Understanding Why Mattering Matters for Black Teachers
Written by Tara Elie
Tara Elie teacher, psychologist, lecturer and coach. Tara has diverse experience in education and Learning and Development spanning over decades. She is renowned for her engaging training delivery, both face-to-face and virtually. Her performance background, alongside her passion for supporting individuals and organisations to flourish and thrive, characterise her delivery style. Tara has completed research on Black Teacher Mattering which she is delivering in keynotes. She is passionate about teacher wellbeing and uses the theories of Positive Psychology to inform her work with all clients with a proven record of success. Tara stands for social justice and social change. She appreciates and celebrates the individual, their differing backgrounds, cultures, experiences, perceptions, and values.
A Gap in the Research
As I explored the literature on mattering and education, one issue became increasingly clear: there is very little UK-based research exploring how Black teachers (BTs) experience mattering within schools. Existing research has focused on Black students (Howard-Vital, 1991; Scott, 1996), or on teachers in specific curriculum areas such as Physical Education (Gaudreault et al., 2018). Research specifically examining BTs has largely come from the United States (Milner, 2006; Love, 2016; Carey, 2019).
This gap matters. Conversations about diversity in education often focus on recruitment statistics or representation targets, but much less attention is given to how Black teachers actually experience school environments once they enter the profession. For me, this raises important questions about belonging, recognition, and professional identity. Do Black teachers feel valued? Do they feel seen? Do they feel that what they contribute genuinely matters?
What Does “Mattering” Actually Mean?
Psychologically, mattering refers to the experience of feeling valued by others and believing that we add value to the lives of others. Rosenberg (1985) connected mattering to self-esteem, describing it as being treated with respect and having one’s value acknowledged. Elliott (2009) similarly described mattering as the belief that we make a meaningful difference.
What I find particularly powerful about these definitions is that mattering is not simply about praise or confidence. It is relational. It is about whether people feel psychologically significant within the spaces they occupy.
For Black teachers, however, this experience can become more complicated when viewed through the lens of race. Elliott (2009) identifies awareness — being noticed and distinguishable from others — as an important component of mattering. Yet Jensen’s (2011) research on Black men in Denmark suggests that visibility is not always experienced positively when connected to racial “othering”.
This feels especially relevant within education. Black teachers may be highly visible within predominantly white institutions whilst simultaneously feeling unheard, stereotyped, or professionally overlooked. Visibility alone does not create mattering. In fact, being visible without being genuinely valued may deepen feelings of marginality.
Dignity, Fairness, and Recognition
The literature repeatedly highlights dignity and fairness as central to mattering. Prilleltensky (2019) describes dignity as “the backbone of mattering”, whilst Perryman and Calvert (2020) connect worthiness to fair and just treatment.
I think this is particularly important when considering the experiences of BTs. If teachers experience stereotyping, inequitable treatment, or exclusion from opportunities, this can undermine not only confidence but also their sense of professional worth.
Recognition also matters deeply. Ryan (1985) argues that positive feedback strengthens motivation and well-being, whilst Prilleltensky (2014) suggests that feeling valued increases people’s confidence to contribute actively within their communities. In schools, acknowledgement from colleagues and leaders can reinforce a teacher’s sense that their work is meaningful. Conversely, a lack of recognition can contribute to invisibility.
Relationships, Belonging, and Authenticity
One theme that appears consistently throughout the literature is the importance of relationships. Gaudreault et al. (2018) found that relationships and support formed the foundation of teachers’ experiences of mattering. Although their research focused on Physical Education teachers, I believe the findings resonate strongly with the experiences of BTs.
Teaching is deeply relational work. The quality of relationships with students, colleagues, and leaders can shape whether teachers experience schools as places of belonging or exclusion.
Belonging itself appears closely linked to mattering. Warstadt, Daly and Bjorkland (2021) found that teachers with higher well-being often experience a stronger sense of belonging within their school communities. This supports Baumeister and Leary’s (1995) argument that the need to belong is a fundamental human motivation.
For BTs working in predominantly white educational spaces, belonging may carry even greater significance. Experiences of isolation or tokenism can weaken professional attachment, whilst authentic inclusion can strengthen resilience and professional identity.
I was also particularly drawn to Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory (1985), which suggests that people thrive when they experience competence, autonomy, and relatedness. For Black teachers, the opportunity to work authentically — without suppressing aspects of racial or cultural identity — may be central to experiencing mattering.
Mattering, Burnout, and Retention
The literature also suggests a strong connection between mattering, burnout, and retention. Barrenechea (2022) found that teachers who feel valued and able to add value experience higher levels of mental health and self-efficacy, reducing the likelihood of burnout. Conversely, Perryman and Calvert (2020) identify workload and work-life balance as key drivers of teachers leaving the profession. For BTs, however, these pressures may be compounded by experiences of racial marginalisation, limited recognition, or diminished belonging.
The racial dimension of mattering feels especially important in the context of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, which increased awareness of Black marginalisation and the importance of Black mattering more broadly (Carey, 2019). Within education, Kohli and Pizarro (2016) argue that BTs committed to social justice frequently experience structural and interpersonal racism, contributing to burnout and, in some cases, departure from the profession altogether.
Representation data reinforces this concern. The Department for Education (2023) reported that 85.1% of teachers in England were white British, despite significantly greater ethnic diversity within London. This underrepresentation potentially increases experiences of marginality for BTs and may undermine their sense of mattering within schools.
Progression and Professional Value
The literature also suggests that race can shape access to leadership opportunities. Miller (2016) argues that Black educators often require “white sanction” to progress professionally, whilst Wallace (2020) found that Black male teachers in London were frequently channelled into racialised roles yet blocked from senior leadership progression.
What I find striking here is the tension between praise and progression. Teachers may be valued symbolically whilst still being denied genuine access to power, influence, or advancement. Francis’ (2021) work on Black female teachers similarly found that race often had a more negative impact on professional experience than gender.
Despite these challenges, many BTs enter teaching because they genuinely want to make a difference. Perryman and Calvert (2020) identify this as a key driver for teachers, whilst Dinkins and Thomas (2016) found that some Black educators were motivated by their own difficult school experiences and a desire to become positive role models for future generations.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the literature suggests that mattering is central to understanding the experiences of Black teachers. Feeling valued, recognised, supported, and able to contribute authentically may influence not only well-being, but also retention, progression, and long-term commitment to the profession. For me, this is why mattering matters. If schools are serious about inclusion, then representation alone is not enough. We also need to ask whether Black teachers feel that they genuinely belong, whether their voices are heard, and whether their contribution is truly valued within the profession.
The LGBT Educators Report 2025
Written by Ashley Robyn Harker
Ashley Harker is a North London based Trans humanities teacher. She is a trustee of the national Woodcraft Folk and Vice-Chair of Epping Forest District Museum.
