What does it mean to our families when we support bilingual literacy?
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.
This is a vulnerable blog to share publicly. If you follow me on LinkedIn, it will reveal the hard work and heartache behind the upbeat and practical strategies around bilingual education that I often share.
Of course, we save our shiniest achievements for social media platforms but over the last few weeks – in the real world – I have felt keenly, the crushing failures of being “immigrant mum”.
For context, I am an educated middle-class British former teacher living in France with my bilingual children and French husband. My children were born in the UK, have been fully bilingual since birth, and now attend French state primary school. I’m a fluent French speaker (and have a state-issued certificate to prove it) work in English and socialise in both languages.
Sounds dreamy, right?
But sometimes, I feel as if I am losing my children – that they are so culturally embedded in the country we live in, that they have no connection to the identity of their birth country. My identity.
This fortnight, we have been learning about Advent in our home-learning English lessons. They don’t go to school on Wednesdays, you see, because it’s France.
My son, who had a year of lockdown education, is au fait with the characters. He was, after all, the donkey in his Reception nativity and plodded along to Bethlehem with Mary and Joseph. He best friend Gabriel was… the angel Gabriel.
My daughter, who has been educated in the secular French system since pre-school, has a vague understanding of the baby, called Jesus. The star? Joseph? Virgin birth? Heavenly hosts? Gold, frankincense and myrhh? Even the word ‘shepherd’ in English? All these cultural indicators so essential to the British primary education experience? Not a clue.
It gets worse: for the last three years, we’ve attended the carol service run by the local American church. I alone in my family know the words to Silent Night. My husband and children are ignorant to the joy of “Glororororororia” or “Fivvvvee go’old ringggsss!” and as such, they can’t sit through a full service. I hissingly insisted my husband remove them (and himself) somewhere between Royal David’s City and Angels in the Realm of Glory and – French and relieved – they went to eat waffles and ride fairground rollercoasters in le marché de noël.
Extended writing – the lovely recipes and stories and letters you’d expect in lower KS3 – simply aren’t required of my children yet in the French state system. Admittedly, their grammatical knowledge is fast surpassing my own, but mostly they are asked to copy, or write short responses to comprehension activities.
They have never been asked to be a Victorian maid or a to persuade anyone to save the rainforest. They have not written a diary entry from a ship in the middle of the Atlantic, or a newspaper article about a volcanic eruption. Maybe creativity, generally, will never be required of them?
The request to write the Nativity story therefore resulted in meltdowns on all fronts: my son can’t bear the idea of more than two sentences and disappears into the ether of his daydreams; my daughter can’t remember how to spell ‘all’, even though it’s been on her spelling list for millennia.
My children are spectacular: there is no need to qualify this with any reasons why. They just are.
But they are not British, and they have no other encouragement to be British than me, their mother. Ensuring they retain a sense of this identity has become a base urge in me. They will know who Shakespeare is. They will eat jacket potatoes. They will understand the culture importance of a Harvest Festival. Failure simply isn’t an option.
But a lot of the time I feel like a lone salmon, swimming against the current. And increasingly, I’m experiencing the anticipatory grief of becoming the mother of two French children.
For the first-generation immigrant parents in our school communities, how keenly is this loss also felt?
Do they, too, look at their children and see huge holes where a shared identity should be?
And as schools, what can we do to support families who might be going through similar experiences?
(Here come those upbeat, practical strategies…)
- Understand, appreciate and acknowledge (if you can) the cultures of your school communities – including the educational cultures
- Value and encourage the use of the home language – never fall into the trap of thinking that one language leads to an inability to acquire another because the opposite is true – languages feed off one another and grow together
- Value languages, and teach them well – from the earliest possible age
- Create bilingual streams if appropriate for your school context
- Introduce Community Language GCSEs and A Levels as far as your timetabling or extra-curricular offer can support – and involve parents in their children’s preparation for these exams
- Research community language hubs and signpost these to parents if you don’t have the capacity to ‘in house’
- Align language with culture – food, traditions, literature, film, history, sports – and take opportunities to celebrate these
- Foster opportunities where parents can make connections and build their own language communities
As cultural diversity in our schools increases, assumptions of monolingualism in our curricula and communities will only become a hindrance. Celebration and practical support for families aspiring to full bi- or multilingualism will bring out the best in our students and support the full complexity of their identities.
A Groundbreaking Milestone: the UK’s First Nursery to Implement Equal Parental Leave
Written by Claudio Sisera
Claudio Sisera is the Founder and Head of Diversity at Male Childcare & Teaching Jobs. Advocate of Gender Inclusivity in Education.
Eagley School House Nurseries has opened a new chapter for equality in early years education by introducing equal parental leave, a policy that’s the first of its kind in the UK’s early years domain. Spearheaded by Director Julie Robinson, this innovative approach goes beyond mere policy changes; it marks a meaningful step toward true gender equality at work and home. Julie’s leadership aims to inspire other settings in the sector to consider similar policies, sparking a ripple effect in early years education.
