Society

Rethinking Normality in Uncertain Times

Rachida Dahman portrait

Written by Rachida Dahman

Rachida Dahman is an international educator, a language and literature teacher, and an educational innovator. She started her career in Germany as a teacher trainer advocating the importance of relationships above academics. She then moved to Luxembourg where she teaches German language and literature classes to middle and high school students. She is an award-winning poet, co-author of the best-selling book, ATLAS DER ENTSCHEIDER Entscheiden wie die Profis- Dynamik, Komplexität und Stress meistern.

In the unique context of international schools, where educators and students navigate diverse cultures, languages, and constantly shifting global realities, the idea of “normality” becomes especially complex and fluid. Normality is a cultural construct, constantly reinforced by politics, media, and rituals, not a natural state that we are pulled out of and then simply fall back into once circumstances allow. I was recently asked how, in the midst of today’s wars and crises, one can possibly “restore normality” and how teachers, who are confronted with this longing for stability every day, can take such a demand seriously.

What we call normality in everyday life and leisure is itself an artifact. Politics, talk shows, and public rituals generate their own images of normality. Here lies the danger of what might be called a ”normalization conservatism”: a desire to return to an imagined state of stability. Yet normality cannot be simply retrieved. It is manufactured with all the means of artifice.

And so the real problem shifts. The issue is not the absence of normality, but the attempt to reproduce it artificially. This attempt is carried by a strange mixture of fear and arrogance: fear of the unpredictability of the present and arrogance in believing that politics, media, or public speech could create a truly stable foundation. The result is an echo of rituals, slogans, and symbols that produce the appearance of security, without offering real orientation.

What often goes unnoticed is that tensions persist even beneath these efforts. In education, for example, teachers may feel the impulse to fit students into neat frameworks, an attempt to create order and stability. But such frameworks can quickly become another burden of responsibility, placing conformity above growth. If we give in to this impulse too often, we risk reaching a dead end, both our own creativity and that of our students may be abruptly set aside when the next societal or political storm arrives.

Normality, then, is not a return but always a creation. It does not emerge from artifacts, from the decorative gestures of politics, or from the ritualized dramaturgy of talk shows. It arises in the concrete ways we speak with one another, work together, and share responsibility. As a teacher, this means I cannot give my students normality. But I can create spaces where openness, uncertainty, and incompleteness have a place. Precisely because we are sometimes surrounded by fear and arrogance, we must learn that normality does not grow out of incantation, it grows out of practice.

  1. Specific classroom strategies that create space for uncertainty, agency, or open-ended outcomes.

The royal road to practice lies in learning to hold uncertainties, to walk through them with students, and to live them rather than escape them. This requires a healthy rhythm between individual and group work, staying with themes long enough for them to unfold, and deliberately extending the passages of our interactions. Such practices are not simply pedagogical choices, they are acts of resilience.

Again and again, students emerge in our classrooms who appear to falter, whose productivity declines, or who withdraw across different subjects. Dominant opinion often interprets this as laziness, distraction, or failure. Yet what if such moments are signals, pointing to something deeper, a crisis of orientation, a struggle with culture, or an unresolved question of identity? Many students’ identities are inseparable from their artistic identity. The way they make sense of the world is through creative exploration, improvisation, or resistance to rigid forms. To dismiss their “lostness” is to miss the chance to witness identity in the making.

This is especially visible in international classrooms, where cultural displacement and multilingual realities amplify the experience of being “lost.” Students navigate between home and host cultures, between different languages, and between competing expectations of success. Their sense of orientation may collapse under these pressures. But often, it is precisely in their artistic or non-linear responses in music, storytelling, visual projects, or collaborative improvisation that they begin to negotiate belonging and articulate identity. Teachers who recognize this see disengagement not as absence, but as the raw material of presence.

Practical strategies for teachers and school leaders:

  • Invite multiple modes of response. Allow students to express their understanding not only in writing or tests, but through drawing, movement, dialogue, or digital creation.
  • Stay with the “lost” moment. Instead of rushing to correct or redirect, ask reflective questions: What feels unclear? How does this connect to your experience? This validates disorientation as part of learning.
  • Normalize cultural reflection. When productivity drops, explore whether it relates to questions of belonging or cultural dissonance. Invite students to connect class themes with their lived realities.
  • Value artistic identities. Encourage students who process through music, art, or performance to bring those forms into academic spaces. In doing so, schools acknowledge that intellectual and artistic identities are often inseparable.
  • Hold open-ended outcomes. Frame tasks where the goal is not a single right answer, but exploration and meaning-making. This helps students see “lostness” as an entry point into dialogue, not as failure.

For we and our students are no longer confronted merely with crises but, in some cases, with their full collapse, coming at us in ever shorter intervals. This is why education cannot content itself with rituals of stability or the repetition of normality. To face collapse together means cultivating classrooms where uncertainty is not feared but explored, where trust outweighs control, and where collaboration becomes stronger than competition. Schools that dare to do this resist the conspiracy of appearances make visible a different kind of strength: not the fragile stability of order imposed, but the durable stability that grows when responsibility is shared, when openness is lived, and when the courage to learn is greater than the fear of loss.

2. Examples of school policies or leadership decisions that actively disrupt traditional norms in service of deeper collaboration and equity.

School leaders must learn to operate in settings that are far from a neatly swept house. Crises bring with them heightened psychological reactions, and when class sizes are too large, these reactions are often funneled into a vacuum, where learning, creativity, and engagement wither. Smaller classes are therefore a crucial condition for sustaining real interaction and meaningful reflection.

In such an environment, leaders do not impose superficial order; they cultivate spaces where uncertainty can be navigated, where students’ emotional and cognitive responses are recognized, and where teachers and leaders alike learn to stay with complexity rather than erase it. It is precisely this tension between unpredictability and deliberate guidance that allows classrooms and schools to become laboratories for resilience, collaboration, and shared responsibility.

3. Illustrations of how collaboration with other schools or nontraditional partners have tangibly reshaped practice, mindset, or outcomes.

Partnering with neighboring schools to exchange teaching resources, working with local NGOs or universities to ground projects in real-world issues, and engaging with artists, entrepreneurs, or community leaders can dramatically expand what counts as educational expertise. But these partnerships are not only about content or skill-sharing: they are spaces to gather experience, to encounter moments where emotions surface, and to practice navigating uncertainty together.

In the face of unprecedented crises that often bring destruction and disorder, such collaborations create rare opportunities to learn resilience, empathy, and adaptive problem-solving. By intentionally engaging in these exchanges, educators and students alike confront challenges that cannot be fully simulated in traditional classrooms. They experience firsthand how to act, respond, and reflect when circumstances are unpredictable, complex, and emotionally charged.