The LGBT+ Educators report highlights the prevalence of othering and discriminatory treatment of LGBT+ and particularly trans teachers working in England and Wales’s education sector.
From a survey of over 50 LGBT+ educators in the National Education Union (NEU) 78% had seriously considered leaving the teaching profession as well as 60% believing queerphobia to be on the rise in their schools and half believing that it was treated as a lesser form of discrimination by their school leadership.
Major issues found are a lack of support, trust or respect for LGBT+ educators’ identity, experiences or contributions in schools as well as repeated cases of targeting and poor treatment of LGBT+ individuals.
In terms of recruitment and retention:
- 85% of cis LGBT+ educators reported they felt they faced greater difficulties in getting a job compared with straight cis teachers.
- 40% of LGBT+ educators believed that school employers negatively considered LGBT+ candidates.
- A third of LGBT+ (40% of trans) educators had the role they applied for changed after it was offered (most usually going from a permanent role to temporary).
- Trans and Black educators on average had to interview for nearly 3 times as many roles compared with white and cis LGBT+ educators and Trans Women often have worked in more than 3 times as many schools as cis LGBT+ educators.
- 57% of binary trans educators had started their current role in the past 12 months and 80% of LGBT+ educators leaving or potentially leaving their school at the end of the academic year were trans (with 66% not securing a role).
In terms of treatment in schools:
- 45% of LGBT+ educators believed they were treated differently in the workplace, with 1/3 stating they were treated differently by colleagues including being told not to come out or hide their identity by SLT.
- 90% of LGBT+ educators had heard homophobic and transphobic language used in schools. Educators were more likely to hear and be subjected to Transphobic language than Homophobic language from colleagues.
- Only 47% of LGBT+ educators had received any form of training on LGBT+ topics in an educational setting, with only a third who had requested such training for their school having it delivered.
- Only 33% of trans educators stated they were able to use the toilets and changing facilities that aligned with their gender. 78% of trans educators had had to argue for access to school toilets.
- 93% of LGBT+ believed that how their schools acknowledged LGBT+ topics had little to no impact and 50% of educators who had attempted to include LGBT+ topics in their curriculum had been ignored or told not to.
- 18% of LGBT+ educators had not been included in school trips or residentials because of or in part because of their LGBT+ identity.
The report also highlights the impact recent and historic decisions against LGBT+ equality have had on the education sector:
- 50% of LGBT+ educators believed that their school was still impacted by Section 28 and 100% believed something similar could be put in place in the near future.
- 88% of LGBT+ (including all trans) educators reported that their mental health had deteriorated following the For Women Scotland Supreme Court ruling with 44% stating that this had impacted their ability to work. 50% reported the decision had had a negative impact on pupils.
- Only 25% had been approached or supported by colleagues following these decisions. A quarter stated that their schools had already made changes such as removing gender neutral toilets, amending pupil’s school data or denying trans staff access to toilets following the Supreme Court ruling.
The survey for the LGBT+ Educators report was carried out between May and August 2025.
The research was led by Ashley Harker and covered LGBT+ Educators experiences of recruitment, perception, policy, curriculum, bullying, training and opportunities in education.
Race and Leadership Roles in Schools – My Story
Written by Patrick Cozier
Patrick Cozier is a headteacher, a coach and the author of Calm Leadership.
Desire to be a Headteacher
I came into teaching because of a desire to make a difference to the lives of children. I have always believed that education has the ability to transform lives and create opportunities for young people. My own personal example is one that I always draw strength from. My parents came over from Barbados in the 1960s as part of the Windrush generation – my mother an auxiliary nurse and my father a postal worker. They came here with the intention of creating a better life for their children than they had experienced. Education was at the heart of this dream. And so, it began…
I started teaching in September 1994, in South London. I knew by 1996 that I wanted to be a Headteacher. Working in a school with a high number of Black and Asian children, I could see the impact that myself and some other Black staff in the school had on connecting with those students and providing role models to fuel their aspiration. I recognised pretty early that if we could have that effect as teachers, the potential for Black and Asian leaders to create a significant positive impact was huge. I wanted to be THAT person. From that moment on, everything that I did in my teaching career was done with the intention to propel me towards that aim.
For me it was interesting, because I did not at the time view being Black as a disadvantage. I felt very much as though it was one of my big selling points. I always felt that my ‘Blackness’ (i.e., my cultural heritage, skill set, adaptability, and shared experiences with children from African and Caribbean heritage) would place me in a strong position to lead a school with a mix of cultures. In the early days of my career, I did not see barriers – just dreams, ambitions and goals.
What I did not consider was that my own sense of value and self-belief was only half the story. The challenge was finding ways to ensure that others (in particular governors doing the selecting) could see in me what I saw in me. This was a much bigger challenge than I had anticipated, and I think explains to a large extent why there are comparatively few senior leaders and Headteachers from Black and Asian backgrounds represented in the profession.
Gov.UK – School Teacher Workforce February 2021 shows
- in 2019, 85.7% of all teachers in state-funded schools in England were White British (where ethnicity was known)
- 78.5% of the working age population was White British at the time of the 2011 Census
- 92.7% of headteachers were White British
| Ethnicity | % of the Working Population | % of
Classroom Teachers |
% of Deputies and Assistant Heads | % of Headteachers |
| White British | 85.7 | 84.9 | 89.7 | 92.7 |
| White Irish | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.8 |
Source: School Workforce in England: November 2019 https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england
The data in the table above gives a clear indication of the national picture. The percentage of White British teachers in 2019 (84.9) was almost identical to the percentage of the working population that was White British (85.7). The percentage of Headteachers who were White British at this time was 92.7, which shows an over-representation.
Contrast this with the same data for Black African, Black Caribbean and Black Other below.
| Ethnicity | % of the Working Population | % of
Classroom Teachers |
% of Deputies and Assistant Heads | % of Headteachers |
| Black African | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Black Caribbean | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| Black Other | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
Source: School Workforce in England: November 2019 https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england
The proportion of Headteachers is a significant under-representation of Black heads and as compared to both the general working population and the proportion of classroom teachers.
What this points to is the comparatively poor progression that has been made in the profession for our Black African and Black Caribbean colleagues. So, what is the story here?
There are many theories for why the number of Black Headteachers is so low.
- Poor/biased recruitment processes
- Insufficient opportunities for development of our Black teachers in school
- Black teachers do not want to apply because
- they do not believe they will be given an opportunity or
- they do not see headship itself as an attractive prospect or
- They feel the situation of headship for a person of colour is precarious as they will be judged harshly if things go wrong
In my conversations with colleagues over the years I have encountered all of the above scenarios. It seems to be commonplace and the data certainly supports this view – that is, unless you believe in the meritocratic theory and your view is that there are just insufficient Black candidates who are up to the job. I personally can’t and won’t accept this as a position.