Driving Equality: The Vision Behind Equal Parental Leave
Julie Robinson’s initiative to implement equal parental leave at Eagley School House Nurseries reflects her commitment to fostering gender equality in the workplace and in family life. “We’ve long assumed that childcare leave is just the mother’s responsibility,” she says, explaining how her policy addresses the need for change. This fresh approach allows parents, regardless of gender, to share childcare responsibilities without stigma.
Research supports the positive impact of both parents being involved in their child’s early years, showing benefits in cognitive and emotional development. By enabling fathers to participate more in these foundational years, Eagley School House Nurseries highlights the importance of both parents’ roles in childcare, setting a powerful example that values fathers just as much as mothers.
Reflecting Core Values: Inclusivity at Eagley School House Nurseries
For years, Eagley School House Nurseries has been committed to building an inclusive environment, and the new equal parental leave policy is a natural extension of that mission. Julie’s work over two decades has consistently championed gender diversity, with projects focused on supporting boys’ achievements and welcoming men into early years roles. “Inclusivity has been my ethos from the start,” Julie explains, emphasising how valuable male contributions are to early education.
This policy not only aligns with Eagley School House Nurseries’ mission but also strengthens their dedication to providing a workplace that challenges stereotypes. By promoting equal leave, Julie fosters a culture where everyone’s contributions are recognised and valued, irrespective of gender. Her work is a beacon for other nurseries and settings, offering a roadmap toward a more balanced childcare sector.
Impact on Staff and the Early Years Sector
The introduction of equal parental leave at Eagley School House Nurseries is not only a supportive measure for its employees but also a landmark decision for the wider sector. As Julie shares, “Parents shouldn’t have to choose between career and family.” Her policy champions choice, removing societal pressure and ensuring all parents feel supported in balancing work and family.
More broadly, this policy fosters a more equitable early years environment. By making parental roles independent of gender expectations, Eagley School House Nurseries encourages fathers to take on active caregiving roles. Julie explains, “Normalising parental leave for all genders helps break down stereotypes about caregiving.” This forward-thinking approach sets an important precedent and signals a progressive shift within early years education.
Transforming Workplace Culture
Eagley School House Nurseries’ equal parental leave policy is expected to bring positive cultural changes to the workplace, creating a supportive environment for all staff. Julie hopes the policy will strengthen job satisfaction and encourage retention, especially for men entering early years education who may seek balance between family and career. “When we value our dads, we acknowledge the important role they play,” she notes.
This commitment to inclusivity could help attract new talent, reinforcing Julie’s message that every role in childcare is meaningful. Her vision reflects a dedication to creating a workplace where employees feel valued as both caregivers and professionals, inspiring other nurseries to consider similar steps.
A Vision for Change: Julie Robinson on the Importance of Men in Childcare
Julie Robinson’s passion for equality extends beyond policy – it’s about reshaping perceptions in the early years sector. She believes that valuing men in childcare is essential for building a truly inclusive society. “When we respect people for what they do, we elevate the industry and the role itself,” Julie shares.
By supporting men’s involvement in early years, Julie hopes to set a new standard that encourages more men to embrace active parenting. She believes that equal parental leave could inspire men to engage fully in their children’s lives and become role models within early years education.
Looking Ahead
Eagley School House Nurseries’ new policy on equal parental leave sets an important standard for inclusivity in early years education. Julie’s commitment to supporting both mothers and fathers equally not only enhances workplace culture but also encourages a balanced approach to family and professional life. This is a significant shift, one with the potential to inspire change across the sector.
We hope that other early years settings will follow Julie’s example, working toward an industry where staff feel valued and empowered to balance work with family. Together, we can create a stronger, more inclusive future for early years education.
An Explicit Commitment to Inclusion and Diversity
Written by The MTPT Project
The UK’s only charity for parent teachers, with a particular focus on the parental leave and return to work period.
Like many organisations, The MTPT Project responded to the horrific murder of George Floyd in 2020 by sitting up and paying attention to the voices of the global majority colleagues within our community.
In many ways, we were fortunate: four years after our founding as a social media handle and grass roots network, 2020 was also the year that we registered as a charity. We had a near-clean sheet to start from; few ingrained cultural issues within our organisation to unpick, and a whole lot of learning to do.
Even before The MTPT Project was ready for its current growth, it was very clear to me that we had the potential to be part of the problem: if we were empowering colleagues with networking and coaching opportunities over the parental leave period, they were more likely to remain in the profession. They were more likely to remain in the profession happily. They were more likely to have more options open to them. They were more likely to progress into leadership, and increase their earnings.
