Adoption Doesn’t End the Trauma
Written by Ian Timbrell
Ian has worked in education for 18 years, including as a teacher and deputy head teacher and now supports schools develop their provision for LGBTQ+ and adopted pupils. He is the author of 'It's More Than Flags and Rainbows', a guide to supporting schools become more LGBTQ+ inclusive.
When we adopted, I think I expected a sense of arrival. A feeling that we had reached the end of a long and intense process and could finally breathe. In reality, adoption was not an ending at all. It was the beginning of a very different journey, one that far fewer people truly understand.
There is a widespread belief that trauma ends at adoption. That once a child is safe and loved, the hardest part is behind you. Our experience, and the experience of many families I have spoken to, tells a very different story. Trauma does not disappear because circumstances change. It stays with children as they grow, shaping how they see themselves, their families, and the world around them.
What shocked me most was how quickly support fell away once adoption was finalised. During the assessment process, you are surrounded by professionals, advice, and scrutiny. Afterwards, it can feel as though the scaffolding is suddenly removed. Families are expected to cope, to manage complex behaviours and emotions, and to do so quietly, often while being told how “lucky” everyone is.
Adoption touches every part of family life. As children grow older, particularly during the teenage years, questions about identity and belonging resurface with force. Life stories are revisited. Feelings of loss, anger, and confusion come to the surface. These are not abstract emotions. They show up in daily life, in school, at home, and in relationships.
One of the least understood aspects of adoption is contact with birth families. For those outside the adoption world, this is often difficult to grasp. Contact is not simple or tidy. It carries hope and heartbreak in equal measure. For children, it can reopen wounds they do not yet have the words to describe. For parents, it can be painful to watch your child carry feelings you cannot fix or protect them from.
Schools and wider family networks often struggle to understand this reality. Behaviours are framed as poor choices rather than expressions of distress. Parenting is judged without recognising the context. There is an unspoken expectation that adopted children should be settled, grateful, or resilient. When they are not, families can feel blamed and deeply isolated.
As an LGBTQ+ adoptive parent, there are additional layers. Our families are often more visible, and that visibility can bring both connection and silence. Sometimes it feels as though acknowledging the challenges of adoption is seen as too complicated, or as though we are already asking enough of people simply by existing as a queer family.
Things are slowly changing, but more education, connection and understanding are still needed around the realities many adopted families experience. Adoption can be an incredible thing, but it does not exist in a Disney daydream.
I am writing this as an individual, shaped by my own experience as an adoptive parent. I am also the founder of More Than Flags and Rainbows, and these two parts of my life are inseparable. This reflection comes from moments of joy and pride, and from moments of exhaustion, fear, and uncertainty. It comes from recognising how many families are quietly navigating similar paths without enough understanding or long-term support.
That is why, through More Than Flags and Rainbows, we are working to build networks for adoptive families and LGBTQ+ parents that centre lived experience and community support. Our aim is to create spaces where families can connect, share experiences and feel less alone in the challenges they face.
If this resonates with you, you are not alone. And struggling does not mean you are failing.
A Curriculum for Connection: What the 2028 Reforms Mean for Belonging in Schools
Written by Chloe Watterston
Chloe is an educator, athlete, and advocate for inclusive, curiosity-driven learning, dedicated to creating spaces where every young person feels safe, valued, and empowered. Her work across mainstream and SEND education, community projects, and curriculum reform is driven by a passion for amplifying marginalised voices and breaking down barriers to learning.
The recently announced curriculum reform by the Department for Education (DfE) sets out a refreshed national curriculum for England, to be implemented from September 2028. GOV.UK+1 The changes include clearer structuring of subjects, stronger foundations in oracy, reading, writing, mathematics, inclusion of media/financial literacy, and a new ‘core enrichment entitlement’ (arts, sport, nature, civic engagement). GOV.UK+1
In discussing these changes, the theme of belonging – feeling valued, included, connected and confident in one’s place in school, learning community, and future society – merits explicit attention. When students feel they belong, they are more motivated, resilient, engaged and ready to learn. For learners who may feel marginalised, including those with additional needs (SEND), neurodiversity, gender/ethnicity minority status, or from disadvantaged backgrounds, belonging is especially critical.
Why belonging matters in the curriculum context
Belonging in a school setting means that students feel they are part of the community, their identities and contributions are valued, they have agency and voice, they see themselves reflected in the learning and expectations, and that the pathways ahead feel achievable and meaningful. Research shows that when belonging is strong:
- Pupils show higher engagement, better behaviour, more perseverance and stronger outcomes.
- Belonging helps mitigate the harmful effects of marginalisation, discrimination, or social isolation.
- A curriculum that simply transmits knowledge without fostering connection and relevance may fail to engage those who don’t see themselves in it.
In the context of the new curriculum, which emphasises knowledge, skills for life and work, enrichment in arts/outdoor/civic life, and digital/financial literacy, belonging becomes the lens through which these ambitions must be refracted: how do all pupils feel that this curriculum is for them, they can access it, succeed with it, and feel part of their school’s learning community?
For example, the government’s own press release highlights that enrichment activities and arts broaden confidence, social capital and resilience. (GOV.UK) The blog from the Education Hub emphasises inclusive support for children with SEND and stretching the most able. (Education Hub) Both show levers that can support belonging – but only if consciously leveraged.
How the new curriculum offers opportunities (and challenges) for belonging
Opportunities
- Wider access to enrichment
The ‘core enrichment entitlement’, guaranteeing every pupil access to arts/culture, nature/adventure, sport/physical activity, civic engagement and life skills, is a powerful vehicle for belonging. These are contexts where students can engage beyond exam-driven subjects, collaborate, explore identities, build peer connection and feel part of something bigger than school. Schools that deliver this well can foster strong community, inclusive opportunities and shared purpose. - Broader subject choice and removal of restrictive performance measures
The reforms signal the removal of the EBacc as the sole performance metric and encourage breadth (arts, languages, humanities) in student choice. This means more students may find subjects that resonate with their interests and identities, helping them feel ‘in the curriculum’, not excluded by narrow expectations. - Strengthened foundations and structured progression
The reforms emphasise clearer sequencing of knowledge, stronger foundations in oracy/reading/writing/math, and logical structuring of subjects. A well-sequenced curriculum supports all learners to feel they are building, succeeding and belong in the journey, rather than lost or left behind. - Focus on life/skills, digital/media/financial literacy
Recognising children as future citizens, consumers and workers, the curriculum includes media and financial literacy, computing/data science and climate education. When learners see relevance of what they are doing to their world and future, they are more likely to feel the curriculum connects to them, increasing belonging.