My own journey was nearly derailed by one line manager who tried to sabotage my first ever application for a senior leadership position. This was back in 2001. I was a head of year, and I was keen on promotion. I was confident and believed that I was ready. My line manager did not and told me so – I recall her specific words were ‘I would be worried if you were appointed to a senior leadership role’. Now to be fair, I don’t know whether my Blackness had anything to do with her view, but I do not that she failed to see the potential in me at the time.
However, I was fortunate in that I was confident, and my Headteacher at the time believed in my capacity to do a great job as a senior leader. His support turned out to be critical as following a very successful interview process I was informed by the school that I had applied to that the two references that they had received were in contrast – one very supportive and the other less so. I found that disappointing, but sadly predictable.
The Headteacher of the school that I had applied to (who in the end decided to appoint me) explained to me that what they saw and felt throughout my gruelling two-day interview process was more aligned to the reference from my Headteacher, than that of my immediate line manager – so they took a chance and believed in me. I haven’t looked back since.
But now I think… was I just one of the lucky ones?
Much can be done to change this situation. For example,
- The government should invest in the diversity of our sector and fund leadership development programmes for people of colour.
- Governing bodies need to think about their own makeup and be genuinely committed to proactively recruiting governors who represent the communities served by the school.
- Governing bodies also need to consider how a lack of diversity influences the decisions they make when recruiting senior leaders – in particular they need to seek out training in unconscious bias and use their learning from that to shape thought and process.
- More of our current crop of leaders of colour need to adhere to the ‘each one, teach one’ mantra – we have to give back and help our more junior colleagues navigate their way through the system the way that we have through coaching, mentoring and offering opportunities for work experience and shadowing.
Afraid of own shadow
I started my first headship at the age of 34 in September 2006, just 18 months after I have first become a deputy. It was sooner than I had anticipated, and it was scary. Despite my clear ambition to be a headteacher, I was not expecting it quite so soon. And the truth was, I was not quite ready for what I was taking on. I think I was scared of my own shadow! I was confident that I could learn quickly (and boy, did I have to!), but the journey was a very challenging one and extended me in ways that I did not know was possible.
I was an internal candidate. I applied for the job because I wanted to take advantage of the experience of applying for headships and going through the process. I applied because I was convinced by those around me that I would be a good candidate for the job. I applied because I wanted to compare myself to the competition. Never (and I mean like, ever) did I imagine I would get the job, until the second day of interviews when I was down to the final three candidates from over 30 applicants. Then it hit me… This was REAL! After I was successful on day 2 and I was offered the job, I responded by asking the then Chair of Governors, ‘Are you sure?’. In hindsight, that was a silly (albeit honest) thing to say based on how I felt at the time.
I was excited, but also petrified. To talk about ‘imposter syndrome’ would not do how I felt at the time any justice. I remember saying to my coach (who was a very experienced ex-headteacher) that I just couldn’t get used to the feeling of constantly being on the edge of my comfort zone. It was just not something that I was prepared for.
The first few years were tough and represented a very steep learning curve. My first challenge was not so much about leading the school as leading my colleagues. I was the last one in – the young pretender. Suddenly, I was thrust into having to manage a team of people who were more experienced than I was and who had been at my school for longer than me. My confidence to make decisions when others who I had great respect for, and a sense of awe in some cases, disagreed.
There was also the added pressure of being a young Black Headteacher, at the time one of only 11 secondary school male Black Headteachers of African-Caribbean heritage in the UK. I felt proud, but also daunted. I enjoyed the wearing the cloak of representation. A particular source of joy and strength for me was hearing from Black parents how pleased they were to see me in my role and how much they were rooting for me. That always touched me (and still does) and I used it as fuel to overcome some of the fears of the role. I have always embraced this responsibility as a privilege rather than a burden. However, it is not easy.
The need to be extra-vigilant about what one says is tough and draining. The feeling of being a lone voice at the many tables at which one sits in Headship and as a system leader can be frustrating and dispiriting. These all make the job much more demanding as a person of colour.
However the biggest difficulty that I had as a new Headteacher (and admittedly still now at times) was the propensity that I had for editing myself. It is hard to explain, but as a Black person in a position of leadership there are certain stereotypes about Black people that you are aware of and wish to avoid. I found myself minimising certain aspects of my culture and natural state of being. Below are some examples, with differing degrees of seriousness.
- Turning down my music in the car as I drive through the gates in the morning – not wanting other staff to hear the beautiful thumping reggae beats that set up my positive and confident mood for the day.
- Being cool and calm at ALL times. I was very aware of the stereotype of the ‘angry Black man’, and I never wanted to fall foul of this.
- Restricting the desire to challenge racism whenever and wherever I witnessed it. As a Black person you see it all the time in various different explicit and implicit guises and you want to call it out – but the editing process leads you to pick your battles carefully as you don’t want to be seen as that Black person where ‘everything is about race’.
- I edited my accent. Around friends and family it is entirely natural to speak in our heavy patois dialect. There were times in the early days where I wanted to do so with Black colleagues or students to accentuate that connection and shared experience through a shared language, but the pressure of being the Black Headteacher prevented me from doing so.
When I reflect now on how important these issues are, the conclusion that I draw is that they are crucial. It isn’t so much about the trivial nature of some of the edits described above. There is something more fundamental taking place in my view that gnaws away at the very purpose of diversity. Having diversity in leadership can only make a difference if leaders bring their diversity in with them as they travel through the school gates. To edit oneself is to lose the very difference that your diversity can make. It essentially turns everyone into a middle-class white man.
Based on my reflections of my own journey and experiences, I now make a point of telling our young aspiring Black leaders to be themselves. I tell them that their authenticity is actually what matters the most. They each can bring something different to the role if they are prepared to be brave and resist the temptation to edit.
In the early stages of my headship, I had great support from a range of coaches that I saw in my first few years in post – and each helped me significantly in very different ways. As well as the need to feel like I was worthy of the job, I had that added need to stop falling to the temptation of editing myself. I learned a lot from my coaches. The helped me make sense of my experiences and supported the development of the sense of perspective that I have honed over time. However, my early struggles were tough – and when I think of it now, I reflect on how I might have changed the nature of that support if I could go back as an experienced leader now and help my younger, less experienced self. I have been developing something I refer to as ‘Calm Leadership’ as a means of addressing this (What is calm leadership and why is it important? (sec-ed.co.uk)).
Getting Diversity in a Team Which Is Not Diverse
Although diversity in leadership is the ultimate aim to ensure that leadership is inclusive in its purpose and function, the reality is that many teams are not there in terms of the representation among the leadership. Getting the team to that point is a long-term strategy. In the meantime, it is important to find ways to work with what you have to increase awareness, understanding and to promote diversity of thought and approach.
