differently. This might include:
- Becoming more outward-facing as an organisation
- Creating a campaign about what it is like to work/ why you should consider working at the organisation
- Articulating your Employer’s Promise in multiple ways on your socials
- Growing the network around the organisation
- Holding recruitment days and open events for the organisation
- Hosting events and training to create a buzz around the organisation
- Keeping a pipeline of talent warm and informed about opportunities
For more information check out the following support and resources:
- Our Inclusive Recruitment Toolkit
- Our Inclusive Recruitment Training
- Our session on Inclusive Recruitment at the ASCL national conference
- Our #DiverseEd Jobs Board in partnership with Teacheroo
If you are an organisation who has already committed to using our #DiverseEd Jobs Board throughout 2025, we will be in touch regarding a free webinar to support you all in your inclusive recruitment efforts.
How we Made our School More Inclusive
Written by Kate Williamson
Kate (she/her) is a year 3 class teacher at Darras Hall Primary School. She founded and now leads the Diversity Council at the school where students from reception to year 6 come together to celebrate, support and even make recommendations for how the school can be more inclusive for all pupils.
Darras Hall Primary in Northumberland, England, won the Primary School Diversity Award from Just Like Us earlier this year. In the past two years, the school has been on a journey to transform its curriculum and provision to make it an inclusive and nurturing environment for children to celebrate their individuality and diversity. I’m Kate Williamson, Year 3 teacher and Diversity Council Lead, and I wanted to tell you how we used and incorporated Pop’n’Olly resources to support this.
Two years ago, at the beginning of our journey, we identified three main areas that we wanted to develop:
- Our staff’s knowledge
- Our children’s knowledge
- Our parents’ knowledge
Initially, we audited what the staff at Darras Hall already knew about the Equality Act and how to support diversity and inclusion. We also had very open and honest discussions about what training and support staff needed in order to feel more comfortable tackling issues regarding inequality, discrimination and prejudice and consequently, support our children and families.
The Pop’n’Olly resources, under the Teacher Training tab, provided a great starting point for having these discussions, making staff aware of negative/anti-LGBT+ language and introducing the Equality Act. They can be used for whole-staff training or you can nominate one member of your staff team to be your Diversity Champion and relay information to others. In our school, we opted to have two champions, in different key stages, so staff felt as though they could come and ask questions without fear or judgement.
We then created our Diversity Council. Children met every week where they discussed issues that had arisen, planned whole school assemblies around diverse topics and created helpful videos that were shared via the school’s social media. We used videos from the Pop’n’Olly YouTube channel to introduce big topics such as discrimination, inequality and gender expression in a child-appropriate way. Finally, the children took part in live assemblies and workshops to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to support their peers.
More recently in our Diversity Council meetings, we have used the new book ‘Have You Ever Seen A Normal?’ to promote discussion around celebrating diversity and our differences, as well as introducing neurodivergent thinking (a short video on how we have used this text for children from Year 1 to Year 6 is coming soon!)
Books are a great way of opening up discussions and are a valuable resource when introducing topics to children. In our school library, we have an area that is dedicated to celebrating diversity and introducing the Protected Characteristics covered by The Equality Act 2010. These books are labelled with a rainbow sticker and we encourage children to take them home to share with parents and promote positive discussions around LGBT+ and other topics. The Pop’n’Olly books are fantastic at opening up these discussions and allowing children to see different people being represented.
We introduced Class Heroes where each class selected someone who they felt celebrated and overcame challenges and inspired them to do the same. This allowed children to learn about other individuals outside the parameters of the curriculum. Classes made posters and displayed them on their doors for other children to read and every few weeks a class created a whole school assembly about their individual. The Pop’n’Olly posters are a great starting point for choosing your hero!
Then, we included the parents in our work and the responses were only positive and supportive. Pop’n’Olly has a really useful free resource called ‘Discussions with Parents’ that details themes, the legal framework and the impact it has on children’s mental health which can help you when having those tricky conversations. Including some of these in your weekly newsletters or updating parents through your school’s social media can help make this part of a wider school ethos.
The impact this work has had on our children and families can be recognised through their ability to challenge, support and celebrate each other; they are able to confidently articulate their rights and call out negative behaviours that challenge our inclusive ethos. I attribute this to the work we have done as a school around Protected Characteristics and ensuring everyone has the right to belong. All staff have received training around the Protected Characteristics and inclusive language so are empowered to spot, report and support students. There is a shared responsibility, between staff and students, to maintain our ethos and that every individual at Darras Hall Primary School has the right to be their authentic self.