Challenges & caveats
- Implementation lag and teacher capacity
The final curriculum will be published in spring 2027, with first teaching from September 2028. During this transition period, there is a risk of uneven implementation or confusion, which can lead to pupils feeling disconnected if their experience is patchy. - Risk of ‘token’ enrichment without inclusion
Simply providing enrichment access does not guarantee belonging. If, say, arts or outdoor adventure are offered but some pupils feel they are not for “people like me”, or logistics exclude them (SEND needs, cost, transport, culture), then belonging may not be improved. Schools must ensure inclusive design. - Potential for widening gaps
The reforms point to stretching the most able, but also supporting all, including SEND. If schools focus solely on high-attaining students or areas they excel in, then pupils who previously felt marginalised may continue to feel outside the mainstream. Ensuring belonging means deliberately designing for all. - Balancing knowledge-rich and inclusive culture
A knowledge-rich curriculum is desirable, and sequential structure is important. But if it becomes rigid, high-pressure or alienating for some learners (including neurodiverse pupils, those with ADHD, autism, fibromyalgia etc), belonging may suffer. Teacher professional development, differentiated approaches, and culture matter.
Implications for teachers, schools and learners (with a focus on neurodiversity / SEND)
Given the curriculum changes, how should schools and teachers act to embed belonging and ensure that all pupils, including neurodiverse learners, benefit?
For teachers and curriculum leaders
- Audit enrichment and access
Ensure the five enrichment categories (civic, arts, nature/adventure, sport/physical, life skills) are accessible to all learners. Review whether those with additional needs are genuinely included, what barriers exist (physical access, cost, transport, timing, teacher attitudes) and plan accordingly. - Curriculum sequencing with connection
As the curriculum becomes clearer and machine-readable, use its structure to map how learners build their sense of belonging: early success, scaffolded progression, collaborative projects, peer mentoring. For neurodiverse learners, build patterns of success, visible progression, and opportunities for identity building in the community. - Inclusive pedagogy
With the greater emphasis on oracy, reading, writing, financial/media literacy, digital, arts and nature, it is essential to differentiate and scaffold for learners with SEND/ EAL. Flexible formats, multimodal tasks (visual, auditory, experiential), peer support, chunking of tasks and choice all foster belonging. - Student voice and representation
Belonging is strengthened when learners see themselves in the curriculum and have agency. Build in opportunities for pupil voice (which arts projects, which outdoor expeditions, which civic engagements). Ensure neurodiverse and historically excluded pupils are included in planning and leadership of enrichment. - Cross-subject and cultural relevance
The new curriculum emphasises modern issues: fake news, misinformation, media literacy, climate education. Teachers should link learning to real-life contexts that matter to pupils, including those from diverse backgrounds. This helps pupils feel the curriculum is meaningful and they belong in it.
For learners (especially neurodiverse / additional needs)
- Visible pathways to success
When a curriculum is new or changing, clarity of “what next” matters. Learners (especially those with neurodiversity) often benefit from knowing how they progress, that they are part of a journey, and what success looks like. Teachers should make progression explicit (e.g., “we’re building our oracy, next we’ll apply it in project X”). - Affirmation of identity and belonging
Schools should affirm that learners’ identities, neurodiversity, mobility/disability, home backgrounds matter and add value. The curriculum enrichment (arts, outdoor, civic) is a chance for learners to engage in ways that connect with them and build confidence, agency and peer connection. - Choice and voice
With the broader subject choice promised (including arts, languages, humanities) there is more opportunity for learners to pick what resonates. Encourage pupils to choose and engage in subjects and enrichment that reflect their interests and strengths, helping bolster belonging. - Support and scaffolding
For neurodiverse learners, the stronger focus on oracy, reading, writing, sequential knowledge, digital/financial literacy means supports must be in place: clear structures, chunked tasks, accessible resources, options for alternative expression (e.g., oral presentations, drama, arts projects). This ensures the curriculum is inclusive rather than exclusionary.
Practical steps for embedding belonging ahead of 2028
Given that the new curriculum will start first teaching in September 2028, schools and teachers have time to prepare. Here are practical steps to embed belonging in the preparation phase:
- Whole-school ethos review
Use this period to revisit the school’s vision and ethos: does it emphasise belonging, connection, inclusion, aspiration for all? Use staff CPD to raise awareness of belonging especially for neurodiverse/SEND learners. - Mapping enrichment and equity of access
Create an audit of enrichment across the five domains (arts/culture, sport/physical, nature/adventure, civic engagement, life skills). Analyse participation by pupil subgroup (SEND, disadvantaged, minorities) and plan to remove barriers (costs, transport, timing, support). - Curriculum mapping with identity and progression in mind
As you begin mapping how the new national curriculum will roll out, embed opportunities for student identity expression, cross-curriculum projects, collaborative work, peer mentoring and enrichment that connects to pupil backgrounds and interests. Sequence so early wins build belonging. - Teacher professional learning in inclusive pedagogy
Provide training on how to differentiate, how to scaffold oracy and literacy for diverse learners, how to include neurodiverse and SEND pupils in experiential enrichment (outdoor adventure, arts, civic participation). - Student involvement and voice
Involve students now in shaping how the enriched curriculum will look at your school: what arts/culture projects they would like, which civic activities, how to make outdoor/adventure meaningful. Prioritise voice from pupils who often feel marginalised. - Monitoring belonging outcomes
Develop simple indicators of belonging (student surveys, participation rates in enrichment, cross-group peer relations, retention/attendance of vulnerable groups) and track ahead of and after implementation. Use this data to refine practice.
Conclusion
The new national curriculum announced by the DfE offers a timely opportunity not just to update knowledge and skills for life and work, but to embed a deeper sense of belonging for all pupils. When students feel they belong, that their identities matter, that they are part of a learning community, that the curriculum connects to them and the future, then the ambitions of stronger foundations, broader enrichment and modern life skills become much more likely to succeed.
For teachers, curriculum leaders and school systems, the key will be to move beyond what is taught to how it is taught, who it is for, and how pupils feel as they participate. Schools that intentionally design for belonging- particularly for neurodiverse and disadvantaged learners – will be positioned to get the greatest benefit from the reforms. With the new curriculum rolling out from 2028, there is time now to prepare- to map enrichment, strengthen inclusive practice, and ensure that belonging is not a side benefit, but a core goal.
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 Consultation
Written by Belonging Effect
Belonging Effect is committed to shaping intention into impact and supporting people with their Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging strategy and training needs.
On 12th February 2026, the Department for Education published a new draft of the statutory safeguarding guidance for schools and colleges: Keeping Children Safe in Education.
Amongst other changes, the new draft guidance includes an amended section titled ‘Children who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual’; and a new section titled ‘Children who are questioning their gender’.