Our first Diversity and Inclusion report was published in 2020, and stated, “we recognise that if we fail to explicitly engage with a diverse range of teachers, then we will play a part in disadvantaging certain groups within the education system. This is not what we want.” (MTPT, 2020)
By 2023, our commitment had evolved further: “We recognise that by retaining a diverse range of teachers in the education system when they become parents, we are providing our students with powerful role models. In the long term, we therefore also want the demographic of these groups to represent the student body that we serve.” (MTPT, 2023)
As of October 2024, there are a number of things worth celebrating: in our annual Diversity and Inclusion report, we shared that 22.5% of the participants on our 1:1 and group coaching programmes in the previous academic year were colleagues from global majority backgrounds. This is more than the 10% of Black, Asian, Mixed and Chinese teachers in our wider workforce (DfE, 2024), and closer to the 31% of students from these backgrounds (DfE, 2024).
What’s more, following the first Return to Work workshop of this academic year, we got even closer to our 31% target, with 30% of participants attending our live workshop identifying as Asian, Black, from Mixed ethnic backgrounds, or Chinese.
These statistics look great, but why are they important? Well, while maternal identities and experiences may vary by ethnicity and culture, motherhood intersects with many other identity markers.
By ensuring fully inclusive support is available to the mothers in our workforce, we are also providing support for one aspect of a Muslim mother’s identity. Or for a working class mother’s identity. Or for a lesbian mother’s identity.
By increasing representation across our communal events, we are defeating the “only” phenomenon whereby our community members feel welcome, but are still the only Bangladeshi participant in a workshop, or the only colleague who identifies as Mixed race in a group coaching session.
As representation increases, the identity of the organisation changes, along with its impact: this is a place for us, and we too shall benefit from what The MTPT Project has to offer.
This representation has not come about by chance, but rather an explicit resistance to the ease of creating an organisation that simply reflected its Founder, rather than the education system that we serve.
Start with Stats
As an organisation, what are your key measurables? For The MTPT Project, they are: engagement in our coaching programmes, engagement in our workshops, and involvement in our core team. What are your bench-markers for these measurables, and why? For us, we moved away from aiming for the 10% workforce representation because this in itself is a statement of underrepresentation.
Get Educated, Create Space and Listen
Read, listen to podcasts, attend events. Stop talking when others share their lived experiences, and thank them for doing so. If you ask for support, do so judiciously and with humility: it is not our colleagues’ responsibility to teach us, but some may be very happy to be part of your organisation’s journey. Then reflect on what all this means for your organisation, and your core work.
Be What You Can See
We worked explicitly on our visible role modelling. Whether this was using stock images for our event promotion, or seeking out and platforming our case studies. Wherever possible, we favour images of people of colour and we use these across all our channels: promotional fliers, social media, website, newsletters, panel line ups, guests we recommend for podcasts. If we have the choice between an overrepresented face and an underrepresented face, we go with the face we suspect may need an explicit welcome.
Protect and Empower
Cost will always be a barrier in the education sector, and this is only exacerbated by the expense that comes with parenthood. There are lots of other nuanced reasons why someone from whatever counts as a ‘minority group’ in your organisation (one of ours is men!) may not feel as comfortable asking for funding or opportunities as someone from the majority group.
Wherever we can, we remove this barrier by seeking funding specifically for colleagues from global majority backgrounds, or finding other ways to earmark coaching and workshop places. The message is: we have saved a place for you at this table, and it is ready for you when you arrive. It has made a real difference to engagement.
Make Mistakes with Humility and Without Ego
For someone used to privilege (and a people pleaser!), this is easier said than done. I have made mistakes. Things have not worked. Thankfully, I have not caused awful offence along the way but there have been moments of clumsiness borne from ignorance or simply the natural consequence of experimenting and taking a risk. If a strategy doesn’t work, respond with pragmatism: roll with the learning process, reflect and take stock and… do more listening.
References:
MTPT Project, 2020, Diversity and Inclusion Report, https://mcusercontent.com/bda931ab27a93e7c781617948/files/94280f62-c7e3-4ae8-8362-9b20f86dfa17/2020_Diversity_Report.pdf
MTPT Project, 2023, Diversity and Inclusion Report, https://www.mtpt.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-Diversity-and-Inclusion-Report.pdf
DfE, 2024, Schools Workforce Census, https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england
DfE, 2024, School Pupils and their Characteristics, https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics
The theme behind my Children’s book – Zeb, Jet and the Ice-Cream Calamity.
Written by Mirabel Lavelle
Mirabel is a qualified Teaching and Learning Coach, Creative Writing Lecturer, Allergy Awareness Advocate and Author of: Zeb, Jet and the Ice-Cream Calamity. An adventure story aimed at raising food allergy safety awareness. She is also the founder of: writebymirabel.co.uk – Crafting stories: where every voice counts and allergies matter. a website dedicated to the art of crafting stories, especially those that help raise awareness to disability, equity and inclusion.