I have a leadership team that is not diverse. We represent a school community that looks different from the team of senior leaders who are there to represent them. The same is true of my wider staff body. We have done a number of things over the last couple of years to try to move things forward. Some examples are shared below:
- We got our leadership team to read the book White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo and Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging by Afua Hirsch and to reflect on their own views, perspectives and practice
- Presentation from the me to staff on my own journey to being a Headteacher – sharing my experiences as a Black boy in North London to a Black man
- We showed staff videos recordings of our Black and Asian students talking about their experiences at our school
- We weaved our equality targets into our SDP – so every other departmental plan must reference this
- All student data is broken down and analysed by a range of sub-criteria including ethnic background
- We have a Racial Equity governor
- We have created a Student Cultural Diversity Forum (early stages)
- Zero tolerance of any racist behaviours – even against ‘your own’
- Staff have received training in unconscious bias
- We have reviewed our approach to promoting positive behaviours utilising the skills and experience of an external behaviour specialist
- Every member of staff was given the opportunity to have a book on anti-racism brought for them to read for the summer – 65 took up the offer! We have met twice since September to review, learn and apply
Race and Leadership Roles in Schools
Race matters. Visibility matters. Diversity matters. In leadership roles, they matter even more… so long as they actually make a difference.
Authenticity is the key. We have to train people to be their authentic selves as diverse leaders in order for the diversity of their experiences, backgrounds, thinking approaches and views to bring something different to the table.
In order to benefit from this, we need to make sure that we are doing more to encourage and bring the talent pool of ethnic global majority leaders through the system. We need to get more Black and Asian teachers into the profession and then help them progress their journeys through to leadership. To do this we must carefully consider the current barriers and blockers as to why this is not already the case and find ways to overcome them. This will take leadership at all levels, from the UK Government, down to Local Authorities and Multi-Academy Trusts and ultimately with the school governors and leaders.
If Black and Asian Leaders succeed, then everybody does!
Understanding the Experiences of Black Teachers in London: Why Mattering Matters
Written by Tara Elie
Tara Elie teacher, psychologist, lecturer and coach. Tara has diverse experience in education and Learning and Development spanning over decades. She is renowned for her engaging training delivery, both face-to-face and virtually. Her performance background, alongside her passion for supporting individuals and organisations to flourish and thrive, characterise her delivery style. Tara has completed research on Black Teacher Mattering which she is delivering in keynotes. She is passionate about teacher wellbeing and uses the theories of Positive Psychology to inform her work with all clients with a proven record of success. Tara stands for social justice and social change. She appreciates and celebrates the individual, their differing backgrounds, cultures, experiences, perceptions, and values.
Introduction
Understanding the experiences of Black teachers is essential if we are serious about improving well-being, retention, and professional fulfilment in education. Conversations about diversity in schools often focus on pupils, yet far less attention has been given to the psychological experiences of teachers themselves. One concept that offers a powerful lens for exploring this is mattering – the sense that we are valued and that what we contribute has value.
Psychologist Morris Rosenberg (1985) described mattering as an individual’s belief that they are important to others and able to make a meaningful contribution. When applied to the experiences of Black teachers in London, this idea moves the conversation beyond statistics and into the lived realities of belonging, recognition, and professional identity. Understanding whether teachers feel that they matter – to colleagues, to leaders, and to the wider system – may help explain why some remain in the profession while others leave.
Why Representation Still Matters
The relative scarcity of Black teachers makes this question particularly important. Representation in education is not only about fairness in employment; it also has wider implications for students, schools, and communities. The Black Teachers in London report, commissioned by London Mayor Ken Livingstone, highlighted a clear relationship between the success of Black teachers and positive outcomes for Black pupils. In some London boroughs, nearly half of pupils were Black, yet only a small proportion of teachers shared that heritage. Increasing diversity across all levels of education – from classroom teachers to leadership and governance – was identified as essential for improving representation, aspiration, and achievement.
However, addressing the shortage of Black teachers requires more than recruitment initiatives. It requires a deeper understanding of how teachers experience their professional lives, how valued they feel, and whether they believe their presence makes a difference. Without this understanding, efforts to improve diversity risk focusing only on entry into the profession rather than on belonging within it.
A Gap in UK Research
Much of the existing research on mattering in education has focused on students, particular subject areas, or the education system in the United States. In the United Kingdom, despite ongoing concerns about a lack of diversity in the teaching workforce, relatively little research has explored the experiences of Black teachers themselves.
This gap is especially significant in London, where teacher shortages have historically been higher than in other parts of the UK and where the student population is among the most diverse in the country. Exploring the lived experiences of Black teachers in London can help build a clearer picture of what supports – or undermines – their sense of belonging, confidence, and professional fulfilment. Understanding these experiences is essential if diversity efforts are to be meaningful rather than symbolic.
A Positive Psychology Perspective
This research approaches the topic from a Positive Psychology perspective, the scientific study of individual, group, and community flourishing (Hefferon & Boniwell, 2011). Rather than focusing only on problems, Positive Psychology asks what enables people to thrive. Applying this perspective to teaching allows us to consider how feeling valued influences motivation, self-esteem, and commitment to the profession.
When teachers experience a strong sense of mattering, they are more likely to feel engaged, resilient, and able to sustain their work over time. For Black teachers, the experience of mattering may be shaped by factors such as representation, recognition, relationships with colleagues, opportunities for progression, and the extent to which their perspectives are heard. These factors are closely linked to recruitment and retention, but also to well-being and professional identity.
Beyond Recruitment: The Importance of Belonging
Teacher shortages are often explained through workload, accountability pressures, and working conditions. While these are important, psychological factors such as belonging and value may be just as significant. Exploring mattering offers a way to understand inclusion at a deeper level. Policies can increase diversity, but they cannot by themselves create environments in which teachers feel respected, listened to, and able to contribute fully.
Listening to the lived experiences of Black teachers in London can help develop a more nuanced understanding of what supports their flourishing and what undermines it. This understanding is essential if schools are to move beyond representation alone and towards genuine inclusion.
Why This Matters for the Future of Education
Improving diversity in education is not simply about numbers. It is about creating professional cultures where teachers feel that they matter – where their presence is recognised, their work is valued, and their contribution is meaningful. When teachers experience this, the benefits extend beyond the individual to pupils, colleagues, and the wider school community.
Understanding mattering is therefore not only a psychological question, but an educational one. If we want a teaching profession that is diverse, sustainable, and capable of supporting all young people, we must pay attention to whether those within it feel that they truly belong.
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.
What Makes People Stay Working in a School?
Written by Hannah Wilson
Founder and Director of the Belonging Effect (formerly Diverse Educators).