Since the draft guidance was published, these sections specifically have been reported on widely. We have read and listened to much of the coverage from diverse sources, and are concerned to see some exaggeration or misrepresentation of the current situation. To be clear, this is not currently statutory guidance – it is a draft of proposed guidance, which has been opened for a 10 week consultation period ending on 22nd April 2026. Currently, schools and colleges should not make changes which are informed by this draft guidance. They should continue to follow the 2025 version of KCSIE.
Our intention in this piece is to set out the context in which this draft guidance has been released, the details of the guidance, and provide information about the ongoing consultation as accurately and clearly as we can in order to encourage those involved in education to express their views through the consultation. In order to do so, we have tried to avoid presenting our own opinions in much of the following piece. However, we think it is important to be transparent before we begin. We have worked with transgender, non-binary, and gender questioning students, and we are fully committed to their inclusion and belonging in educational spaces. We believe that any statutory guidance for schools and colleges should provide workable and inclusive guidance that protects all students from discrimination, and ensures safety, dignity and respect for all young people in education – including trans students. With that clear, let’s begin.
The Context
Chances are, if you are reading this piece, you are very familiar with the statutory safeguarding guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education (often referred to as KCSIE). It was first published in 2014, and is reviewed and updated by the Department for Education annually, with updated versions typically becoming statutory each September. Most years these updates come without consultation, but a consultation or call for evidence may be made when substantive changes are proposed.
In the KCSIE update for September 2022, under the section ‘Children potentially at greater risk of harm’ a new category was added, titled ‘Children who are lesbian, gay, bi, or trans (LGBT)’. This new guidance was brief, but acknowledged that being LGBT, or being perceived to be LGBT, could be a risk factor for bullying. The following year, in the 2023 September update, this section was slightly expanded. It stated:
‘203. The fact that a child or a young person may be LGBT is not in itself an inherent risk factor for harm. However, children who are LGBT can be targeted by other children. In some cases, a child who is perceived by other children to be LGBT (whether they are or not) can be just as vulnerable as children who identify as LGBT.
204. Risks can be compounded where children who are LGBT lack a trusted adult with whom they can be open. It is therefore vital that staff endeavour to reduce the additional barriers faced and provide a safe space for them to speak out or share their concerns with members of staff.
205. LGBT inclusion is part of the statutory Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education curriculum and there is a range of support available to help schools counter homophobic, bi-phobic and transphobic bullying and abuse.’
Later that year, in December 2023, the Department for Education published draft guidance relating to trans and non-binary students in schools, which they called ‘Gender Questioning Children’. This was draft, non-statutory guidance, which opened for a 12 week consultation period ending on Tuesday 12th March 2024. You can read more about this draft guidance and consultation here.
Shortly after that consultation closed, the Cass Review was published in April 2024. The Cass Review was intended to be an independent review of gender identity services for children and young people. It has been widely criticised since its release. Although not an education focused document, the review made some recommendations relevant to schools and colleges.
In the same year, the UK saw a change of government with a new Labour government elected in July 2024. The Labour government committed to looking at the results of the consultation into the ‘Gender Questioning Children’ guidance and to publishing finalised guidance for schools. They also committed to enacting the recommendations of the Cass Review.
On 12th February 2026, The Department for Education published a new draft of the statutory safeguarding guidance for schools and colleges, KCSIE. Amongst other changes, this new draft guidance includes an amended section titled ‘Children who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual’, and a new section titled ‘Children who are questioning their gender’.
In materials published online, the DfE explains their choice to position gender guidance as part of KCSIE, rather than in separate non-statutory guidance as first proposed in 2023. They state that they “propose instead to include this content in KCSIE so that children’s wellbeing and safeguarding are considered in the round, and so that schools and colleges can easily access this information in one place”.
The DfE also provides some limited details about the results of the consultation. They explain that the consultation into the draft ‘Gender Questioning Children’ guidance received 15,315 respondents and “demonstrated that this is a highly contested policy area with no clear consensus on the appropriate approach, but more respondents expressed negative than positive views about the usability of the draft guidance published for consultation”.
This draft guidance is now open for a 10 week consultation period, ending on 22nd April 2026. The following sections will set out the details of this proposed guidance, and information about the ongoing consultation.
The Guidance & Consultation
Although other important changes have been made, we focus specifically here on the parts of the guidance titled ‘Children who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual’ and ‘Children who are questioning their gender’.
Part Two of KCSIE sets out the statutory guidance around the management of safeguarding, and it includes a section on ‘Children potentially at greater risk of harm’. It is within this section that LGBT identities are discussed under the following two headings.
‘Children who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual’
This amended section used to include the word ‘trans’ (2022 & 2023), and later ‘gender questioning’ (2024, 2025). That has now been removed, and this section focuses specifically on sexual and/or romantic orientations lesbian, gay, or bisexual. The draft guidance states:
“244. A child or young person being lesbian, gay, or bisexual is not in itself a risk factor for harm; however, they can sometimes be vulnerable to discriminatory bullying. In some cases, a child who is perceived by other children to be lesbian, gay, or bisexual (whether they are or not) can be just as vulnerable as children who are. Schools and colleges should consider how to address vulnerabilities such as the risk of bullying and take steps to prevent it, including putting appropriate sanctions in place.”
‘Children who are questioning their gender’
This new section is the result of the 2024 consultation into the then draft non-statutory ‘Gender Questioning Children’ guidance. It includes some general information, followed by specific advice on:
- Preventing and responding to bullying
- Decision making when a request is made for social transition
- Parental Involvement
- Physical Spaces (toilets, changing, accommodation)
- Record Keeping
- ‘Children living in stealth’
- ‘Children who wish to detransition’
This section of the draft guidance is long so we have not quoted it here in full, but it includes significant changes in how schools should work to support trans, non-binary, or gender questioning young people. We would encourage you to read it in full in the draft guidance released by the DfE, or in this longer article published by Pride & Progress.
The draft guidance is currently open for a 10-week consultation period, which ends on 22nd April 2026. The consultation invites responses from a variety of educational spaces, and those working in them.
The consultation is divided into 9 sections:
- Section 1 – proposed changes to the ‘about this guidance’ section and general updates to KCSIE
- Section 2 – proposed changes to Part one: Safeguarding information for all staff •
- Section 3 – proposed changes to Part two: The management of safeguarding
- Section 4 – proposed changes to Part three: Safer recruitment
- Section 5 – proposed changes to Part four: Safeguarding concerns or allegations made about staff including supply teachers, volunteers and contractors
- Section 6 – proposed changes to Part five: Child-on-child sexual violence and sexual harassment
- Section 7 – proposed changes to Annex B – further information
- Section 8 – proposed changes to Annex C – the role of the designated safeguarding lead
- Section 9 – expanding our evidence base
You can view all of the questions asked in each section of the consultation in the DfE consultation document. Section 3 of the consultation is where questions are asked about the proposed changes to Part Two of KCSIE. There are no questions asked about the guidance relating to ‘Children who are lesbian, gay, and bisexual’. Of the guidance relating to ‘Children who are questioning their gender’, three questions are asked. They are:
- Question 33: Does the updated section of the guidance on children who are questioning their gender provide clarity about the considerations schools and colleges will need to take into account?