I am a teacher and grandmother who loves stories. Two of my grandchildren carry auto-injector pens because of food allergies. One day, the older of the two asked me if I would write a story book about allergy. Hence, Jet, Zeb and the Ice-Cream Calamity.
I want to encourage the reader to learn about allergy, to become actively aware of how to safeguard and to include children with food allergies at social events such as Easter egg hunts, trick or treating, and parties without the fear of reaction to food – or worse still – anaphylaxis. I would like the reader to ask:
‘How can we plan a party that children with food allergies can safely enjoy?’
Allergic disease is a disease of the immune system, and it is the fastest growing disease among children in the UK. This condition impairs the sufferer on a day-to-day basis, in many different ways.
Sufferers cannot eat the same food as everyone else unless it has been prepared especially. This has substantial implications. For example, in school during lunchtimes a child may be asked to sit at a separate table because of their food allergies. Outside of school a child may be excluded from social events that centre around food because of a nervous adult.
The culture this creates is that if a child is different in any way, for example by having a dietary requirement, then society will exclude them. New studies are showing certain children, who have experienced anaphylaxis, to display allergy related anxieties and behaviours that are similar to PTSD.
This is why I want to raise food allergy safety awareness. I want to educate so that we can eradicate food cross contamination. This way we can significantly reduce allergy anxiety and promote inclusion at all times.
My story book features a relatable fox cub (Zeb) and playful puppy (Jet) as characters, rather than humans, because of the subject matter. Jet has a food allergy and when Zeb meets Jet, he learns how to be allergy safe aware. This exciting adventure encourages children to want to help Jet by telling others about how to keep him safe. It is an adventure that celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion.
I reinforced my message by creating a joyous song. The chorus shows how to significantly minimise food cross contamination. Children love music, the catchy chorus carries the central and crucial message of the book.
This book invites children to learn about allergy safeguarding by finding out about simple yet responsible behaviour around allergic kids. One example is not to leave wrappers, which may contain allergens, lying around but to bin them responsibly. My message to the reader is about building a society of caring individuals so that no one has to get sick because of the carelessness of others.
I added differentiated tasks to encourage readers to ask more questions about allergy. I want children to have fun whilst they learn. After all, it is through stories and through education and by putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes that we become more understanding of others.
Going into schools to deliver allergy safety events is a very rewarding experience for me because of the positive response from children and staff. They are providing me with a wealth of exciting ideas on how to continue taking my campaign of safe allergy inclusion, forward.
When I first wrote the book, I wanted it to be a key educational resource as well as an entertaining adventure. I aimed to provide schools and communities a point of reference that raises awareness and encourages people to want to know more about allergies and their impact. I needed to ensure that allergy sufferers are included in all activities that everyone their age enjoys. Since taking the book and the presentation into schools and libraries, it continues to inspire a range of immersive activities such as art projects, drama, puppet shows and animation.
This book highlights equity and the tasks that follow the story are focussed on finding ways that are fair and inclusive for Jet. The story affords time to explore feelings, such as Zeb’s feelings after Jet got sick. It creates an opportunity for discussion, for thinking, for empathising, and for bringing about positive change.
Useful Links:
The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation (narf.org.uk)
The Benedict Blythe Foundation Allergy & Education Foundation | Benedict Blythe Foundation
The Sadie Bristow Foundation: Don’t Be Afraid to Be Great
Don’t Assume…
Written by Gerlinde Achenbach
Gerlinde Achenbach is a senior education consultant and former primary headteacher. Her career spans more than 35 years, with over 30 years teaching in schools. Since 2021 she has been supporting schools across the UK with Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, specifically LGBTQ+ inclusion. Her expertise is in leadership and changing school culture.
It is a reality that every LGBTQ+ stakeholder within a school community – child or young person, member of staff, visitor, parent or carer – is on the receiving end of constant heteronormative messaging. This isn’t because schools are not complying with their Public Sector Equality Duty or because they’re not focused on being inclusive. It’s because the world is set up to portray ‘usual’ as heterosexual.
The Oxford languages dictionary defines heteronormativity as: “denoting or relating to a world view that promotes heterosexuality as the normal or preferred sexual orientation.”
Heteronormativity permeates every aspect of school life. It’s in the images on our walls, it’s in the things we say and in what we do. Put simply, there’s an unspoken acceptance that it is ‘the norm’. It confirms for us that heterosexual relationships dominate the human experience. It also reminds us of the relationship between heterosexuality and gender inequity for women and girls through history. We see this every day, where gendered language, stereotyping and imbalanced expectations still dominate our lived experience in the wider world. We like to think we work hard to challenge this in our schools…but are we doing enough?
What can heteronormativity look like in schools?
Environments
- Most images of families show mums and dads. This can be on ‘welcome’ posters or in books and images on display.