Schools are more than buildings where learning happens. They are communities shaped by the people who work within them. While recruitment is vital, the real measure of a successful school is not just who it attracts – but who it keeps. People stay in schools where they feel valued, supported, developed, and able to belong as their whole selves.
Creating this kind of environment requires intentional action across recruitment, development, and retention, underpinned by a commitment to diversity, inclusion, equity, and a genuine culture of belonging.
Recruitment: Attracting People Who Can Thrive
Recruitment is often the first experience someone has of a school’s culture. It sends a powerful message about who is welcome and who belongs.
Inclusive recruitment starts with equitable processes. Job descriptions that focus on essential skills rather than narrow experiences, transparent pay structures, and flexible working options all help to widen the pool of applicants. When schools actively challenge bias in recruitment – through diverse interview panels, structured questioning, and clear criteria – they create fairer opportunities and stronger teams.
Representation also matters. A diverse workforce brings broader perspectives, lived experiences, and role models for pupils. Schools that value diversity are clear about it in their recruitment messaging, policies, and practice – not as a tick-box exercise, but as a strength that enriches learning and working life for everyone.
Crucially, recruitment should be about values alignment, not conforming to fit in. People are more likely to stay when they are hired for who they are and what they bring, not for how closely they match a preconceived mould.
Development: Investing in People, Not Just Roles
People stay in schools where they can grow. Professional development is not simply about compliance or career progression – it is about feeling invested in and trusted.
High-quality development opportunities should be accessible and equitable. This means ensuring that part-time staff, support staff, early career colleagues, and those from underrepresented groups all have access to meaningful training, mentoring, and leadership pathways. When development is uneven, so too is retention.
An inclusive approach to development recognises that people learn and progress differently. Coaching, peer collaboration, reflective practice, and flexible CPD pathways allow individuals to build confidence and capability in ways that suit their needs and aspirations.
Development also includes emotional and professional support. Schools are demanding environments, and staff wellbeing matters. Leaders who prioritise workload management, psychological safety, and open communication create spaces where people feel able to ask questions, make mistakes, and learn – key ingredients for long-term commitment.
Retention: Creating Reasons to Stay
Retention is not achieved through loyalty alone; it is earned through daily experiences.
People stay in schools where they feel respected and heard. Inclusive workplaces actively seek staff voice, involve colleagues in decision-making, and respond thoughtfully to feedback. When people believe their perspectives matter, they are more likely to remain engaged and committed.
Equitable processes play a critical role in retention. Fair appraisal systems, transparent progression routes, and consistent approaches to performance management build trust. When staff see fairness in how decisions are made – about opportunities, recognition, or challenge – they are more likely to feel secure and valued.
Belonging is perhaps the most powerful factor of all. A culture of belonging goes beyond diversity policies; it is felt in everyday interactions. It shows up in how meetings are run, how differences are respected, how conflict is handled, and how success is celebrated. Belonging means people do not feel they have to hide parts of themselves to succeed.
Leadership and Culture: The Thread That Connects It All
Leadership is the golden thread running through recruitment, development, and retention. Inclusive leadership is intentional, reflective, and values-driven. It recognises power, challenges inequity, and models behaviours that others can trust.
Leaders set the tone for whether a school is a place people endure or a place they choose to stay. When leaders demonstrate empathy, fairness, and accountability, they help create a culture where people feel safe, motivated, and proud to work.
Importantly, inclusion and belonging are not static goals. They require ongoing learning, honest conversations, and a willingness to adapt. Schools that embrace this journey openly send a clear message: everyone matters here.
A School People Want to Stay In
People stay working in schools where they feel connected to purpose, supported in practice, and recognised as individuals. When recruitment is inclusive, development is equitable, and retention is driven by belonging, schools become places where staff can flourish – professionally and personally.
In building diverse teams, inclusive workplaces, and fair systems, schools do more than retain staff. They create communities that reflect the values they aim to instil in their pupils: respect, opportunity, and belonging for all.
Turning Vision into Action: Practical Steps for Building Diverse and Inclusive School Governance
Written by Krystian McInnis
Krystian McInnis is a Religious Education consultant, advisor, and researcher specialising in decolonising and diversifying Religious Education. With a career that spans the public, private, and charity sectors, he brings extensive national and international experience in curriculum diversification and decolonisation. As the Co-Founder of Reimagining Education, Krystian is dedicated to creating a more inclusive and equitable educational system where everyone feels seen, heard, and that they belong.
As I reach the conclusion of this blog series on the importance of diversity in school governance, I feel it paramount to close by exploring the final critical phase for success: action. Having previously discussed the profound impact that diverse governing boards can have on student success, school culture, and community engagement, it’s arguably time to move from theory to practice. With the call for diversity is clear, yet little traction still appearing to be being made, the time has come, for schools and trusts turn blue-sky ideas into concrete, lasting change?
Therefore, this final blog will outline practical next steps that educational leaders, school boards, and trustees can take to ensure their governance structures are diverse, inclusive, and reflective of the communities they serve.
- Commit to a Diversity Strategy with Clear Goals
The first step in creating a diverse governing board is making a clear, intentional commitment to diversity at all levels of governance. For genuine change to come about, it is vital that this commitment be reflected in the school’s action plan, vision and arguably leadership performance objectives too. It’s not enough to express the desire for diversity, it must be woven into the fabric of the school’s governance strategy. Therefore, schools and trusts must ensure they:
- Set measurable diversity goals for their boards, such as increasing representation from underrepresented groups within a set timeframe.
- Establish a diversity working party that includes key stakeholders, such as governors, school leaders, and community representatives, to oversee and implement these goals.
- Publicly commit to diversity through mission statements or diversity pledges, making it a visible priority for all members of the school or trust.
- Implement Inclusive Recruitment Practices
To diversify school governing boards, schools and trusts must rethink their recruitment processes. Traditional recruitment methods often result in boards that reflect the status quo, typically lacking in diversity, with remarks of ‘we have always done it this way’, far too commonly used. By changing how boards recruit members, schools can ensure that they attract a wider range of candidates with varied experiences and backgrounds. In practice, the necessary steps should include:
- Actively reaching out to underrepresented communities through outreach campaigns, including advertising board positions within the local community, local media, and through social media platforms that engage diverse audiences.
- Creating a skills-based recruitment process that prioritises a broad range of perspectives, ensuring that all candidates are evaluated for their ability to contribute to the school’s overall mission, not just for their professional credentials.
- Partnering with diversity-focused organisations to identify potential board members who can bring new perspectives to governance.
- Provide Tailored Training and Support for New Governors
Recruitment is just one part of the puzzle. Once new members are on the governing board, it’s crucial to ensure they are equipped to succeed. Adequate training and support will help diverse governors feel empowered to contribute effectively, ensuring that their diverse perspectives are heard and valued. Therefore, I would recommend that schools and trusts:
- Revise induction programs to include training on key topics such as cultural competency, anti-racism, inclusive leadership, and unconscious bias.