Yes, No, Not Applicable, No Opinion, Please Explain Further (Optional)
- Question 34: Do paragraphs 104-115 provide clarity for schools and colleges about their legal obligations relating to toilets, changing rooms, and boarding and residential accommodation?
Yes, No, Not Applicable, No Opinion, Please Explain Further (Optional)
- Question 35: Do paragraphs 94-97 provide clarity for schools and colleges about the circumstances in which the school is justified in having a policy of single-sex sports?
Yes, No, Not Applicable, No Opinion, Please Explain Further (Optional)
These questions focus on the clarity of the advice set out in the new draft guidance, but they offer a vital opportunity for those working in education to consult on the workability of this guidance. As stated earlier, we have worked with transgender, non-binary, and gender questioning students, and we are fully committed to their inclusion and belonging in educational spaces. As, in our experience, are the vast majority of those working in the education sector. We believe that any statutory guidance for schools and colleges should provide workable and inclusive guidance that protects all students from discrimination, and ensures dignity and respect for all young people in education – including trans, non-binary, and gender questioning young people.
Actions you may wish to consider taking
We hope that reading this piece has helped you to feel more informed. Below are some actions you may wish to undertake as a result of what you have read:
- Please challenge any mis-characterisations of this draft guidance. This is not currently statutory guidance – it is a draft of proposed guidance, which has been opened for a 10 week consultation period ending on 22nd April 2026.
- Please contribute to the consultation process, and consider specifically the workability of the guidance set out, and whether it is inclusive guidance that protects all students from discrimination, and ensures dignity and respect for all children in education. You may wish to delay your contribution to the consultation until other organisations have released guidance and support on doing so.
- Consider encouraging colleagues and connections to read about the draft guidance, and contribute to the consultation themselves. The previous consultation had over 15,000 responses – the more people who contribute, the more informed the finalised guidance can be.
- Finally, you may wish to begin considering what policies and practices you may need to review when the finalised guidance is released in September. What has been discussed here is the draft guidance, and no changes should be implemented yet, but it may be a good idea to begin to consider your policies and practices relating to LGBT+ students ahead of the final guidance being released later this year.
This piece was written by members of the Belonging Effect team and is intended for informational purposes only. This blog was published on 17/2/26, and all information was to the best of our understanding at the time of publishing.
Pregnancy Loss in Education: Breaking the Silence, Structures and Support
Written by Morgan Whitfield
Morgan Whitfield is an experienced senior leader and professional development consultant who advocates high-challenge learning. Morgan hails from Canada and has taken on such roles as Director of Teaching and Learning, Head of Sixth Form, Head of Humanities and Head of Scholars. Her book Gifted? The Shift to Enrichment, Challenge and Equity, reframed “gifted” education as a mandate to provide enrichment and challenge for all students. She is a passionate advocate for equity in education, a BSO inspector, radio show host and mother of three brilliant little ones. Morgan has worked with schools across the Middle East, Asia and the UK and currently lives in Vietnam.
I remember the day I had to tell senior leadership that I needed to leave lessons and go to the doctor because I was bleeding. I sent out cover work in the hospital waiting room. Later, I had to tell the same colleagues that I would no longer need maternity leave. The conversations were devastating. The classroom kept moving forward, yet I was stalled. I am not alone in this.
Pregnancy loss is often described as a silent grief. For women in education, the silence is compounded by the relentless rhythm of school life. Our jobs involve performance, we must be the support for our students, and this demands our complete mental and emotional presence. Teachers are expected to stand in front of classes, to smile and be steady, even when their personal lives are marked by loss. With women making up three-quarters of the education workforce in the UK (DfE, 2022), the absence of open conversation about pregnancy loss is striking.
I have been there with colleagues through the heartbreak of miscarriage, and through the long, uncertain path of fertility treatments. One colleague once asked for a mental health day on what would have been her due date, a vivid reminder that grief is not linear and anniversaries bring waves of pain. Another shared the exhausting cycle of appointments, medications, and pregnancy tests that defined her attempts to conceive. These stories are part of school life, but they are rarely spoken aloud or formally recognised in policy.
Why Pregnancy Loss Matters in Education
Most schools have no specific structures or training in place to guide leaders or support staff. Teachers can feel forced to suppress grief in order to keep lessons going. When this happens, schools risk not only the wellbeing of staff but also the culture of care that should define education.
Pregnancy loss is both a medical event and a profound emotional rupture. Physically, it can involve surgery, recovery, and the exhaustion that follows. Emotionally, it brings grief for a future imagined but never lived. The disconnect between the devastation inside and the professionalism demanded outside can be unbearable. Without recognition or space, teachers risk feeling invisible in their grief.
Supporting staff through pregnancy loss and fertility journeys requires compassion and clarity. Three areas stand out:
- Policy and Procedure
Schools should establish clear leave policies that explicitly cover pregnancy loss at every stage and ensure staff understand their entitlements. Leadership need practical guidance on responding with sensitivity so that no member of staff feels dismissed. It is equally important that counselling and wider wellbeing services are easy to access and signposted without stigma.
- Culture and Conversation
A supportive culture begins with openly acknowledging pregnancy loss within staff wellbeing policies rather than treating it as a taboo subject. Leaders should be trained to respond with empathy and avoid minimising comments such as “at least you were not far along” or “at least you can try again”. Schools can recognise that grief can resurface around anniversaries of loss and offer staff the flexibility they need at these times.
- Practical Wellbeing Support
Staff deserve practical arrangements that help them re-enter work at a pace that feels manageable, such as phased timetables or temporary workload adjustments. Schools should protect time for medical appointments and mental health recovery. Peer networks or mentoring can provide a valuable source of connection and understanding for those navigating pregnancy loss or fertility treatment.
Workplace pledges, such as those promoted by the Miscarriage Association, provide clear frameworks that schools can adapt. These signal that loss will be handled with dignity and consistency, rather than silence and improvisation.
Schools often pride themselves on teaching empathy to children. We must apply the same principle to one another. Pregnancy loss and fertility journeys should not be taboo in education. When schools speak about them openly, they dismantle stigma. When institutions act with compassion, they protect not only the colleague in pain but also the integrity of the profession. Looking back, what made the difference for me were tangible acts. A colleague who offered to cover a lesson when I needed space. A quiet word that acknowledged my grief as real. These should be built into the school’s structures through purposeful policy and sensitive implementation.
References
Department for Education (DfE) (2022) School workforce in England: Reporting year 2022. Available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk (Accessed: 26 September 2025).