4. Practical alternatives to standard rituals, such as how grading might be approached differently, or how assemblies can be reimagined to reflect openness and inclusivity.

Many teachers experience a chill down their spine when so-called assemblies run like clockwork, sanitized and rigid, and disconnected from the lived realities of students. This subversive view of rituals challenges the assumption that standard assemblies and classroom routines are neutral or harmless. In fact, such rituals can produce psychological strain, particularly when they clash with students’ attention spans, motivation, or digital habits. Traditional timetables and fixed hours are not merely organizational tools, they are deeply pedagogical structures; if they do not fit the learners, the potential for growth collapses.

In response, assessment and classroom practices must be reimagined. Exams and grading are no longer merely measures of performance, but opportunities to engage students in democratic processes, critical reflection, and the creation of meaning. Flexible, collaborative settings allow learners to grapple with texts, ideas, and questions in ways that cultivate agency and resilience. Assemblies, too, can be transformed into forums where students and staff co-construct agendas, share inquiries, and participate in discussions that matter, fostering inclusion and shared responsibility.

Importantly, this approach integrates the realities of crises overload, digital distractions, and emotional stress directly into the design of teaching and ritual. By doing so, schools create spaces that do not simply simulate “normality,” but actively cultivate engagement, critical thinking, and emotional competence, even amidst disruption.

I have come to see that what often presents itself as normality is a kind of conspiracy: a fragile arrangement of fear and arrogance that pretends to provide stability while suppressing creativity, trust, and resilience. Observing how leadership constrained by competition and territoriality can limit possibilities, I realized that ideas flourish only when shared openly. This insight became a compass; true leadership requires courage, openness, and collaboration beyond conventional boundaries. In practice, this means designing lessons with open-ended outcomes, rethinking rituals like grading and assemblies, giving students real agency, and creating spaces for reflection and shared responsibility. Normality is not a return to order it is a creation, emerging from daily practices of trust, courage, and collaboration. And so the question is: in times of crisis, do we cling to artificial rituals of stability, or do we dare to create spaces where something genuinely new can emerge? 

by Hannah Wilson

Inter Faith Week

Sarah Bareau portrait

Written by Sarah Bareau

Regional Advisor with Jigsaw Education Group. Primary teacher and RE Lead.

Inter Faith Week takes place annually in November and many places of worship open their doors to the wider public. But what does ‘interfaith’ actually mean and is there a place for it in our schools?

Interfaith refers to encounters that aim to increase understanding between people of different faith groups. Whilst the term ‘faith’ implies religious belief, interfaith is increasingly inclusive of those with non-religious worldviews. 

Interfaith work supports many schools’ values, especially those that are centred on empathy, kindness, community or diversity.  It’s an opportunity to enrich pupils’ cultural capital and personal development: by learning about the beliefs and traditions of others, we better understand and refine our personal worldview.

This year’s theme is ‘Community: Together We Serve’. Community is always at the heart of Inter Faith Week and our schools are communities too – including staff, pupils and their families. Interfaith activities provide opportunities to explore a wider range of worldviews than the standard RE curriculum allows. They can be both a mirror to reflect pupils who are under-represented and a window through which to encounter unfamiliar beliefs and lived experiences.

One starting point is investigating census data relating to religion. As well as looking at recent statistics, consider previous years and what they might look like in the future. For example, currently 6% of the UK population identifies as Muslim, but this rises to 10% in the 5-15 age range (source: https://mcb.org.uk/resources/censussummary2025/).

Service is also an integral part of this year’s theme. Each year, Inter Faith Week takes place just before Mitzvah Day, a Jewish-led day of social action, which now includes people of all faiths and none. The original meaning of ‘Mitzvah’ is a commandment from God. It has also come to mean an action to carry out the commandment, doing good and helping others. This contributes to Tikkun Olam (repair of the world), which comes from an early Jewish code called the Mishnah.

This year’s theme could inspire you to explore practices rooted in service across diverse worldviews e.g. Sewa (in Sikhi and Sanatana (Hindu) Dharma) and Zakat (in Islam). You could look at examples from religious texts, such as Jesus washing the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper, and non-religious stories, such as The Starfish Thrower, thinking about how these might inspire people’s actions today.

What are the challenges of interfaith encounters?

The most meaningful interfaith work includes holding challenging conversations around areas of disagreement. This needs to happen within a safe space, where participants show respect to those with a different point of view. It is important to ensure such interactions end with repair and reconnection. This could be achieved by returning to shared values and acknowledging each person’s identity beyond their religious or non-religious beliefs. 

It can also be challenging to find authentic representation of different faiths when the school or local community is not diverse. See if there is an existing interfaith group in the area, reach out to local RE advisors and explore online resources such as the RE Hubs website.

Planning meaningful interfaith work in schools

Contact theory (or contact hypothesis) was proposed by Gordon Allport in 1954 and continues to be used to facilitate encounters between members of different social and cultural groups, with the goal of increasing understanding between them. There are four key features of effective practice:

  • Equal status of participants

In the classroom, this includes setting expectations for respectful curiosity and recognition that everyone has their own identity and point of view, whether that is informed by a religious or non-religious worldview or not. 

  • A common goal

Effective interfaith work has an intended outcome. It’s an opportunity to draw together learning about different worldviews under a theme, allowing differences of beliefs and practices to be acknowledged within a shared context. Outcomes could include artwork, creative writing, oral presentations or action such as fundraising or litter picking.

  • Intergroup cooperation

Collaboration and cooperation are essential life skills. Groupings for interfaith experiences should ensure that young people work with those from different backgrounds to achieve together. Depending on the age of pupils, varying levels of adult support may be needed to ensure all members of the group are able to participate and succeed.

  • Support of authority beyond the group

Inviting the Head Teacher, a member of SLT or a governor to take part in the session or speak to young people afterwards demonstrates how the school values interfaith work. Young people could also present their experiences and learning to other year groups or to parents.  

Just as schools embed anti-bullying work year-round, so too can interfaith become a regular part of the curriculum. In addition to Inter Faith Week, opportunities include World Religion Day in January, and festivals celebrated by communities represented in the school and local area. 

Further resources

Jigsaw Education Group are please to share free resources to help your school engage in Inter Faith Week.  Visit our website for more information: https://jigsaweducationgroup.com/resources/ 

For additional resources for schools, visit https://www.ifw4schools.co.uk/ 

More information about Mitzvah Day can be found here: https://mitzvahday.org.uk/ 

The census data for England and Wales from 2021 can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/religion/bulletins/religionenglandandwales/census2021    

by Hannah Wilson

Whose Values Are They Anyway?