OUR TOP TIPS:
- Ensure that staff have been trained and everyone is on board with the work.
- Form a Diversity Council to ensure children’s voices are heard.
- Use books (marked with a rainbow sticker) to introduce the Protected Characteristics.
- Inspire children with Class Heroes who have overcome challenges.
- Involve parents through regular updates, newsletters and celebrations.
Making mutineers? Why building digital citizenship in the data age is crucial for educators promoting diversity, equity and inclusion
Written by Jonny Tridgell
Jonny began his career as a secondary school teacher in 2009 and has since been a head of sixth form, head of department and lead practitioner for EDI. He has also worked in teacher education as a mentor, curriculum tutor and general tutor on the University of Oxford PGCE. He completed his MSc in Education (Digital and Social Change) at Oxford in 2024. He is currently working as Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Data and Insights Officer at Jesus College, Oxford, alongside roles as a teacher, teacher educator and researcher.
Imagine two sailors. The first navigates his life on ship with diligence and skill, but little concern for how this affects others. His approach to the sea is entirely instrumentalist. The second sailor takes a different approach; she knows her job as well as the first, but she is awake to the power structures that surround her, the web of exploitation and trade that underpin her work. She is committed to making change and serving justice, by mutiny if she must.
Here, following Schober (2014), the sea stands in for the digital world. Our lives are increasingly lived digitally, with our actions and interactions transformed into data that is tracked, sold and mined for the benefit of multinational corporations. Many of us take an instrumentalist approach to this, ignorant (by choice or by indoctrination) of the consequences this process can have, especially for those often rendered invisible by society. This includes those marginalised in our communities and those in the Global South, who bear the brunt of exploitative extraction processes that can involve appalling human rights abuses and untold exacerbation of the climate crisis. Studies have shown that datafication negatively affects those who are already harmed by society (e.g. Zuboff’s 2019 Surveillance Capitalism; Eubanks’ 2018 Automating Inequality) and there are concerns about how schools collect and use data, as well as who funds and designs the programmes we use in our classrooms.
How do we encourage students to become more like the second sailor? There is a great deal of excitement about building digital skills, including in relation to AI, but we need greater engagement with what it means to use the digital responsibly. Shannon Vallor’s excellent Technomoral Virtues (2016) applies virtue ethics to existing online and this could lay groundwork for how we teach young people to be digital citizens, preparing them to make informed choices about the technology they use and how they treat others in the digital sphere. This is not about frightening young people or turning them off technology, but rather teaching them to understand the responsibility they bear and that what they do online has real, physical consequences. Vallor notes the need for us to achieve a new “practical wisdom” that includes an understanding of the digital. This is also where the link to citizenship is crucial – the online world is vast and interconnected and we must encourage young people to see themselves as members of an international community, with attendant responsibilities.
What does this look like in reality? Research is increasingly critical of one-off educational experiences like assemblies or drop days, given that these often have limited impact over time. Rather, it is crucial that we as teachers weave this digital citizenship education into our students’ lives. This might be by developing checks before we recommend or adopt new technology (e.g. asking who funds this and what data will be gathered); this could happen at the level of senior leaders or in our own classrooms. We might model the responsible and careful use of search engines and AI, noting the ways that both can reproduce inequality (as shown harrowingly by Noble’s 2018 study The Algorithms of Oppression). This might also include teaching explicitly about the challenges and benefits of digitalisation and datafication in our lessons, perhaps with an RE lesson considering what it means to be human or a mathematics lesson on how statistics are used online. Lessons can be learned from work done on decolonising curriculum here, as well as the ways in which colleagues incorporate other duties like SMSC, CEIAG and fundamental British values. Digital citizenship can and should become part of the goal of schools in the UK, alongside the more instrumentalist approach to digital skills being promoted so widely already.
As life becomes increasingly online – as we all become sailors on this wild ocean – it is crucial that we are preparing our students to look out for those who are often already marginalised or forgotten, driven out of sight and therefore out of mind. No one sailor can do this on her own – she needs a teacher.
If you’re interested in hearing more about Jonny’s work or how to incorporate digital citizenship into your teaching, his MSc thesis “Making Mutineers: Reimagining religious education for the promotion of virtuous digital citizenship” can be read here. You can also sign up to the in-person programme Jonny is running with the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries here.