- Create a mentorship program for new governors, pairing them with experienced board members who can guide them through the challenges of governance and help them navigate any organisational barriers they may face.
- Encourage ongoing professional development for all board members to foster a culture of continuous learning and reflection.
- Track and Use Diversity Metrics to Guide Decision-Making
To ensure that diversity is being both prioritised and sustained, it is of utmost importance schools and trusts track diversity metrics. This data not only helps boards to measure their progress but also provides valuable insight into where gaps exist and where further action is needed. Whilst it might appear difficult at first, collecting and using data effectively requires:
- Tracking diversity metrics such as gender, ethnicity, disability, and socioeconomic status among governors to assess the diversity of the board.
- Using this data to set goals for recruitment and retention, as well as to identify potential barriers that may prevent underrepresented groups from joining the board.
- Regularly reviewing the data to assess the effectiveness of diversity strategies and adjusting recruitment and development practices as needed.
- Foster a Culture of Inclusion at Every Level of Governance
A truly diverse governing board is one where all members, regardless of their background, feel welcomed, valued, and empowered to contribute. With a top-down approach still heavily ingrained within the educational system, the culture of the board plays a crucial role in the long-term success of diversity initiatives. Therefore, schools and trusts must:
- Develop an inclusive culture that actively encourages and celebrates diverse viewpoints. This includes ensuring that all voices are heard in meetings, that different perspectives are respected, and that decision-making processes are inclusive.
- Address and challenge any discriminatory behaviour or microaggressions that may arise, creating a safe environment for diverse board members to express their views and ideas.
- Recognize the contributions of diverse members and ensure that their insights are valued in shaping school policies, strategies, and outcomes.
The Road Ahead: The Future of Inclusive Governance
So, as this series concludes, I hope it’s clear that diversity in school governance is not a destination, but an ongoing journey. However, by taking the practical steps outlined, I am confident that schools and trusts can move from aspiration to action, ensuring that their governing boards are not only diverse in makeup but also genuinely inclusive in practice.
The path to inclusive governance requires commitment, accountability, and a willingness to challenge the status quo, however, by embedding diversity at the heart of governance, schools can build stronger, more resilient organisations that are better able to meet the needs of every student. As an industry, we must embrace this opportunity to lead with intention, innovation, and inclusion—because when school governance reflects the diversity of the communities it serves, the whole school system thrives.
Therefore, as this series draws to a close, I ask that we challenge ourselves with one final question: What practical step can my school or trust take today to begin building a more diverse and inclusive governing body?
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Leadership: Shaping the Future of the Teaching Workforce
Written by Susi Waters
Susi Waters, Operations Manager at Norfolk Research School; the Research Schools Network (RSN) Regional EDI Link (East of England and East Midlands); and Operations Manager and ITT Strategic Lead at the Julian Teaching School Hub.
In today’s educational landscape, fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) feels essential for creating a supportive and effective teaching workforce that reflects the lived experiences of the students we serve. This blog post offers some thoughts on the importance of DEIB in educational leadership and highlights the challenges and opportunities for improvement.
Understanding Intersectionality and Privilege in Leadership
One of the key considerations in promoting DEIB in education is recognising intersectionality — the overlapping and interconnected nature of social categorisations such as race and ethnicity, gender, disability, and socioeconomic status. Leadership roles in education have historically been dominated by white cisgender individuals without disabilities, but there’s a growing call for more inclusive representation.
Many of us are familiar with the concept of “checking our privilege,” which can sometimes trigger defensiveness. It’s helpful to remember that, in this context, “privilege” refers to an absence of disadvantage. Having “white privilege” doesn’t equate to guaranteed success; it means that one’s skin colour hasn’t posed societal barriers.
Chris Hildrew, a headteacher in Somerset, articulates this experience well:
“I am usually in the majority. I joke about how I have the privilege full house: White. Male. English. Straight. Cisgender. Middle class. […] When I speak, people listen. They always have. I expect them to.“
Data from Edurio(2021) and NFER (2024) reveal that the representation of non-white educators, disabled individuals, and LGBTQIA+ educators remains low in leadership positions. Addressing these disparities calls for thoughtful recruitment, retention, and career development strategies.
The Role of ITT Recruitment in Teacher Diversity
Recruiting a diverse teaching workforce starts with how we market initial teacher training (ITT) programmes. While people of colour are overrepresented among applicants for ITT, they are significantly underrepresented in the teaching workforce overall. In fact, 60% of schools in England had an all-white teaching staff in 2021 – 22, with 86% having an all-white senior leadership team.
Research by Dr. Gabriella Beckles-Raymond (2020) underlines the importance of targeted recruitment strategies aimed at attracting African, Caribbean, and Asian teachers. Schools and training providers might benefit from adopting inclusive messaging and outreach initiatives to encourage individuals from underrepresented backgrounds to explore teaching careers.
Recruitment should be thoughtful. For instance, we could consider:
- Do providers offer pre-application support, like explaining the English school system to those who didn’t grow up here?
- Are interview processes truly inclusive? Do they provide interview questions in advance or offer online options?
- Is the interview panel diverse in terms of race, gender, and age?
Making sure that trainee teachers have the right support means addressing barriers that can impede career progression. Access to mentorship, leadership training, and workplace policies that foster inclusion are all important aspects to think about.
Making Teaching a Sustainable Career for All
For many educators, especially those from marginalised groups, remaining in the profession long-term can be tough. Research from BERA (2019) on LGBTQIA+ teachers and the “Missing Mothers” project (2024) highlights how workplace culture, lack of support, and discrimination can push talented educators away from the profession.
To encourage sustainability in teaching careers, schools should implement policies that accommodate diverse needs, such as:
- Support for teachers going through menopause.
- Flexible work arrangements for primary caregivers.
Anti-discrimination policies that protect neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ individuals.
Leadership: Breaking Barriers and Creating Opportunities
Leadership in education needs to evolve to better reflect the communities it serves. Disparities persist; for instance, men are twice as likely to take on leadership positions as women, even though women comprise the majority of the teaching workforce. Gaps remain in representation among racial and ethnic minorities, disabled individuals, and LGBTQIA+ professionals.
Educational leaders can play a significant role in advocating for equity by:
- Sponsoring and mentoring diverse talent.
- Implementing transparent hiring and promotion practices.
- Encouraging conversations about privilege and systemic barriers.
- Revisiting senior leadership recruitment processes to ensure job descriptions and interview processes don’t unintentionally place women, disabled individuals, or caregivers at a disadvantage.
Moving Forward
We should ask ourselves: are we really setting up all teachers to enjoy a sustainable and fulfilling career?