Adrian McLean portrait

Written by Adrian McLean

Ambassador of Character, Executive Headteacher, TEDx Speaker, BE Associate Trainer & Coach, Governors for Schools Trustee, Positive Disruptor

This blog is based on a provocation I gave to the Practical Wisdom Network to the question of “Whose values are they anyway?” I approach the provocation through the character lens of practical wisdom. 

Walk into any school or scroll through a Multi-Academy Trust’s website, and you’ll see them: Respect, Aspiration, Ambition, Integrity, Courage. Neatly framed, laminated and polished like a branding exercise.

But a question should haunt us: Whose values are they anyway? Who decided that these specific words should shape the daily culture, decisions and futures of an entire community? To answer this, we need to understand the difference between values and virtues and, most importantly, the practice of practical wisdom.

Practical wisdom isn’t just book smarts; it’s life smarts. It’s the ability to do the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, balancing rules with humanity. It’s the skill of making good decisions in messy, real-life situations – choosing what’s good, right, and true, not just what the rulebook says.

Values are the principles we declare we hold, like claiming to value our health. But virtues are the habits that make those values real. If health is the value, then virtues like self-discipline, perseverance, and temperance are what turn it into a daily practice. Self-discipline is choosing a walk over crashing out on the sofa; perseverance is showing up to the gym on the days you just don’t feel like it; temperance is enjoying food without swinging into excess. Put simply: values are what we say, but virtues are how we live, especially when it’s difficult.

Who Decides?

In practice, values are almost always handed down. A trust board. A group of senior leaders. Sometimes, one headteacher with a vision. But how often do we invite students, families, or associate staff into the process? How often do we open the doors to the community whose children will live with the weight of these words? Too rarely. Values are often written in a room by people who will not face their consequences. If that doesn’t unsettle us, it should.

Take, for example, “British Values.” They didn’t emerge from a national conversation; they were written into statutory guidance in 2014 following the “Trojan Horse” affair in Birmingham schools; a moment laced with political anxiety about extremism, identity and belonging. They were less the fruit of civic reflection and more a defensive assertion of national identity.

When one-size-fits-all national values are imposed on a plural, multicultural nation, the risk is that they flatten nuance and erase lived realities.

  • What does “democracy” mean to a young person who has never seen their community represented in positions of power?
  • What does “rule of law” mean to families who feel over-policed yet under-protected?
  • What does “individual liberty” mean when opportunity is unevenly distributed and discrimination silently closes doors?
  • What does “mutual respect and tolerance” mean when some identities are merely “put up with” (not representing the true meaning of tolerance), not celebrated or centred?

From a DEIB perspective, this is not neutral ground. British values often land less like a common commitment and more like a top-down script. Practical wisdom reminds us that to live well in community is not about repeating someone else’s script but cultivating the virtues to navigate complexity, difference and difficulty with integrity.

Values vs. Virtue

Aristotle taught that true flourishing wasn’t about abstract ideals but about virtues embodied in practice. As philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre notes, a value on the wall is just a word. A virtue lived out is a habit formed through struggle and character.

Integrity isn’t a poster; it’s the painful choice to tell the truth when it would be easier to conceal it. Empathy isn’t a slogan; it’s the practiced attention to the quiet child in the back row who carries the weight of the world. Without virtuous practice, values are just advertising, not meaning.

What’s Good, Right, and True?

Schools often claim they are places where children learn what is good, right, and true. But these words are slippery. What counts as good for one community may not for another. What is right in an affluent suburb may not be in a town hollowed out by unemployment. And truth, let’s be honest, is never neutral. Curricula are choices. Discipline policies are choices. Definitions of success are choices. Those choices reflect particular cultural and political traditions, not universal truths.

This is why DEIB cannot be an “add-on.” If our values exclude or silence the lived experiences of children from different racial, cultural, religious, or socioeconomic backgrounds, they are not values. They are exclusions dressed up in nice fonts. Belonging is not assimilation into someone else’s values; it is co-creating values that are genuinely shared.

Flourishing. Defined by Whom?

Too often, the system narrows flourishing to one measure: exam results. Grades are the currency of human worth, but here’s the paradox: the system itself is designed to prevent everyone from “succeeding.” Significant numbers of children will always be labelled “below standard” because that’s how exams are normed. The Department for Education’s media guidance is instructive:

  • If results go up, its proof policy has raised standards.
  • If results go down, its proof policy has raised standards.

A neat trick. But let’s be clear: nobody becomes better at maths simply by sitting a harder paper, especially if they ‘fail’ it. Yet this is the frame in which “flourishing” gets defined: harder benchmarks, narrower outcomes, national straplines.

So if flourishing is defined only by grades, or boxed into compliance with a centrally imposed set of British values, then flourishing is not about children at all. It is about alignment and fitting in. It is about living up to someone else’s story of what counts as good, right, and true.

That is not flourishing. That is conformity.

Pathways for Co-Creation

So, what is the alternative? Practical wisdom points us toward a different path:

  • Co-creation with communities: Values forged through dialogue with students, parents, staff, and local voices; not handed down as final.
  • Virtue in practice: Schools embedding habits of integrity, courage, empathy, and service in daily routines and structures; not as posters but as pedagogies.
  • Flourishing as dignity and contribution: Schools are judged not only on exam results but on how their students leave with the capacity to live lives of meaning, purpose, and contribution to the common good.
  • Local nuance, national honesty: Acknowledging that “British values” are not universal values, but one political frame; opening space for communities to shape how values are lived in their context.

The Dare

So here’s the provocation: Whose values are you really living by?

  • Are they values chosen in Whitehall and laminated in your corridors?
  • Are they values written in a boardroom and handed down like policy?
  • Or are they values forged, tested, and lived in the daily practices of your community?

The dare is this: stop treating values as safe branding. Start treating them as dangerous commitments. Dangerous because they demand something of us. Dangerous because they unsettle power. Dangerous because they might actually make our schools places where all young people, not just the ones who fit the script, can truly flourish.

I’ll leave you with the question, not as comfort, but as a challenge: 

Whose values are they anyway? Are you ready to change the answer?

by Hannah Wilson

Racism is a Safeguarding Issue: Education as a Safe Haven

Chloe Watterston portrait

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.

Schools often pride themselves on being safe spaces, yet for many students, they are anything but. Racism in education is not simply a matter of representation or curriculum – it is a safeguarding issue. Children are being radicalised online, marginalised in classrooms, and silenced when they try to speak out. Ignoring racism doesn’t protect students; it perpetuates harm.