- We find ‘corporate’ cartoon images depicting (stereotypical) boy, girl, boy, girl across school spaces.
- Books and literature have not been evaluated in terms of how representative they are of different types of families or identities.
Systems and Policies
- In primary schools we have a habit of assuming (unless told otherwise) that a child has heterosexual parent(s) and that our children will end up in heterosexual relationships.
- We include ‘mother / father’ on application forms and permission slips.
- The words ‘Mr & Mrs’ are on the tips of our tongues when referring to families.
- Our school uniform policies state gendered expectations for girls and boys, even down to shoe styles.
- Our staff dress code does the same.
- We appoint a Head Girl and a Head Boy.
- Our website staff lists denote marital status first – Mrs, Miss, Mr – and we have the same on classroom doors.
Communication and Language
- We welcome our children with “Good morning, boys and girls” and our staff, or parents and carers, with “ladies and gentlemen”.
- The phrase, “Tell / give this to / show / ask your mum and dad” rolls off the tongue for most school staff.
- Staff address girls as ‘darling’, ‘princess’, ‘sweetie’, and boys as ‘mate’, ‘mister’, ‘dude’.
- We hear the terms ‘Headmaster’ and ‘Headmistress’. We address staff as ‘Sir’ and ‘Miss’.
- We hear adults calling for ‘a couple of strong boys’ for certain tasks around school.
Practice and Culture
- We line up our classes in boys’ and girls’ lines, or in a boy, girl formation.
- We seat them on their carpet ladybird places or at tables in the same way.
- We separate and organise children by gender for the most random of reasons and activities.
- We organise role play, construction and crafts with different genders in mind, albeit subconsciously.
- We appoint class names of famous scientists, authors, sports people or musicians where the majority are male (and straight).
- The staff culture feels fixed, exclusive, cliquey and difficult to break into.
- Staff congratulate themselves on the way they have always done things.
I have deliberately not set out here inclusive versions of the above examples. They are a starting point for whole staff thinking and they’re guaranteed to promote worthwhile discussion. It’s important in our schools to do the hard work required, challenge heteronormativity in all its guises and ask the following questions:
- Might a child with same-sex parents feel quietly excluded in our school?
- Will their parents feel welcome?
- How about a child who has lost a parent, or a child who is care-experienced?
- Have we removed assumptions in all our interactions with families?
- Can a member of staff, whatever their sexual orientation or identity, can be their authentic self at work?
- Are our language and expectations truly gender-inclusive?
- Is our inclusive approach understood by all groups of staff in their varying roles across school?
Why does this matter? It matters because of the need for us all to feel we belong in the places where we, or our loved ones, spend a good deal of time. Marian Wright Edelman coined the phrase, ‘You can’t be what you can’t see’, and this matters if you rarely see yourself (child or adult) or your family represented in your school. Representation is validation.
It matters because subliminal messages such as those received (through unthinking words, gendered phrases and activities defined by gender) by girls and women, or by those for whom gender is not fixed or for whom gender causes anguish, can be damaging and self-fulfilling over time.
Talking Race and Racism with Children - when do we start?
Written by Omena Osivwemu
Former Primary Teacher, Humanities Lead, Researcher. Author of 'Decolonising the Curriculum: A Comparative Case-Study of Black Learner and Educator Perspectives and Experience in London and Johannesburg' in The BERA Guide to Decolonising the Curriculum.
This question has played on my mind for a while; at a conference of educators reckoning with race, a Black senior leader who is also a parent asked “when is the right time to talk to my children about race?” This stuck with me and the academic on the panel looked to me, as an experienced Primary School teacher to respond.
Given my lived experience growing up Black in Northern England, training and teaching across the North and the Midlands, the answer seemed obvious to me.
In short- right away! As soon as children are absorbing language, learning values and copying behaviours.
As soon as we teach toddlers what is a boy and what is a girl, that is the social construction of gender- even if you opt for a more gender-neutral or fluid approach- that is still teaching them difference. When we teach children to share; be kind; tell the truth etc., all values we deem to be ‘right’, we should also be teaching them that sometimes not everyone will be kind, share or tell the truth. At times this can be due to our differences. But difference is a wonderful, necessary part of life!
Of course, discussions should be age-appropriate in language children understand and use. ‘Sulwe’ by Lupito Nyong’o is a beautiful book, aimed at young children and explores themes of ‘race’ and colourism. Now, there is a wonderful array of diverse books available for all ages! As children get older, we can then build on their racial literacy, empowering them to make some sense of the social construction that is ‘race’. For adults, I would recommend ‘How to raise an anti-racist’ by Ibram X. Kendi as a great place to start.