Education Support (2022) Teacher wellbeing index 2022. London: Education Support.
Miscarriage Association (n.d.) Pregnancy loss in the workplace: Guidance and charter. Available at: https://www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk/miscarriage-and-the-workplace/the-pregnancy-loss-pledge/ (Accessed: 26 September 2025).
Benedict’s Law and the implications for schools
Written by Tracey Dunn
Tracey Dunn is the Education and AllergyWise® Manager for Anaphylaxis UK. Tracey joined the team following her retirement from Headship having taught and led schools for 30 years. Tracey works with a number of different organisations to ensure the safety of students with allergies. These include the Department of Education and co-chairing the education group of the National Allergy Strategy.
Thankfully, fatal anaphylaxis is rare, but, when it does occur, the consequences are devastating. Helen and Peter Blythe have been tirelessly campaigning for change following the tragic death of their five-year-old son Benedict, who died at school in December 2021 after experiencing anaphylaxis. Their efforts have highlighted critical gaps in how schools protect children with allergies.
Although statutory guidance titled Supporting Pupils with Medical Conditions in School exists, it has not been updated since 2017. During the inquest into Benedict’s death, the Department for Education (DfE) acknowledged these shortcomings and announced it would undertake a review and update of the guidance. Research conducted by the Benedict Blythe Foundation into schools’ ability to respond to allergic emergencies found significant cause for concern. Despite schools being permitted to hold spare adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) since 2017, only a small proportion had done so. Combined with inconsistent training and a lack of clear allergy policies, this left children with allergies vulnerable and potentially at risk. These findings are echoed by enquiries to Anaphylaxis UK support helpline, where parents frequently seek clarification about schools’ responsibilities to ensure their children are safe, supported, and included.
In response, the Benedict Blythe Foundation has been campaigning for the introduction of “Benedict’s Law” to ensure that pupils with allergies attend schools that are properly equipped to safeguard them. Benedict’s Law has three mandatory components: training for all school staff, a comprehensive allergy policy, and the availability of spare adrenaline auto-injectors in every school.
In February 2026, significant progress was made. In the same week that leading allergy organisations—including Anaphylaxis UK, Allergy UK, the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI), the Benedict Blythe Foundation, and National Allergy Strategy leads—met with Olivia Bailey, Minister for Early Education, to contribute to the review of the statutory guidance, an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill was passed by the House of Lords. This amendment confirmed that Benedict’s Law will be implemented in schools from September 2026 as part of the updated guidance.
This represents a historic step forward for children and young people with allergies. It will ensure they can learn in environments that are inclusive and safe, and that staff are properly trained to recognise and respond to allergic reactions and anaphylaxis without delay. Schools will be required to have the necessary medication on site, and staff will be empowered to act confidently and decisively in an emergency.
The updated guidance will be published for consultation by the DfE shortly. The National Allergy Strategy, the Benedict Blythe Foundation, and patient charities including Anaphylaxis UK will work closely with the DfE to provide schools with model policies and practical templates to support compliance with the new statutory requirements.
Schools are welcome to take action now to get ahead of the September 2026 requirements. By undertaking a whole-school allergy risk assessment, arranging staff training and subscribing to the education newsletter, schools can ensure they are fully prepared and compliant before the deadline. Early action will help to protect vulnerable pupils, demonstrate proactivity and give staff confidence in managing allergic emergencies.
Anaphylaxis UK has provided free or low-cost allergy and anaphylaxis training for over a decade, offering both e-learning and face-to-face options alongside a comprehensive suite of resources. Training is continually updated to reflect the latest clinical guidance, including the recent introduction of nasal adrenaline.
Please contact us at Anaphylaxis UK: allergywise@anaphylaxis.org.uk.
When teacher recruitment celebrates bias
Written by Neil Lithgo
Neil Lithgo is an experienced international Physics educator with over 20 years’ teaching IB, A-Level, and IGCSE courses. He is interested in evidence-informed pedagogy, STEAM education, and inclusive practices that support neurodivergent learners and teachers. He is the creator of SimpliPhys.com.
I’ve spent some time recently reading teaching job adverts and I started to notice an interesting pattern in the language we use to describe the “ideal” candidate.
Words like “enthusiastic”, “passionate” and “dynamic” appear repeatedly, often far more frequently than descriptors related to reflection, creativity or professional deliberation. That in itself isn’t a problem but it raises some important questions about what our recruitment processes may be unintentionally filtering for and what it may be filtering out.
“Seeking an enthusiastic, passionate and dynamic teacher to join our school.”
There is nothing inherently wrong with this. Who wouldn’t want a teacher who loves their subject and can convey that enthusiasm to students?
However, language like this hides a common and largely unexamined bias in teacher recruitment. One that directly affects hiring outcomes.
For decades, research has shown that recruitment processes are vulnerable to bias, even when intent is fair. A landmark 2004 study by Bertrand and Mullainathan demonstrated that identical CVs received significantly different call-back rates based solely on whether the applicant’s name was perceived as ‘White’ or ‘Black’. Similar findings exist for gender bias, prompting widespread reforms such as anonymised applications and structured scoring.
What did not happen was the normalisation of bias once it was identified. Organisations did not respond by saying, “Sorry, you just sounded too Black” or “You weren’t masculine enough.” Instead, they changed the system.
Yet in teacher recruitment, a parallel bias remains visible and largely unchallenged.
I recently analysed 30 randomly selected teaching job adverts on TES. The most common candidate descriptors were ‘enthusiastic’ (50%), ‘passionate’ (43%), and ‘dynamic’ (37%). By contrast, descriptors associated with reflection, collaboration, or professional deliberation appeared far less frequently (‘reflective’: 7%; ‘imaginative’: 3%).
This is not presented as definitive research but even in a small sample, the pattern is striking.
Schools consistently foreground affective qualities alongside and sometimes above technical competence. These terms are not niche; they are core elements of person specifications. Importantly, they function not as baseline expectations but as comparative qualifiers. Candidates who can visibly perform enthusiasm gain an advantage over those whose motivation is quieter, more internal or expressed through depth rather than display.
More troublingly, this bias is often explicitly reinforced in feedback to unsuccessful candidates: “The other candidate showed more enthusiasm for the school” or “Others appeared more dynamic in the interview.”
This becomes a serious equity issue when viewed through the lens of neurodiversity.
Every day, schools seek teachers who are innovative, committed and deeply invested in student success. Yet the primary tool used to identify them, the traditional interview, often functions less as a window into teaching ability and more as a test of social performance. This system is built on neurotypical norms of communication and disadvantages neurodivergent candidates, particularly those with ADHD and autism.