When we talk about safeguarding, we picture child protection protocols, online safety lessons, and anti-bullying strategies. But racism is rarely given the same urgency, often treated as a ‘behavioural’ problem rather than a threat to wellbeing. This omission has consequences. Experiencing racism is traumatic: it damages mental health, erodes self-worth, and disrupts learning. And when schools fail to act, they can become complicit in further harm.

We should be challenged to confront that denial and reframe anti-racism as a fundamental safeguarding duty. Decolonising the curriculum isn’t about adding diverse content – it’s about telling the truth: truth about the roots of white supremacy, about global histories and contributions, and about the systemic barriers that harm marginalised children daily.

When schools silence conversations or refuse to acknowledge racism, they create unsafe spaces. Anti-racist practice must become part of safeguarding training, staff culture, and classroom discussions. Students should never feel their identity is ‘too political’ to discuss or their experiences are ignored.

The Scale of the Problem

The numbers are stark:

  • In 2019, the NSPCC reported that incidents of racial abuse and racist bullying of children had risen by a fifth within four years. 
  • In 2021, the Guardian reported that UK schools recorded 60,177 racist incidents in a five-year period (Anti-bullying Alliance)
  • A 2020 World Economic Forum report found 95% of young Black British people have witnessed racist language in education. (Forum)
  • According to the Department for Education, Black Caribbean pupils are up to three times more likely to be excluded than their white peers (gov.uk).

Yet, many schools still treat racist incidents as isolated behaviour problems rather than safeguarding red flags.

Why Racism is a Safeguarding Concern

  • Radicalisation Risk: Extremism targets isolated, angry, or vulnerable children, grooming them with online narratives that can spread through classrooms.
  • Chronic Trauma: Racism’s impact isn’t a one-off bruise – it creates long-term psychological harm, raising rates of anxiety, depression, and physical health issues.
  • Unsafe Environments: When students see racism dismissed or ignored, they stop reporting it. Silence doesn’t mean equality; it signals danger.

A child who doesn’t feel safe being themselves is not safeguarded. Schools must explicitly name racism in safeguarding policies and act with urgency.

Moving Beyond Performative Action

Assemblies and diversity displays are not enough. Anti-racist practice must be embedded into school culture. Senior leaders should model vulnerability, showing staff and students that it’s okay to feel uncomfortable when confronting prejudice. Teachers must be empowered to respond to racism confidently, while safeguarding teams must be trained to treat racist abuse with the same seriousness as other forms of harm.

Practical Steps for Schools & Teachers

  1. Embed Anti-Racism in Safeguarding Training
    • Include racist bullying, harassment, and microaggressions in safeguarding protocols.
    • Train staff on how to document, escalate, and resolve cases effectively.
  2. Create Anonymous Reporting Channels
    • Allow students to report racism through secure, anonymous forms or ‘trusted adult’ programs.
    • Ensure reporting leads to visible action to build trust.
  3. Audit School Culture and Discipline
    • Analyse sanctions, exclusions, and behaviour logs for racial bias.
    • Survey students on whether they feel safe and valued.
  4. Actively Celebrate Identity
    • Representation shouldn’t be tokenistic or restricted to a single month. Displays, assemblies, and lessons should celebrate diversity all year round.
  5. Partner with Communities
    • Collaborate with local advocacy groups, parents, and faith leaders to create a united, culturally competent safeguarding network.

Long-Term Steps to Discuss and Implement

  1. Mandatory Racial Literacy and Trauma-Informed Training
    • Establish ongoing professional development for all staff, governors, and leadership teams.
    • Include practical anti-bias strategies, restorative approaches, and equity-based leadership skills.
  2. Curriculum Reform and Decolonisation
    • Conduct curriculum audits to identify gaps, Eurocentric bias, and opportunities to embed global histories and diverse voices across all subjects.
    • Create working groups that include teachers, students, and parents to co-develop inclusive resources.
  3. Embed Equity into School Policies
    • Ensure behaviour, uniform, and attendance policies are reviewed annually for cultural bias.
    • Introduce an anti-racism charter, making equity a measurable school-wide goal.
  4. Equitable Recruitment and Retention
    • Develop strategies to hire and support staff from marginalised backgrounds.
    • Introduce mentorship programs and leadership pipelines to diversify senior leadership teams.
  5. Student Voice and Leadership Structures
    • Formalise pupil-led diversity and equity councils with genuine decision-making power.
    • Include students in policy discussions, curriculum planning, and cultural initiatives.
  6. Partnerships with Universities and Cultural Organisations
    • Collaborate with museums, archives, and community-led organisations to integrate local and hidden histories into learning.
    • Use these partnerships to expand professional development opportunities for staff.
  7. Data-Driven Accountability
    • Track racial disparities in exclusions, attainment, and access to enrichment opportunities.
    • Publish anonymised annual reports to maintain transparency and measure progress.
  8. Wellbeing Infrastructure
    • Create a system of proactive pastoral care to address the emotional toll of racism on students and staff.
    • Offer external counselling, mentoring, and safe spaces for reflection and healing.

Authors, Poets & Works to Teach

Bringing diverse voices into the curriculum is a powerful anti-racist action. Consider introducing:

  • Akala – Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire (critical nonfiction for older students).
  • Kayo Chingonyi – Kumukanda, a tender and nostalgic collection exploring Black identity, masculinity, and heritage.
  • Malorie Blackman – Noughts & Crosses series, a compelling exploration of racism and justice.
  • Claudia Rankine – Citizen, poetry that captures microaggressions and systemic inequality.
  • Dean Atta – The Black Flamingo, a verse novel celebrating identity and self-expression.
  • Benjamin Zephaniah – Poems such as The British, exploring multiculturalism and belonging.
  • Patrice Lawrence – Orangeboy, a gripping novel about youth identity, loyalty, and race in the UK.

Did You Know?

Britain’s multicultural history long predates Windrush:

  • John Blanke: A Black trumpeter in Henry VIII’s court, documented in royal artwork and paid a musician’s wage in the 1500s.
  • Mary Prince: The first Black woman to publish an autobiography in Britain (1831), a pivotal voice in the abolition movement.
  • Walter Tull: One of Britain’s first Black professional footballers and the first Black officer to lead white troops in WWI.

These stories remind us that diversity isn’t new – it is woven into Britain’s history.

Call for Support

Safeguarding means every child feels safe to exist as themselves. Parents, governors, and communities need to be part of this conversation. Anti-racism is not a ‘school initiative’; it goes beyond the gates. Schools should partner with grassroots organisations, listen to marginalised voices, and build trust that extends into families and local communities. 