As soon as we read traditional tales to children, let them watch YouTube, TV or films, we are passing on messages about society, how people interact and what is deemed ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. When children can describe something as red, green, blue, black and white; they can and will use this language to describe differences between people. It may not be ‘accurate’ to the adult lens, for instance as a young child in a Black, mixed family, I would draw my father’s dark brown skin as purple and my mother’s very fair brown skin as pink.
One of my earliest memories as a 4 year old (contextualised by my mother’s memory) at a mostly White Nursery, was feeling different. Too brown, with hair that was too dark and curly, and eyes that were too dark, compared to the teachers, other children and most importantly the blonde, blue-eyed dolls which I adored! Then, when the teachers with good intentions, changed the play to ‘Curlilocks’ so that I could play the character Goldilocks, I knew I wasn’t ‘right’- I didn’t fit. If Black and brown children aren’t too young to experience or witness racialisation or racism, nobody else is too young to learn about ‘race’ and racism.
Later on during undergrad’, volunteering in local primary schools in Northern Lancashire, as soon as I walked into classrooms, children as young as 4 would stare wide-eyed and mutter under their breath “she’s Black!”. Throughout my teaching career across England and Spain, most times I was the only Black teacher children had seen. The responses have varied from positive, such as expressing their love for my curly hair, inquisitive questions and collaborative cultural exchange. To the negative, for example young children avoiding touching my skin when I gave them something, or 6 year olds ignoring me as though they didn’t understand my English, because as one boy put it, I was “from Africa”.
I recognise that in Black and brown majority spaces like London, experiences such as mine may be less common. However, if parents, the media, film, books etc. are socialising children as young as 3 and 4 to understand brown skin, or Blackness, or religious dress, or simply human difference such as accents, as ‘bad’ or negative, then we too should be equipping our children with the understanding that such a belief system (white supremacy) exists and continues to prevail- albeit gently. We should be uplifting Global Majority children to feel proud of their cultural and ethnic backgrounds, histories and identities. We should help children to contextualise what they are seeing and embolden them to have high self-esteem and confidence when facing barriers/ discrimination.
In the same way that we acknowledge teaching children ‘stranger danger’, online safety, how to respond to bullying, physical and mental wellbeing, and healthy relationships in order to protect them from harm and prepare them to safeguard themselves; we should also be empowering all children with the language and understanding to know when discrimination and racism are happening (unfairness / unkindness in children’s terms). In the same way that far-right rioters and sympathisers have taught their children, as we saw this summer, to attack, abuse and harass Black, brown, migrant, Muslim peoples; we too should be teaching our children from early why it is happening and how they can respond.
Equal Pay Day
Written by The MTPT Project
The UK’s only charity for parent teachers, with a particular focus on the parental leave and return to work period.
This Autumn, we celebrate International Equal Pay Day (18th September) and the UK’s Gender Pay Gap Day (probably around the 22nd November).
“Celebrate” is probably the wrong term for it, with the United Nations telling us that “Across all regions, women are paid less than men, with the gender pay gap estimated at around 20 per cent globally.”
Out of 146 countries, the UK ranked 15th in a 2023 World Economic Forum comparison, up there with the best and trailing just behind Iceland, Namibia, New Zealand and Rwanda, amongst others.
Fifteenth out of 146 sounds great but… it’s not that great. The UK still has a gender pay gap across all industries of 14.3% meaning that women are paid (on average) 86p for every £1 that men are paid.
In the education sector, it’s even worse, with the gender pay gap standing at 18.1%. Some multi-academy trusts (we won’t name them) fare terribly, with gender pay gaps of up to 44.6%. Why not enjoy the government’s brilliant Search and Compare tool that lays the facts bare in a simple click to satiate your curiosity?
While the graphs in ASCL et al.’s updated 2023 report indicate that a slight gender pay gap exists at almost all levels (female classroom teachers actually slightly outearn male classroom teachers), a seismic shift happens between the ages of 30-39, particularly between 35-39 when – you guessed right – teachers are most likely to become mothers.
57% of female teachers aged 30-34 are mothers, jumping to 77% for women aged 35-39. During this time, the gender pay gap increases by between £846 (“other leadership”) to £2,131 (headteachers) per year. Classroom teachers – previously outearning their male counterparts by £143 per year – suddenly suffer a wage gap of £1,253.
The explanation: of course, it is the motherhood penalty in action. Studies largely agree that “women’s inability to combine work with family seems to account for the lion’s share of the pay gap” and in Missing Mothers – a report co-authored by The MTPT Project and The New Britain Project – we explain how this impact is being felt in teaching.
Motherhood means that we are losing experienced teachers in droves; they are paid less when they remain in the profession, and are underrepresented at leadership level.
Solving the gender pay gap in any industry is complicated. The same goes for what we like to term more precisely, the “fiscal motherhood penalty in education”. But the Missing Mothers report lays out one simple recommendation to government: shift the investment currently focused on recruitment, to retention.