Commonly, the ADHD child is frequently corrected for being too lively, too chatty, too enthusiastic, for interrupting, oversharing, for just generally being ‘too much.’ This lifelong social feedback often forces the development of a carefully constructed mask. A reserved, calm and controlled exterior designed to pass in neurotypical spaces. Then, as an adult in a job interview, the same individual is evaluated against a checklist that prizes the very “enthusiasm” and “dynamism” they were trained to suppress. The system first punishes the trait, then demands its performance.
For these candidates, the interview is not merely stressful; it is also structurally mismatched. Neuroscience research shows that the ADHD brain is interest-based, thriving on stimulation, immediacy, and interaction, precisely the conditions of a dynamic classroom. By contrast, a static, high-pressure interview environment triggers inhibition, not engagement. Traits such as Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria can flatten affect, while the cognitive load of recalling polished examples under pressure can consume all available executive resources.
The result is a paradox: the candidate who appears subdued in an interview may be the same teacher who energises a project-based classroom.
Recent empirical evidence supports this bias. A 2021 study by Flower et al. found that autistic candidates were rated significantly lower than neurotypical candidates in live interviews. When the same responses were evaluated via written transcript, the gap largely disappeared. The bias was not in what candidates said, but in how they said it, tone, eye contact, rhythm, neurotypical social signals that are wrongly coded as indicators of professionalism or enthusiasm.
In both ADHD and autism, the system mistakes a difference in social cognition for a deficit in employment potential.
Crucially, past recruitment reforms share a core principle: change the system, not the candidate. Blinded applications, structured scoring and evidence-based criteria reduce reliance on subjective cues. Yet these principles have largely stopped at the edge of neurotypicality.
Creating equity means moving beyond accommodations offered only on request toward universally better design. The goal is not to train neurodivergent candidates to perform neurotypically. It is to build recruitment processes sophisticated enough to recognise genuine teaching potential across different cognitive styles.
By applying the same structural thinking used to combat racial and gender bias, focusing on demonstrable skills rather than ‘charisma’, we can dismantle the enthusiasm trap. We can stop conflating the performance of passion with the substance of it.
We can continue to celebrate a narrow, performative ideal of passion and systematically lose a reservoir of talented, dedicated and innovative educators. Or, we can apply the lessons learned from fighting other biases. We can redesign our adverts, de-centre the social audition and structure assessments that look for evidence of practice over performance. By doing so, we won’t just make hiring fairer; we will build stronger, more diverse teams capable of reaching every student.
The passionate teacher is already there. We should be able to create a process that allows the presentation of their enthusiasm to be correctly understood.
Disclaimer:
This piece is about patterns in recruitment culture over time and across institutions, not about any one school or individual process.
References:
Flower RL, Dickens LM, Hedley D. Barriers to Employment: Raters’ Perceptions of Male Autistic and Non-Autistic Candidates During a Simulated Job Interview and the Impact of Diagnostic Disclosure. Autism Adulthood. 2021 Dec 1;3(4):300-309. doi: 10.1089/aut.2020.0075. Epub 2021 Dec 7. PMID: 36601643; PMCID: PMC8992918.
The Power of Storytelling for Change
Written by Orla McKeating
Entrepreneur, coach and motivational speaker
In Irish tradition, “the gift of the gab” is more than being good with words. It reflects a long-held belief that speech itself is a kind of gift, one with the power to connect, heal and shape the world around us. It’s also a friendly, light-hearted way of saying someone talks a lot and tells stories. Something I’ve been told I have many times throughout my life.
Historically, storytellers and poets held significant social power. Words had the power to heal, inspire, unite, and drive meaningful change. Using our words was not merely a skill, but a responsibility. Culturally, this reflects the role of storytelling as social glue – a tool for connection, a means of using our voices with purpose and power. In the world we live in today, this beautiful, free and powerful tool is needed more than ever to create change.
In my years of working in inclusion, I have been using stories for social change the short-term impact has been huge. The girl in the hijab in an online story session whose face lit up when she saw someone like her in The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad. She lit up, bounced out of the room full of excitement and energy, and brought her mother into the room to show her. Or the deaf girl in a mainstream school who had never once spoke about her disability to her classmates and after a story in sign session, she skipped into school the following day with more books about the deaf experience, so proud of her identity. Representation matters and these tiny shifts in how we share our stories in learning spaces can literally change lives.
Why does Storytelling Matter?
1.Storytelling Builds Connection
Stories can create an emotional bridge, it can build empathy and helps people feel. When we connect emotionally to a topic, we can become more curious, open and engaged. It opens a tool for conversations, especially difficult ones, and it can turn something abstract – like identity, justice or belonging – into something real.
2. Stories help children see themselves and others
Representation matters deeply in education. The concept of mirrors, windows and sliding doors by Dr Rudine Bishop allows children to see their lives, cultures and experiences reflected to them affirming identity and self-worth. Mirrors reflect children’s own lives and identities back to them, helping them feel seen, valued and affirmed. Windows invite children into others’ lives helping them develop empathy, challenge stereotypes and understand perspectives beyond their own. And sliding doors invite children to step into another world, to imagine themselves in different contexts, perspectives and possibilities.
3. Storytelling makes Complex Topics Accessible
Uncomfortable or difficult topics like race, immigration, disability or big emotions can be challenging to navigate. Stories can offer a gentle and powerful entry point to this. Through characters, narratives and lived experiences, children can explore these topics gently, engage in important discussions and critical thinking in an accessible and sustainable way.
4. Storytelling invites Participation not Perfection
Stories open space for conversation as opposed to ‘correct answers. They encourage reflection, questioning and conversation. Through stories we can encourage children to learn that their voices matter, they can disagree and still be friends and that learning is something we do together.
5. Stories can change lives
Every one of us has a story that they heard that changed their lives. Whether it’s a book, a film, history or a family anecdote. Stories create memorable, meaningful and long-lasting change. And we all have a story to tell.
If stories shape how children see themselves and the world, the stories we choose, and how we hold space for them, really matter. How can we build storytelling as a tool into our learning spaces? Whose voices are centred? Whose voices are missing? What stories do we tell ourselves? And how can we use our gift of the gab to ensure that all voices are seen, heard, valued and celebrated?
Still I Rise Stories is a space for adults, educators, teachers and any person who are using stories to open conversations about identity, belonging and justice. If this work resonates, join our community here – a space to reflect, learn and grow through story.
Cultivating Belonging in Schools
Written by Hannah Wilson
Founder and Director of the Belonging Effect (formerly Diverse Educators).
It has been a busy month/ start to the year but in the middle of juggling multiple commitments and activities, this week I received a delivery of 200 copies of my new book – A Little Guide for Teachers: Cultivating Belonging in Schools (SAGE 2026).