Rethinking our approach to leadership is key — not just at senior levels but also in shaping the next generation of educators. There are alternative pathways to leadership in education beyond headteacher roles, such as Teaching School Hubs, Research Schools, and ITT leadership. These roles often offer flexibility, hybrid options, and meaningful opportunities to affect educational policy.
Ultimately, if we don’t act, the next generation of teachers will mirror those who currently remain in the system. Without deliberate attention and change, we risk perpetuating a cycle where leadership remains uniform. However, by embracing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, we have the potential to create a teaching workforce where all educators feel valued and every child sees themselves reflected in their role models.
To cultivate a more inclusive educational system, leaders should commit to ongoing education and implementing best practices. By embracing these principles, we can nurture a teaching workforce where diversity is celebrated, equity is upheld, inclusion is practised, and belonging is experienced by all. The future of education rests on leaders willing to challenge the status quo and promote DEIB at every level.
This blog is a summary of a session that Susi delivered as part of Derby Research School’s Change Champions conference in autumn 2024; it forms part of the RSN and Norfolk Research School’s ongoing work around EDI and developing diverse voices.
All sources and recommended reading can be found here and you can watch the full session here.
Leaders Engagement in Mothers’ Matters
Written by Emma Sheppard
Emma founded The MTPT Project, the UK's charity for parent teachers, in 2016 when on maternity leave with her first child. She has 12 years experience as an English teacher, Lead Practitioner and ITT Lead, and now runs The MTPT Project full time.
At The MTPT Project, we take our commitment to inclusion seriously. As Founder, I love reviewing our data annually for our Diversity and Inclusion report, the way that this informs our strategies as a small charity and the impact this then goes on to have.
One of these strategies to come out of our 2023-24 report was to improve engagement tracking at events directed to leaders in our sector. We are curious to know whether our work is perceived – in broad terms – as workforce and retention or diversity and mothers.
It makes sense that our programmes aimed at staff who are parents attract an overwhelmingly female audience. Because of our national and sector parenting policies, mothers are still afforded more paid time on birthing maternity leave than fathers and non-birthing partners, and this is when gendered routines around parenting take root and influence the division of domestic and professional labour in the long term – particularly in heterosexual couples.
Our leadership work, however, is aimed at senior leaders and above. Statistically, these are positions where men are over-represented at both primary and secondary level. If our work is (correctly) seen as workforce and retention, then up to 60% of our audience at these events should be men.
At this mid-point in the year, then, how far do school leaders still consider the retention, progression and wellbeing of parent-teachers as a ‘mothers matter’?
We’ve tracked data over 15 events – most of which have been optional to attend – aimed at school and systems leaders, and this is what we’ve found:
- On average, just 17% of attendees at these events have been men
- On three occasions, there has not been a single male face in the room
- Three events have hit our starter target of 24% male representation (the proportion of men in the wider teacher workforce, not at leadership level) and these were events billed as retention, flexible working, or an obligatory meeting for local headteachers
We count a number of men within our professional network who show up regularly to champion the work that we do. They sign off funding, make introductions, speak up on behalf of our community, work on research and data projects, platform our work on social media and speak at our events.
But men are not showing up enough as audience members to learn about the daily, and systems-wide practice that can be implemented to support working mothers for the overall health of our workforce and – ultimately – the schools they are leading.
An acute example of this disconnect: 22% of the speakers at The MTPT Project’s Missing Mothers conference are fathers and leaders from our community, but – two weeks ahead of the event – not one of the 135 ticket holders are men.
When organisations are considered who is “best placed” to attend MTPT events, the data suggests that they are still sending leaders with first-hand experience of motherhood. Clearly, the view is that these mothers’ matters are best handled between mothers and by mothers.
Statistically, however, these mothers, sorting things out between themselves, are less likely to be in leadership positions than men. They are less likely to wield decision-making power and they are less able to role model effective allyship to other men.
If we really want to make a sustainable difference to the teacher retention crisis, our male leaders need to stop seeing mothers as a diversity group, and instead know that mothers are workforce.
Breaking Barriers: The Transformative Effect of Black Educators in Leadership
Written by Krystian McInnis
Krystian McInnis is a Religious Education consultant, advisor, and researcher specialising in decolonising and diversifying Religious Education. With a career that spans the public, private, and charity sectors, he brings extensive national and international experience in curriculum diversification and decolonisation. As the Co-Founder of Reimagining Education, Krystian is dedicated to creating a more inclusive and equitable educational system where everyone feels seen, heard, and that they belong.
One percent. This is the stark figure of Black Headteachers in England with a slight increase to 1.3% for Deputy Headteachers, compared to 92.5% and 90.8% respectively for White British equivalent (DfE, 2023). With many of the positions held by Black senior leaders highly concentrated within inner London, the figures decline as we venture further afield from the capital, with the northeast of England the worst affected, where whilst children of Black-African origin make up 1.3 per cent of the student population, just 0.1 per cent of the region’s teachers identify in the same way (Gorard et al. 2023).
The data is there for all to see, and whilst the conversation about change has been ongoing for many years, with copious localised initiatives to address the issue, the results appear the same, with little momentum or genuine centralised government appetite for structural or transformative change. Whilst the implementation of short
lived ‘successful’ localised responses to this historic problem has led some to herald this as progress, worthy of celebration, I think it pertinent that we ask ourselves the following questions:
- How much work, dedication and strategic planning did it take for us to reach this mere one percent?
- What are the systemic barriers contributing to the underrepresentation of Black Headteachers and Deputy Headteachers, and how can they be effectively addressed?
- If achieving racial equity is a sincere aim that we are striving towards, why have we become comfortable with tokenistic adulations, for results that quite frankly fall below mediocre?
Navigating the Leadership Ladder: Obstacles for Black Educators in Advancing
The underrepresentation of Black educators in senior leadership roles is not due to a lack of eNort or ambition among teachers. In fact, Black teachers have repeatedly demonstrated a strong desire to attain leadership positions. Evidence shows that Black teachers nationally are able to successfully navigate to middle leadership, but the cliN that appears in front of them when stepping into senior leadership, is one that many fall oN (NfER, 2020). It seems there is little room for their presence around senior leadership tables, with many only able to sit on the periphery in newly formed roles such as secondee, associate assistant head or under the guise of being part of an ‘extended’ leadership team. The illustrious title of Assistant Headteacher or Assistant Principal, as the first step in senior leadership, appears for many, out of their reach. The actuality of one step forward, two steps back is far too apparent. Good enough to take on additional workload, but not good enough to be part of the substantive team.
Teacher Diversity and Its Impact on Student Experiences
Underrepresentation of Black teachers has been disproportionately low for decades in the UK and despite Black people making up 4.6% of the working age population, only 2.5% of teachers identify as Black (Glowach et al. 2023). The issues that arise however, are plenty. Gorard (2018) found that one of the downsides to a lack of ethnic minority teachers is the real possibility that this underrepresentation is not only having a negative effect on educational processes but on student outcomes too.