The stakes are too high to ignore. Racism must be treated with the same gravity as abuse or neglect, because its effects can be just as devastating. Schools are in a unique position to interrupt these cycles by becoming proactive, empathetic, and brave. Yet, policymakers must back this with funding, training, and clear frameworks, but every teacher already has the power to make a difference:

  • Believe students when they share their experiences.
  • Advocate for systemic change.
  • Build safe, inclusive spaces where every voice is valued.

Schools are uniquely placed to break cycles of harm, disrupt extremism, and model empathy for the next generation.

A motto to guide your practice after this reading: Safety is not silence; true safeguarding starts with uncomfortable truth.

by Hannah Wilson

Belonging in the Classroom: responding to a divided world

Zahara Chowdhury portrait

Written by Zahara Chowdhury

Zahara leads on equality, diversity and inclusive education in higher education. She has over a decade of experience in middle and senior positions in secondary education. Zahara is author of Creating Belonging in the Classroom: a Practical Guide to Having Brave and Difficult Conversations. She is founder of the School Should Be blog and podcast, a platform that amplifies diverse and current topics that impact secondary school classrooms, students and teachers.

It’s a Sunday morning—my favourite time of the week. Coffee in hand (with collagen and creatine, of course), I wander around the house while the kids are already asking for ice cream, Lego time, and the TV (yes, it’s only 8am). Usually, this part of the day comes with a little doom-scrolling, some memes, and a few oddly satisfying cleaning videos. But today feels different.

As I scroll, I’m pulled into two completely different worlds. On Instagram, images from Tommy Robinson’s Unite The Nation march flood my feed. The night before, I found myself double-checking the doors and windows—just in case. On LinkedIn, meanwhile, notifications are pinging from the brilliant Anti-Racism Conference, hosted by The Black Curriculum and Belonging Effect. Two events. Same time. Same city. Entirely different realities.

It’s hard to put into words what many of us—especially those who are ‘othered’—are carrying right now. When I speak to friends and colleagues, the feelings range from sadness and fear to resilience, resistance, and even indifference. For me, the world feels both tragic and surreal. I’m tired and frustrated. But I’m also hopeful.

One book that always grounds me is The Courage of Compassion by Robin Steinberg. It reminds us that courage means listening deeply, even to those who are different from us—or against us—and meeting that difference with compassion.

And yet, there’s an uncomfortable truth here. Too often, minoritised communities are expected to model empathy and moral “goodness,” as if our belonging depends on it. That expectation is unfair. Still, when I think about it, many of us would still choose courage, compassion, and calm clarity—because that’s who we are.

Yesterday’s conference reaffirmed why education matters so much in moments like this. Now more than ever, educators, schools, and communities need to unite and connect. This isn’t just about curriculum—it’s about safeguarding, wellbeing, and ensuring every student feels safe, included, and able to thrive.

How Schools Can Respond

Address the elephant in the room.

Some students and staff will feel anxious or upset about the march. Others may feel proud. Many won’t have noticed at all. But silence sends the wrong message. Even if only a few people are directly affected, everyone benefits when schools acknowledge what’s happening.

David Hermitt, former MAT CEO, once told me: teachers, at their core, want to do the right thing. They care about their students and about society. That care means opening the conversation.

You might:

  • Share a short message with tutors, acknowledging the march and reiterating your school values—respect, inclusion, safety.
  • Create space for discussion, whether through tutor time or optional drop-in sessions.
  • Adapt to your context—no one knows your students better than you.

Keep parents in the loop

A simple message goes a long way. Reassure families that student safety remains your priority. Remind them of your school values. Invite them to share concerns—listening to parental voice is valuable, even if it feels daunting.

Harness parental representation

Cultural representation in schools makes a lasting difference. Pamela Aculey-Kosminsky recalls her mum coming into school in traditional Ghanaian dress, sharing food and heritage. My own mum did the same, later becoming a governor. These grassroots connections build community in powerful ways.

Connect with community leaders

Reach out to local faith leaders, organisers, and community champions. They can humanise difficult issues, counter misinformation, and build bridges between groups.

Invest in staff confidence

Staff need space to prepare for conversations around race, politics, and inclusion. It’s not always easy to make room for CPD, but it pays off in the long run—both for teachers and students.

Finding Hope in Difficult Times

The world feels overwhelming: the Unite The Nation march, the ongoing genocide in Gaza, violence in Sudan and Congo, the murder of Charlie Kirk, the sexual assault and attack on a Sikh woman told she “does not belong,” ICE raids, the memory of George Floyd and Sarah Everard. It feels dystopian.

But maybe hope isn’t naïve. On a global scale, things feel broken. But on a local scale, in our schools and communities, we still have power. We can create safe, compassionate spaces, even when the world feels anything but.

If you’re wondering where to start, here are a few resources that can help:

This is an ongoing conversation and work we need to do collaboratively. If you have any resources or best practice examples, please share them. If you have questions or need support, please reach out—we are here to support, advise, or simply to have a chat.

by Hannah Wilson

26,000 Voices Reveal the True State of Inclusion in Schools

Dr Nicole Ponsford portrait

Written by Dr Nicole Ponsford

Dr Nicole Ponsford is an award-winning teacher, EdTech innovator, and doctoral researcher focused on equity and inclusion. She is the Founder and CEO of the GEC (Global Equality Collective)—a global movement of 20,000+ changemakers and 400+ DEI experts. Her research has informed GEC’s survey of 26,000+ students and staff (to date) on intersectional inclusion, shaping policy and practice. Recognised as one of Europe’s Top 50 Women in Tech, a National Diversity Awards 2024 finalist, and Computing Magazine’s Role Model of the Year, Nic also serves as Co-Head of Education at Microlink, championing inclusive learning through innovative design.

For the first time, 26,000 students and staff from over 350 schools and trusts have shared what inclusion really feels like—from corridors and classrooms to leadership, policy, and curriculum.

Published by the GEC, 26,000 Voices is the world’s largest and most intersectional study of inclusion in education. This report does more than highlight gaps—it hands leaders a blueprint for systemic change. At a time when education is at a crossroads, it offers something we’ve not had before: a real-world picture of how students and staff experience school—and what we can do to make things better.

More Than a Report: A Framework Built From the Inside Out

Inclusion is often treated as either a reporting requirement or a pastoral initiative—rarely both. That binary is holding schools back. Inclusion isn’t about box-ticking or reactive interventions. It’s about culture, systems, and leadership.

That’s why the GEC Platform was created. Developed by teachers, researchers, and inclusion experts—alongside five UK universities—it enables schools and trusts to see the full picture and act on it. At the heart of this approach is a new methodology: Kaleidoscopic Data.