After all of the time and energy it took to write it, it is quite a small book, but I hope it will be a helpful addition to the conversation and give educators practical ideas of things to do for themselves, for their peers and for their learners. It is great that this contribution to the series sits alongside work by Bennie Kara, Amjad Ali, Yamina Bibi and Emma Kell.
This is how I have structured the book:
- Introduction: Why should we care about DEIB?
- 1 Belonging in Society: How do we develop it?
- 2 Belonging in Schools: How do we change it?
- 3 Belonging in the Staffroom: How do we disrupt it?
- 4 Belonging in the Classroom: How do we foster it?
- 5 Call to Action: What do we do next?
In the opening I state:
“Belonging is the feeling that is created as a result of the work we do on DEI. I thus present it as an equation:
Diversity + Equity + Inclusion = Belonging
Why does this book use the word ‘cultivating’? I used to talk about building, creating and growing belonging, but for me ‘cultivating’ captures that there is ongoing work needed and that there are different variables that we need to pay attention to. DEIB is not a ‘one and done’ approach, belonging takes time and ongoing work in the form of commitment/investment.
So, let’s start peeling back the different layers of things to consider when it comes to belonging. And I apologise in advance if you are left with more questions than answers by the end of the book, but that is the nature of the work. It is not a clean nor a linear journey, we will never be done, we will never know it all”.
Our Work on Belonging:
I wrote a blog last term about why I rebranded my business from Diverse Educators to the Belonging Effect. You can read it here. In short:
- “Belonging is the bridge between diversity, equity and inclusion – it is the emotional outcome of equity in action. It is the moment when people stop trying to fit in and start being fully themselves.
- We chose The Belonging Effect because belonging is not just a concept; it is a ripple. When one person feels they belong, it impacts their team, their classroom, their community. It is an effect that multiplies”.
I also wrote a blog at the end of term about Belonging becoming a buzzword, a band wagon and at times a plaster being put on the problem of DEI to conceal it. It caused a bit of a fallout so it clearly hit a nerve! You can read it here. This was/is my provocation:
“There’s no denying the emotional resonance of belonging. Everyone wants to feel seen, valued, and part of a community. The word signals care and connection – qualities deeply needed in our schools.
Yet belonging, in its current popular use, carries a kind of neutrality that makes it especially attractive to those uncomfortable with conversations about race, power, and privilege. It sounds universal and non-political. It doesn’t demand that we ask who has been excluded, whose histories have been erased, or whose comfort is prioritized”.
So if this theme is of interest and you would like to find out more please see below my signposting to events, training, toolkits, books and blogs you can engage with. And if you do get your hands on a copy of the book, I would love to know what you think!
Our Book Launches:
- In-person: 31/1/26 in person in Bath, 1.30-3.30pm. You can book to join us here.
- Virtual: 9/2/26 virtual, zoom or Streamyard dependent on numbers, 4-6pm. You can book to join us here.
I am delighted to be joined by friends from the region (Domini, Edel, Tanisha and Will), academics from Bath University (Alison and Ceri) and members of my team (Amy, Bennie, Jo and Yamina) for both of these conversations as it is important to unpack belonging through multiple lenses to appreciate how it is impacted by different lived experiences.
Our Belonging Training:
I have designed a session that can be delivered as a keynote or as a workshop which really provokes reflections and discussions on what belonging means to different people. Find out more here. We have sessions on Belonging in the Classroom and Belonging in the Curriculum designed and delivered by the BE team.
Our Belonging Toolkit:
Our BE Associate Zahara Chowdhury collated a toolkit on Belonging which I have been updating as I spot new resources and research. Find out more here.
Our Bookshelf:
Check out Zahara’s book on Belonging in the Classroom and the other DEIB titles our team have published which explore belonging for different identity groups and in different spaces: https://www.thebelongingeffect.co.uk/our-books/
Our Reflections on Belonging:
Check out these 10 blogs on Belonging from members of the BE network:
- Andrew Morrish: https://www.thebelongingeffect.co.uk/belonging-on-purpose/
- Chloe Watterston: https://www.thebelongingeffect.co.uk/belonging-empathy-and-a-curriculum-that-sees-every-child/
- Erin Skelton: https://www.thebelongingeffect.co.uk/belonging/
- Hannah Wilson: https://www.thebelongingeffect.co.uk/when-belonging-replaces-equity-the-silence-of-white-male-educators/
- Jennifer Johnson: https://www.thebelongingeffect.co.uk/getting-to-the-heart-of-inclusion-and-belonging/
- John Doyle: https://www.thebelongingeffect.co.uk/unsettling-deficit-narratives-race-identity-and-belonging-in-english-schools/
- Sarah Pengelly: https://www.thebelongingeffect.co.uk/building-belonging-in-primary-schools-with-human-values/
- Tricia Taylor: https://www.thebelongingeffect.co.uk/seen-valued-and-able-designing-classrooms-for-social-and-academic-belonging/
- Yasmina Kone: https://www.thebelongingeffect.co.uk/celebrating-esea-heritage-month-building-belonging-for-every-student-and-why-it-matters-right-now/
- Zahara Chowdhury: https://www.thebelongingeffect.co.uk/belonging-in-the-classroom-responding-to-a-divided-world/
Putting student inclusion at the heart of Trust strategy: Why inclusion must be at the heart of Trust strategy
Written by Harriet Gill
Head of Trust Partnerships, No Isolation. Harriet works with multi-academy trusts (MATs) to explore the art of the possible around school attendance, supporting inclusive approaches that give all learners equal access to education despite today’s evolving social and educational challenges. At No Isolation, the creators of the AV1 telepresence robot, she helps MATs and their schools embed AV1 into attendance, inclusion, and SEND strategies, helping pupils unable to attend their lessons in person to stay connected to their school community.
In a recent TES article, Jack Mayhew, CEO of Learning Partners Academy Trust, highlighted the power of multi-phase, locally rooted trusts, where primary, secondary, special, and faith schools collaborate within a defined area. This approach creates continuity and a sense of belonging for pupils, particularly during key transitions.
For MAT leaders, this raises a crucial reflection: how intentionally are inclusion and belonging embedded in your trust’s design?
Belonging often fractures before attendance shows it
Research shows pupils frequently experience disconnection long before it appears in attendance data. Risk factors include:
- SEND or SEMH needs
- Socioeconomic disadvantage
- Racial or cultural marginalisation
Once belonging breaks, learning loss follows quickly. Inclusion, attendance, and culture are interconnected – different angles on the same challenge.
Sustaining belonging across phases
In our conversations with MAT leaders, multi-phase structures are seen as offering unique opportunities to act early, before small issues escalate:
- Pupils in Year 5 or 6 showing early signs of disengagement – struggling to get into school, attend assemblies, or engage in class – can be supported proactively.
- Sharing expertise across phases allows trust leaders to address these challenges with human-centred strategies, including small-group support or assistive technology, rather than waiting until they evolve into entrenched attendance or behavioural issues.