Specifically, focus on retaining and improving working conditions for women aged 30-39 by addressing and reducing the motherhood penalty.
Want to do more this autumn to reduce the impact of the motherhood penalty in education? Book in a 30 minute call with Emma at The MTPT Project between 18th September – 22nd November. She’ll share more about why the motherhood penalty exists and the right questions to ask, and strategies to implement to make a real difference in your organisation. The fun gimmick? She’ll charge you the rate of your organisation’s pay gap for the consultation session.
LGBT+ Education in School - Having Effective Conversations with Parents
Written by Mel Lane
Mel Lane (she/her) is Head of Education at Pop’n’Olly. She has been a primary school teacher and teacher trainer for nearly 30 years and worked in schools on LGBT+ inclusion policies with thousands of children and school staff. Mel is a co- author of What Does LGBT+ Mean? (Pop’n’Olly, 2021).
When it comes to LGBT+ education in school, parents are often portrayed in the mainstream media as unsupportive and battling with teachers – but the reality is completely different. 82% of parents actively want their children to be taught about diverse families, including those with same-sex relationships. Having worked with over 10,000 children, I have experienced, time and time again, that parents are almost always supportive of LGBT+ inclusion work in school.
However, there are of course still a minority of parents who struggle with, and have concerns, about LGBT+ education. This is why empowering schools and teachers to have effective conversations is important. But how do we do this? Here are some themes that you may wish to include in these discussions:
Ethos and Values
Chances are you already promote equality and celebrate difference in your school. Maybe it’s in your school mission statement? e.g.
‘Brave, unique, caring and kind’
‘Hope, community, respect, love’
‘Respect for each other, Respect for our school, Respect for learning’
LGBT+ isn’t an add-on, it’s part of this whole-school approach. So when having conversations with parents, it’s vital you keep coming back to your whole-school ethos and discuss how LGBT+ education is a part of this.
Children’s Mental Health
We know that children learn better when they feel relaxed and able to be themselves. One teacher was so pleased to share with me how much more animated and engaged a Year 1 child had become after a session on families included two Mums, just like her family. All children benefit from conversations about LGBT+ inclusion because when we celebrate diversity we send a message to everyone that they are welcome in school whatever their uniqueness looks like.
Knowledge and Understanding
63% of 8-15 year olds know someone close to them who is LGBT+ Children are already having conversations about LGBT+ lives and some of them are searching for information online. School is a safe place where children can ask questions of trusted adults to find out reliable, accurate information. UK children all live in a country where being LGBT+ is protected by law and we shouldn’t hide this information from students. In fact, under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), all children have a right to this information.
Legal Obligations
Helping young people understand and develop positive relationships with people who are different from them is part of UK law and included in the Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) Guidance for Schools
The Public Sector Equality Duty (Section 149 of the Equality Act, 2010) states that schools must have due regard to “the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.”
Ofsted guidance also states that, “Schools can choose to teach the beliefs of any faith on the protected characteristics. They may explain that same-sex relationships and gender reassignment are not permitted by a particular religion. However, if they do so, they must also explain the legal rights of LGBT people under UK law, and that this and LGBT people must be respected”
Supporting Parents
Sometimes parents worry that life will be harder for their child if they are LGBT+. Sometimes they’re worried about being judged by other parents. Schools often have a lot more experience supporting LGBT+ young people than parents do. A parent of a trans child told me how much better they felt that their child’s school was supportive of their child’s transition – it gave the parent confidence and helped them navigate a completely new and sometimes challenging time.
Conversations with parents almost always eliminate fears, tackle misconceptions and build better relationships. You can find out much more information on how to have these conversations in Pop’n’Olly’s ‘Discussions With Parents’ document.
#AllTheThings
Written by Helena Marsh
Helena is a WomenEd co-founder, mum of three and experienced school and Trust leader. In her ninth year of secondary headship, Helena has also held the role of MAT CEO. An advocate of flexible working, Helena co-wrote the ‘Flexing our Schools’ chapter in the first WomenEd book and has been an active supporter of the Flexible Working Ambassador Scheme and the MTPT Project.
Spending the day among some incredible inspiring women at the ‘Breaking the Mould’ event on 9th March at Milton Road Primary School, Cambridge, was a fabulous way to mark this year’s International Women’s Day.
Hannah asked me to contribute to the event when we met for an after work mocktail in May 2023. At the time, having this little spot of feminist joy to look forward to on the horizon really uplifted me at a particularly bleak moment in my leadership career.
Several months later, I was not disappointed. Featuring amongst a programme of kick-ass women gave me a real sense of personal and professional rejuvenation.
My session, entitled ‘What’s the point of cake if you can’t eat it?’, focused on my experiences, as a mum of three, of gendered perceptions of leadership. In my 15 years as a senior leader, I’ve been conscious of women stepping away from the profession, and their leadership potential, citing selfishness and a pragmatic need to focus on their families, as the reason.