Kaleidoscopic Data captures the intersectional, lived experiences of people in schools, revealing what traditional metrics can’t. By combining quantitative trends with qualitative depth, it ensures the voices of marginalised students and staff are no longer invisible—and that interventions are designed with, not for, those communities.

What the Data Reveals: Students

The student voice in this report is clear: many young people do not feel safe, seen, or supported in school.

  • 64% of students say they don’t feel safe at school
  • 30% of students from single-parent families have missed school due to safety concerns
  • Just 18% of students with mental health needs feel supported to achieve
  • 1 in 3 (33%) students with invisible disabilities say their needs are not understood in class
  • Only 21% of LGBTQ+ students feel their gender identity is respected

What Helps: GEC Inclusion Actions for Students

  • Collect anonymous student voice data to understand the needs of underserved groups. This should include how relationships and physical spaces affect students’ sense of safety and belonging.
  • Use coaching circles and peer mentoring to rebuild trust and empower students to lead inclusively within their own communities.
  • Equip staff with identity-informed coaching skills so they can support students with invisible disabilities or mental health needs more effectively.
  • Use staff surveys to identify bias across the organisation. Provide LGBTQ+ inclusive training through structured, reflective CPD that centres student voice.
  • Co-design safe spaces and coaching frameworks with students from single-parent households and marginalised groups to ensure solutions are rooted in lived reality.
  • Adopt a trauma-informed, relational coaching model across all year groups—so inclusion becomes part of how teaching and support are delivered every day.

What the Data Reveals: Staff

Staff voices also reveal urgent inclusion challenges:

  • Only 60% of staff feel they can be their authentic selves at work
  • 62% of parent/carer staff feel excluded due to caregiving responsibilities
  • Only 46% feel represented in school leadership
  • 41% of staff with mental health or neurodivergent needs do not feel safe reporting issues
  • Two in five staff say they need flexible working—or will consider leaving

What Helps: GEC Inclusion Actions for Staff

  • Use anonymous staff surveys to surface the full spectrum of lived experiences, especially around identity, flexibility, and psychological safety.
  • Create ‘safe spaces’ —both 1:1 and group, both anonymous and identified —where staff can reflect, share, and build self-advocacy skills.
  • Offer inclusive leadership coaching to all line managers and management, focusing on belonging, identity, and equitable career routes and decision-making.
  • Train all staff through structured CPD and coaching on flexible working, reasonable adjustments, and inclusive communication, especially for working parents and carers.
  • Review representation in leadership pipelines through an intersectional and equity lens. Coaching can be used to build visibility, confidence, and sponsorship for underrepresented staff.
  • Normalise mental health and neurodiversity conversations through coaching-led supervision, reflective practice, and wellbeing frameworks that go beyond tokenism.

Report and Support, Not Either/Or

The 26,000 Voices report offers:

  • National benchmarks on inclusion
  • Clear, actionable priorities for school and trust leaders
  • Sector-specific recommendations for primary, secondary, FE, MATs, and AP settings
  • A research-informed model for identifying and closing inclusion gaps

The GEC Platform builds on this by providing:

  • Real-time dashboards showing inclusion patterns
  • Contextualised reporting aligned to Ofsted and DfE frameworks
  • Co-designed surveys developed with researchers and school leaders
  • Action planning tools, CPD pathways, and measurable progress tracking

This isn’t about being told what to do. It’s about being supported to lead meaningful, sustainable change—ethically, strategically, and systemically.

Built by the Profession, for the Profession

This work comes from inside the system. As a former English teacher, senior leader, and now inclusion researcher and EdTech founder, I know how hard it is to turn good intentions into lasting impact. That’s why the GEC Platform doesn’t add to workload—it reframes it. With the right insight and support, inclusion becomes the foundation for improvement, not an add-on.

Start Next Term as You Mean to Go On

Want to see how the GEC Platform can support your setting?

Let’s turn these 26,000 voices into lasting, inclusive change.

by Hannah Wilson

What I’ve Learned About DEI and Education Since Founding Inclusion Labs

Temi Akindele Barker portrait

Written by Temi Akindele Barker

Temi Akindele Barker is the founder of Inclusion Labs, an organisation dedicated to amplifying every voice and co-creating a more inclusive future by using data as a foundation for change. Inclusion Labs partners with schools to gather, share, and activate insights from DEI surveys, driving meaningful and measurable change. Temi began her career as a consultant in Legal Executive Search, working in both the UK and internationally. She led senior teams serving US and UK law firms as well as financial institutions, helping local and multinational clients achieve their strategic goals.

Over the past few years, I’ve worked with schools across the UK (and beyond), collecting unfiltered experiences from every stakeholder – students, parents, staff, and leadership. We gather data across race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, socio-economic status, disability, and more. No shortcuts. No hierarchy of oppression. It’s been eye-opening. Often heartbreaking. Occasionally enraging. Frequently hopeful. Always necessary.

Here’s some of what I’ve learned:

  1. Truth hurts. But it’s the only way forward
    The flurry of statements after BLM and Everyone’s Invited felt urgent, but many faded fast. I’ve seen the sector swing from apathy to panic to action and back again. DEI work can’t solely be reactive. It must be rooted in truth, which is uncomfortable but essential. You can’t solve what you don’t understand. You can’t challenge what you don’t even know to question. You have to invite the conversations in (especially when uncomfortable) and create space to listen and learn. If you’re afraid to know the truth about your school’s culture, you’re not really being inclusive.
  2. Passion > £££
    Most school DEI leads have no budget. Many don’t even have ring-fenced time. What they do have in spades is passion and purpose. Some come from marginalised backgrounds, and most carry a personal “why.” It’s often a lonely, thankless task, yet they keep going. In our recent report, 20,000+ voices were gathered, supported by fewer than 30 DEI leads. Let that sink in. This work is fraught with differing opinions, often delivered unkindly. Yet these leads show up, time after time, with care and courage. They embody: it doesn’t have to happen to you for it to matter to you.
  3. There’s joy and pain in having inclusion in your name
    I named our organisation Inclusion Labs, and meant it. But it carries weight and expectations. “You call yourselves Inclusion Labs; you should have X as an option.” People assume your politics, your beliefs. Sometimes, you’re the only one in the room who sees the full picture. This work means accepting that you can never fully capture all the ways in which communities are diverse. And more importantly, it is not our job to decide whether someone’s identity is valid.
    We are not here to judge or politicise – our role is to reflect back to schools who their community says they are right now. That comes with challenges. We might exclude someone by not including a category they feel represents them. Or offend someone else who believes listing too many categories is fundamentally wrong (“Why does sexual orientation have eight options?”)
    But our job isn’t to gatekeep identity. It’s to hold space for both. And yes, that might mean someone gets offended.
  4. Everyone must have a say. Even the ones you wish wouldn’t
    DEI isn’t about echo chambers, so we don’t censor. We share every insight with schools – good, bad, ugly, bigoted. We’ve heard testimonies that are beautiful, funny, painful, hopeful, and some that are outright offensive. Everyone having a say means… everyone has a say. Some comments I’ll carry with me for life. Some made me laugh out loud (high five to primary students). Others made me cry with heartbreak. Doing this work has made me cry more in the past few years than in all the previous ones combined. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again – doing this work, you see the best and worst of humanity.
  5. Yes, there are (racist, homophobic, ableist…) teachers
    Let’s just name it. Schools are a microcosm of society – they hold its brilliance and its bias. So yes, there are bigots in schools. It’s uncomfortable to admit. And yes, it’s disorienting to realise these individuals are tasked with teaching and supporting children. Sometimes you wonder: who among us is that person? But often the worst attitude comes from parents (who also choose to share views that are racist, homophobic, ableist…). Even inclusion surveys spark outrage – “Are you indoctrinating our children?” What they – in fact all of us – need to accept is that at any given moment, there might be one person that needs this work to be done – whether it’s for support, for correction, or for education (staff and parents included).
  6. You will fail. You’re allowed to fail.
    We need to stop demanding perfection. Schools aren’t DEI think tanks. They are made up of teachers trying to do their best with limited time, budget, and under incredible pressure. They will get it wrong. And that’s okay. We shouldn’t demand perfection – just passion and determination. Effort. Commitment. Willingness. That’s all we should ask. This work isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress. And mistakes will happen. We need to stop weaponising mistakes and start using them to fuel better choices. Because when a school gets it right, the wins feel that much better.
  7. Same same, but different
    Are the issues really that different from school to school? No – and yes. Same issues, different proportions. Every school has racism. Every school has sexism. Every school has kids struggling with identity, belonging, being “othered.” The difference lies in what schools do or have done with those truths. Our recent report highlighted the 15 most pressing themes from stakeholders themselves (what mattered most to them). Most schools will attempt to address some or all of them, but to varying degrees and success.
  8. Sometimes you need to get out of the way
    Those with lived experience: your voice matters. But anger (while valid) can create fear. And fear kills progress. If everyone’s too afraid to speak or try, if no one’s willing to step forward or take a risk, nothing changes and no one moves forward. Sometimes, we need to turn our pain into possibility and let clarity, not chaos, lead the way.
  9. Sometimes it’s just a distraction tactic
    Once at a school session, I told an anecdote about a maths teacher who asked if DEI work applied to them. They felt that certain subjects naturally fell under this area (English, History, PSHE) but they could not see this so clearly for their subject. I will not bore you with the details of our conversation, but needless to say, I shared this story to make the point that DEI is not reserved for English or PSHE. But I later heard that some maths teachers felt personally attacked, as they felt it positioned them as lacking empathy. A landmine I didn’t see coming. Dare I say, ridiculous to the fullest extent – and designed to be just that: a distraction. (And for clarification – maths teachers have empathy).
  10. DEI awards are (mostly) nonsense
    Let’s be honest: a lot of DEI awards are performative. Some are paid-for nonsense. I’ve had countless offers with no real understanding of our work – for a small fee, of course! If you want validation as a school? If you need to know who you can trust to do the work and do it well? Then word of mouth, every time.

Finally…
Inclusion is never about just schools. It’s always been about society. If we can embed inclusive values, attitudes and behaviours in our school communities – from 5-year-olds through to governors – then we stand a chance at changing the wider world. This sector has more work to do. So, continue listening. Continue telling the truth. Refuse to shut up. Keep calm and carry on.

by Hannah Wilson

Two faces of a coin

Umara Qureshi portrait

Written by Umara Qureshi

Umara Qureshi is a passionate and values-driven Head of School with a proven track record of securing strong outcomes across a range of settings—including the successful launch of a start-up school. Deeply committed to equity, inclusion, and social justice, she believes in the transformative power of education to change lives. Umara leads with integrity, fosters cultures of high expectation and belonging, and champions staff development, pupil voice, and ambitious opportunities for all learners.

Growing up as a British ethnic minority girl in south east England in the 1990s, I was oblivious to my dual nationality, my ethnicity being a minority and that I essentially lived in two different worlds. 

 

And it was with great ease that I transitioned from one world to the other. I was able to behave according to the expectations of the community I found myself in and it was absolutely natural to adapt etiquette and lifestyle. Being able to adjust and adapt into two contrasting cultures and societies was automatic. It was absolutely normal to have two identities. It was and is so easy to switch either on or off or fuse the two together. And I believe that is the beauty of having two faces to a coin.

 

During adolescence, I was lucky enough to be around peers from a similar background. My culture was accepted. As teenagers, I explored and shared cultures with my friends from different ethnic backgrounds and we celebrated our identities. It was normal for us to be different. I think that’s the beauty of growing up in Luton. As I grew up, there were more cultures I was exposed to. It was lovely just meeting them and getting to know them, and sharing our cultures and celebrating our differences. 

 

The ease of social and cultural fluidity became a burden as the issue of identity and the social pressure increased into adulthood. And I don’t think that’s inevitable. I think it’s perceptive. Social media is the greatest platform for people to express their identity issues and exposure to such material festers insecurity. Movies like ‘Bend It Like Beckham ‘ exacerbate identity crises as they focus on the dilemmas that not belonging to one culture can create and portray it as a hindrance. It loudly suggests that holding onto traditional culture will hold girls back from fantastic careers. This is untrue and an injustice to ethnic minorities. Unknowingly you develop a perception of having the same inferiority that others express, regardless of your own experiences and successes. I only realised how I feel about these portrayals when I watched it with my daughter and saw the seeds of identity crisis being sown with adult eyes. The need to impress, be like others around and the desire to not be different becomes prevalent and feeds the identity issue. 

 

I was lucky enough to have many role models giving me the confidence to continue celebrating my ethnicity, nationality and culture but I met lots of people from the same background as me, who weren’t proud of it and who didn’t like it. I even know people who say that they have no ethnicity and they don’t consider themselves to have any ethnicity. I can’t pretend that I didn’t feel the burden and pressure too. The pressure to be the same as others puts doubts in your mind and it makes you think that you’ve drawn the short straw because you face challenges around your identity. Feeling as though you don’t fit in with people around you and you are looking at one particular group and wondering why you couldn’t have just been like them so that you didn’t have to face these challenges. However, I believe that we’re very lucky to have two sides. The beauty of being British Asian, is that you’ve got a double identity, you’re not two halves. I think that’s looking at the glass being half empty, when in fact, the glass is doubly full. 