- This proactive approach maintains belonging, reduces future learning loss, and smooths transitions between schools.
When inclusion is strategy, not rescue
Southend-on-Sea City Council provides a powerful example:
- They invested in AV1 telepresence robots to keep pupils connected despite medical, emotional, or social barriers.
- 46 pupils used AV1 in 2021-22, 12 returned fully to school, and others reintegrated gradually.
Financial impact:
- Traditional 1:1 tutoring (~50 pupils): £850,000/year
- AV1 continuity support (~50 pupils): £23,000/year
This demonstrates a key insight: preventing disconnection is cheaper, more effective, and more child-centred than trying to rebuild engagement after it’s lost.
Implications for MAT leadership
Inclusion is not a service added on later – it is a system choice. Trust leaders might reflect on questions like:
- Are structures in place that allow expertise to flow across schools and phases, rather than sit in silos?
- Are attendance and engagement treated as strategic, preventative priorities, rather than reactive responses?
- Are technology-enabled approaches being leveraged to reach pupils in ways that feel natural to tech-native learners?
Multi-phase trusts offer a unique opportunity to act early, maintain belonging, and prevent the cascade of disengagement and learning loss, but only if leadership sees it as an intentional, trust-wide design responsibility.
A call to act
The evidence is clear: belonging breaks down before attendance does, and early, proactive interventions pay dividends in both engagement and cost.
Trust leaders have the chance to ask themselves:
- Where are the early signs of disconnection in my trust?
- How can we leverage multi-phase structures and technology to support these pupils before challenges escalate?
- What changes in trust design could make inclusion strategic rather than reactive?
Take the next step: For your free AV1 MAT consultation, contact Harriet Gill, Head of Trust Partnerships, at gill@noisolation.com. Explore how your trust could maintain pupil belonging, sustain engagement, and prevent disconnection before it becomes entrenched.
I can teach a diverse curriculum!
Written by Yvonne Eba
Yvonne Eba is a current head of English in a Catholic school and PhD student who is studying Education. She is currently writing a thesis based around race, racism, masculinity within the student experiences of British Nigerian men. Within her role as head of department she has transformed the curriculum by intentionally adding more diverse texts and poems. She is focused on building a rich, ambitious and holistic curriculum in a school which is predominantly black. She has dedicated the last decade developing young people through workshops, fellowships, tuition and mentoring.
At the tender age of 15 I was uniquely passionate about being able to teach kids life transforming lessons within the confinements of a classroom or lecture hall. I found it odd that kids weren’t being taught the purpose behind their subject or life long learning skills attached. i.e Why are kids not taught in Maths the art of saving, investment and tithing or taught in English how to write and compose an effective CV. This passion consistently grew and when I started my company at 21 ( shout out to Life Creations) we created sessions and packages which did exactly that – taught kids things they could use outside the classroom.
But this wasn’t enough.
As I became a Head of English I finally saw this dream come to life again but I had no idea how much work, brain power, focus and buy-in from a team it would take to actually manifest it. I have been watching and reading numerous articles by Dena Eden ( Director of Secondary English curriculum) who states the importance of consistency in curriculum starts with ” texts studied, sequencing of units and lessons and the pace of lessons”
So flash back with me and picture this – I was in a new school, new role and I had heaps of ambition and zeal to:
” transform the lives of young people through the power of challenging , ambitious texts and units which were personal to them“.
I was passionate about:
” ensuring ideas around marginalising black people or the discussions around who can say the N word or not when reading out an extract were no longer normalised or championed through texts like Of Mice and Men. Which were branded outdated yet needed?”
and I wanted students
“to see and read authors and poets from diverse backgrounds within the context of: race, gender and class”
whilst
“still getting them GCSE ready and abiding by the demands of the national curriculum”.
It’s been a journey, tussle and challenging but with some giants and shakers on the team and the never-ending grace of God we have made some shifts and changes. The last HOD I spoke to reassured me that her curriculum changes and the seamless nature of its delivery took five years inclusive of assessments and consistency.
It’s important on this journey that you pace yourself and get feedback from your team and students on how they feel it is going.
Here’s five things I have learnt so far :
- Make the curriculum ambitious: it is absolutely imperative regardless of the demographics of students you have that the texts you choose challenge and enrich them. This can be intentionally captured through the tier of language used and the content within the chosen text/ unit and the big ideas and questions which are evoked.
- Make it accessible for your team : getting a buy in isn’t always the easiest thing and resistance is inevitable at first. But don’t take it personal; as human beings we are creatures of habit and it’s a natural reaction for people to feel underprepared or scared of change. However ensuring the lessons provided along with the new units, week by week plans and DO NOWs are of a high quality will often make the process swifter for your team. It is important that there is unification of moral purpose as we teach according to our experience, beliefs and morals which could often add to the complexity of running a team. So providing strategic resources would help each teacher feel confident to approach and teach the new text. This is your time as a HOD to overcommunicate, overcommunicate and overcommunicate again. Also be transparent with your team that this is NEW to you too!
- Make purposeful assessments : it is important that when building your curriculum you are intentional about what you are testing the students on during your lessons and at the end of the unit. It is imperative that students are being tested on the skills and knowledge you have taught them throughout the set time. i.e If you have been teaching them Frankenstein (play version) and analysing the purpose of language in key extracts the end of unit test will not be an imaginative writing piece from the scientist if these skills haven’t been taught. I always think about what we are assessing the students and how this is preparing them for their greatest assessments in y11 which are their GCSEs. From year 7 we look at language analysis which will help them in the Language Papers and analysis of extracts whilst providing them questions in an exam style layout which helps them for literature
- Make it personal : don’t just follow trends ensure your curriculum represents the cohort of your kids you are teaching. Ask yourself genuine questions : can they relate to these characters? Is this personal to them? Will they feel represented? Will they be inspired? What type of learners would you like them to leave as?
- Make it literacy and oracy inclusive : ensure you provide space for students to discuss their thoughts and demonstrate their understanding of the new topic at hand. It is good to address misconceptions consistently during DO NOW tasks, live marking and through plenaries however it is even better when the kids can articulate their understanding or lack of it themselves
I still have a long way to go but my word for the year to my team was this will become “seamless” in fact the word for the year is “seamless” ( by fire and force!).
I have taken out a lot of texts, bought new texts, returned some texts, changed some units and its content, revised, redrafted, dipped into the budget, took advice, listened a lot, spoke a lot, asked a lot, vented a lot and finally realised this isn’t about what I want to teach them its about what is best FOR their academic development.
So I am in an honourable position to be able to be part of history – I am currently speaking with other HODs on ways they can get the best English curriculum for their kids.
Do connect with me to see our latest curriculum map and to discuss ways to help shape English together!