Beyond just students outcome however, what is interesting to note, is that ethnic minority students with similarly ethnic minority teachers are often less likely to be seen as disruptive (Dee, 2005), be referred for disciplinary reasons, be excluded (Grissom et al., 2009, Lindsay and Hart, 2017), or suspended from school (Gordon et al. 2023, Wright, 2015). With suspension rates at an all-time high (Busby, 2024), along with the fact that Black children are up to six times more likely to be excluded from school than their White peers (McIntyre et al. 2021), it appears clear that the recruiting of teachers from racially diverse backgrounds, might in fact help with this current crisis we find ourselves within.
Furthermore, even more intriguing, is that students with teachers from similar ethnic backgrounds to their own are also less likely to be classified as requiring special education (Stiefel et al., 2022) and in fact, where ethnic minority students have teachers of a similar ethnic minority to their own, they are more likely to be referred to a gifted programme (Grissom and Redding, 2016, Grissom et al., 2017, Ofori, 2023, Egalite and Kisida, 2016). Please note, this is not to suggest that students are being wrongly diagnosed by professionals, but rather creates a space for questions to be further explored. Historically however, the misdiagnosis of students from ethnic minority backgrounds was certainly the case, specifically those of Caribbean ancestry. The seminal work by Bernard Coard, ‘How the West Indian Child is Made Educationally Subnormal in the British School System’, written in 1971, explored the educational inequalities within the British educational system and found that West Indian students were disproportionately represented and often wrongly enrolled in ‘educationally subnormal’ schools. 50 years on, it appears this legacy continues.
Moving Beyond Tokenism: The Role of White Allies in Educational Reform
Now, allow for there to be no confusion to the argument being made. An increase in Black teachers and leaders is no silver bullet. It will not solve the abundance of issues within the educational system nor is there a golden percentage to be achieved. What it required, however, are meaningful steps in the right direction, the removal of barriers, and for many more White leaders and allies to go beyond mere rhetoric and delve into the world of action.
Whilst reviewing recruitment policies are fundamental, these are often used as a delay tactic to consciously, or subconsciously, buy time before genuine action is taken. With continuous delays and excuses, the cultural masquerading in many schools is far too prevalent. One of BHM celebrations, the monotonous assembly being delivered year after year on MLK Jr or Rosa Parks, where the only information changed is the date, or posters scarcely scattered about the school building pinned up, only to be pulled down on the Friday before the half term break, shoved back into a dark cupboard for another year. This must change. Note, I am not suggesting that these celebrations should not take place, but rather, they must be part of wider school initiatives instead of a plaster, attempting to cover over a gushing wound.
From Rhetoric to Reality: Creating Pathways from Middle to Senior Leadership
Delay tactics must be abandoned. Whilst many schools move towards actively considering the diversity of their workforce and have a staffing body that reflects the community they serve, much more work is required than to add a tokenistic phrase ‘we encourage applications from diverse candidates’ within job advertisements or the belief that by removing names from CVs all issues are solved in eliminating biases within recruitment processes. Schools must step out of their comfort zones on how they have always done things, a way which is no longer working (and arguably never has), and actively seek and develop talent. The time has come for leaders to go beyond providing a mere TLR to the only ethnic member of staff in the school to oversee all things diversity, as they are ‘the best fit’, and ensure it becomes part of the larger conversation around the leadership table.
For substantial and sustainable change to take place, leadership teams must collaborate with teachers and external organisations who in many instances, with the greatest of respect, are more knowledgeable than they are in areas such as this. Peaking over the horizon however, help is on the way. Through forward thinking initiatives such as the Leaders Like Us programme and Aspiring Heads programme to name a few, the current landscape supporting senior leaders from GMH backgrounds is shifting.
Therefore, as we move towards a brighter and more equitable future, I leave the following questions for you to ponder:
- In what ways does your organisation address and dismantle barriers that may hinder the advancement of minority ethnic teachers into leadership roles?
- What partnerships or collaborations do you have in place to support the leadership development of teachers from minority ethnic backgrounds?
- How are you ensuring your organisation is not pushing diverse talent of the middle leader to senior leadership cliff, but rather building a bridge for them to cross?
References:
Busby, E. (2024) Exclusions and suspensions hit record high as warning issued to all schools, Independent, Available at:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/school-exclusions-suspensions figures-record-b2581943.html
Dee, T. F. (2005) A Teacher Like Me: Does Race, Ethnicity, or Gender Matter? The American Economic Review 95(2): 158–165.
DfE (2023) School teacher workforce, Available at: https://www.ethnicity-facts figures.service.gov.uk/workforce-and-business/workforce-diversity/school-teacher workforce/latest/#full-page-history
Demie, F., Kulwinder, M., Race, R. (2023) Ethnic inequality in the teaching workforce in schools: Why it matters, BERA
Egalite, A. J., Kisida, B. (2016) The Many Ways Teacher Diversity May Benefit Students, Education Next 24(3)
Glowach, T., Richards, M., Mitchell, R. (2023) More ethnic minority teachers are needed in UK schools – but teaching can affect their mental health and wellbeing, School of Education University of Bristol
Gorard, S. (2018) Education Policy. Bristol: Policy Press
Gorard, S., Chen, W., Tan, Y., Huat See, B., Gazmuri, C., Tereschchenko, A., Demie, F., Siddiqui, N. (2023) The disproportionality of ethnic minority teachers in England: trends, patterns, and problems, Routledge Open Research, 13(2) 1-28.
Grissom J., & Redding C. (2016) Discretion and Disproportionality: Explaining The Underrepresentation of High-Achieving Students of Color In Gifted Programs, AERA.
Grissom J., Nicholson-Crotty J., Nicholson-Crotty, S. (2009) Race, Region, and Representative Bureaucracy Public Adm Review; 69: 911–919.
Grissom J., Rodriguez L., Kern E. (2017) Teacher And Principal Diversity And The Representation Of Students Of Color In Gifted Programs, The University of Chicago Press, 117(3).
Lindsay, C. A., & Hart, C. M. D. (2017) Exposure to same-race teachers and student disciplinary outcomes for Black students in North Carolina, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 39(3), 485–510.
McIntyre, N., Parveen, N., Thomas, T. (2021) Exclusion rates five times higher for black Caribbean pupils in parts of England, The Guardian, Available at:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/mar/24/exclusion-rates-black caribbean-pupils-england
NfER; Kettlewell, K., Lucas, M., McCrone, T., Liht, J., & Sims, D. (2020) School and trust governance investigative report: October 2020, London: Department for Education
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https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/aug/29/lack-diversity-teaching-means minority-ethnic-pupils-england-miss-out
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