To coin a phrase by Summer Turner, I questioned: ‘Are the boys also worrying about this?’ Do men perceive becoming a dad and maintaining their career as ‘having it all’?
Gender pay gap research reveals that they don’t. The Fatherhood Bonus, in stark contrast to the Motherhood Penalty, rewards men for becoming fathers. While women are stepping down or away to focus on caregiving and accepting the inevitability of this pause/permanent freeze in their professional journey, men are, statistically, enjoying promotion and pay progression when starting a family.
My presentation focused on the factors, institutional, societal and personal, that lead to women feeling as though progressing professionally is not a viable choice once becoming a mum. I concluded that wholesale changes to sector expectations of leaders is necessary. As Jill Berry wisely observes, if having a job and a life isn’t achievable, there’s a problem with the job.
The other inputs to the day complemented this theme. Particularly Niamh Sweeney’s rousing cry to tackle the injustices within the profession that inhibit and preclude. Niamh’s anecdote from her recent trip to the States chimed with many of us in the audience. The audacious goal of winning ‘all the things’ spoke to a refreshing cultural ambition. Meanwhile, many of the other talks highlighted the importance of acknowledging feminine leadership traits and valuing the benefits of diversity in leadership teams.
I left the day reflecting on how often ‘having it all’ is misunderstood for ‘doing it all’. My Mother’s Day stash of gifts that I received the following day from my little ones included various iterations of listing pads. As a fan of organisational stationery, I was chuffed with my haul. However, it did make me recognise how much of my sense of success as a mum and leader is measured through my accomplishment of ‘stuff’. Many women that I have worked with pride themselves on getting all the sh*t done and to an exceptional standard, often at the expense of their personal health and wellbeing.
As I acknowledged in my IWD talk, the weight of the mental load that mums carry, let alone mum leaders carry, is immense. It’s important that having #AllTheThings doesn’t necessitate us doing everything but having our fair share of whatever it is we strive for, whether that’s cake, career development opportunities or childcare responsibilities.
Harmony in Heritage: Sharlene-Monique Unveils 'A New Life' For World Book Day
Written by Sharlene-Monique
Sharlene-Monique is a London based singer-songwriter, author and broadcaster. She is known as a versatile, passionate, authentic, collaborative creator and performer. Her three concept projects Destiny, Perspectiveand Raw & Honest Love combine evocative, soulful vocals with deeply inspiring songs of empowerment, love and self-acceptance with music to move and soothe the soul and spirit. As an independent artist and lead vocalist Sharlene-Monique has toured widely in Europe including as a support act for a 15 date UK tour with the pop legend Gabrielle.
Renowned Singer-Songwriter-Broadcaster Sharlene-Monique is set to release her second book, A New Life, a heart-warming picture story celebrating the hope, courage, and determination of the Windrush generation. Scheduled for release on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, for World Book Day. Sharlene-Monique navigates the loss of her grand-parents by sharing their inspiring journey in A New Life. The book recounts the true story of Winston and Mavis, who, in 1958, embarked on a courageous journey from Jamaica to London, laying the foundation for a new life for their family.
The experiences of their great-granddaughter, Tahlia, unfold as a poignant narrative, resonating with young readers aged 3-7. It is made all the more special by the viral TikTok video that captured the spirited dance of Sharlene-Monique’s 90-year-old grandparents, viewed over 500,000 times across multiple social media platforms.
A New Life stands as a valuable resource for children, offering insights into the Windrush generation’s experiences. It sparks conversations about family stories, resilience, and the passing down of talents and interests through generations. Serlina Boyd, founder of Cocoa magazine, praises the book as “a beautiful picture book that tells the story of the brave arrival of Tahlia’s Great-Grandparents embarking on their new life in Britain. A wonderful read for the whole family.”
Sharlene-Monique is known for; her heartfelt song ‘Thank You’, released in June 2023 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Windrush generation which continues to make waves and was featured on ITV, her recent hosting of the Melanated Stories documentary series on TBN UK and a supporting role in the 15-date tour with UK pop legend Gabrielle showcase her multifaceted talents. Sharlene also continues to sing with the Kingdom Choir since their unforgettable performance at the 2018 Royal Wedding in front of a global televised audience of 2 billion people. With a background in education and as an award-winning children’s choir conductor, Sharlene-Monique adds depth to her artistic endeavours.
Reflecting on the book, Sharlene-Monique shares, “When I shared the video of my grandparents dancing, I had no idea the response would be in the thousands, it brought so much joy to people. This book will ensure their legacy will live on for many years to come, and I am so proud of that.”
A New Life: Available for pre-order now via sharlenemonique.com
Available at amazon.co.uk Tuesday, March 5, 2024
For interviews and more info, please contact sharlenemoniq@gmail.com
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