 

The greatest assumption that people make is that all British people lead the same lifestyle and that’s not true. Within British communities, individuals do not all do the same things. And there is not an expectation for every British person to fit a stereotypical, specific lifestyle to be accepted or successful. I believe that this is the biggest misconception. Even if you do not do things in the same way as others around you it does not hinder you in leading a successful life. 

 

The key points for me are that we have additional lifestyle choices, lifestyle events, skills, languages, culture, processes, emotions, personal family links and social attributes stemming from our ethnic background that enhance us as people and do not limit us.  

 

We have our ethnic background and we also have a British background. We can pick, choose, fuse and innovate. So we’ve got more to our lives, not less. Having these two identities has doubled our life experiences, not halved it. We’re not torn between two worlds, we are spread across two worlds. Not everyone has this option. It is an existence to celebrate, not to be conflicted about. We shouldn’t be conflicted. We should recognise that we do have more to offer. We have a lot more to offer as we’re always steering the way on this newly paved pathway and balancing the vast knowledge, experience, pleasures, perks, broad mindedness, inclusivity and diversity. We need to recognise the potential that we have. Stop being a coin with two faces, embrace your potential and become three dimensional. 

 

We have greater potential being multi-faceted. Having this rich ethnic / nationality is a combination that makes our life doubly wholesome. 

 

The empty deserts sun scorched surface  

In the moonlight is tormented by a cold menace 

How blissful the union of the sun and moon could be

The immense respite and relief it could bring

The vibrance of the butterfly is unknown in the cocoon 

Emergence from confinement allows the beauty to bloom 

How proud, bold and brave it has to be

Its display and its presence makes the natural world sing

by Hannah Wilson

Let’s talk about the criticisms of EDI work

Shammi Rahman portrait

Written by Shammi Rahman

Shammi is a Diversity and Equalities Adviser for HFL Education and a former member of the Advisory Board for the Children's Commissioner. She brings 19 years of secondary education experience, specialising in Religious Studies. Shammi has played a key role in promoting high-quality Religious Education as an Executive Leader for NATRE,working with SACRE boards and providing support for teaching Islam at GCSE and A Level. With a background in championing community cohesion and interfaith activities with young people in Milton Keynes, Shammi advocates for diverse student voices. Dedicated to enhancing race equity in education, she supports school leaders through bespoke support or training for a more inclusive educational landscape.

I’m very aware of the conversations happening across organisations amongst EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) professionals on LinkedIn and those facing growing scrutiny. Whether from leadership, colleagues, wider society or online, there are increasingly vocal critiques about how EDI is approached and who is seen as credible in the space. Understanding these criticisms, whether we agree with them or not, helps us engage more thoughtfully and improve the impact of this vital work so we can all work together with meaning.

Here are some of the common criticisms I am seeing being expressed:

  • Questioning Authenticity and Expertise – the idea that some EDI professionals are self-appointed or lack formal expertise.
  • Questioning Motivations and Job Security – A belief that some professionals are driven more by job preservation or ideology than by organisational outcomes.
  • Perceived Bias – Advisers seen as leaning left politically, overly virtuous, or part of ideological “echo chambers.”
  • Questioning Communication Style – some feel the language can feel “othering” or overly dramatic, especially around race, and allyship.
  • Questioning the Emotional Impact – seeing Distress in the workplace as real but sometimes viewed as performative or exaggerated.
  • Framing – as “black-and-white thinking,” often linked (rightly or wrongly) to neurodivergent traits or rigid ideologies.
  • Concerns about Social Justice Orientation – the idea that the work is politically motivated or aligned with activist agendas.

Many of these critiques misunderstand the depth and purpose of equity work, while some raise perfectly important challenges that EDI leaders should reflect on. I think a much deeper understanding is essential for anyone engaging in this space, both those who support EDI and those questioning it to move forward with greater clarity, purpose, and mutual respect.

So how do we navigate pushback? Here are my reflections:

Working in the field of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and in my role, specifically focusing on race and religion, is incredibly rewarding, but it comes with its own challenges, which I personally find helpful in helping me understand better and reassess how I help people. It is particularly interesting when faced with resistance or pushback because these challenges can manifest in many forms, from scepticism about the value of the work to outright dismissal of lived experiences.

As someone who left the teaching profession because I knew, and have known, for many years education has much work to do in race equity and understanding faith communities better, I have been very grateful to have been working closely with some of the most inspiring school leaders, but I want to share some personal reflections on these challenges.

The goal isn’t to point fingers and I don’t know anyone who has that intention. My intentions are to foster understanding and open the door for more honest, respectful conversations, even if we disagree, about how we can all contribute to creating better, more inclusive workplaces. That’s the bottom line. More importantly for the benefit of doing right by the children and communities we serve and care about.

  1. The Struggle to be Heard: Questioning Experience and Expertise
    One of the most frustrating aspects of EDI work is when your expertise or lived experience is questioned. The very people who are often asked to speak out about racism, exclusion, or marginalisation are met with scepticism about the validity of their experiences. It’s important to remember that for many of us in this space, we’re not just speaking from academic knowledge, we’re also sharing the experiences of colleagues, friends, and family members who face these challenges daily but often feel too unsafe to speak up. The real cost of these discussions is often invisible, but it is crucial to acknowledge and respect the lived experiences behind them.
  2. The Burden of Proof: Constantly Justifying Your Claims
    Another significant problem is the expectation to constantly “prove” the validity of what you’re saying. I’ve often found myself in situations where even after providing clear evidence, whether it’s research, statistics, or firsthand accounts, the response is to ask for more proof or dismiss the evidence entirely. This can be incredibly discouraging, as it implies that the experience or evidence being shared isn’t worthy of consideration. It’s essential that we move beyond the need for endless validation and start acknowledging the lived realities of those who have been marginalised.
  3. The Dismissal of Personal Experience
    Personal stories and experiences are powerful tools for change, yet they’re often dismissed as “emotional,” “biased,” or “misunderstood.” Phrases like “You would say that, wouldn’t you?” or “I think you misunderstood” can undermine the point of the conversation. We have to recognise that personal stories are not just anecdotes, they are a crucial part of understanding the broader systemic issues. When these stories are minimised or invalidated, we lose an opportunity to connect and find solutions to problems behind the issues.
  4. Political Labels: Don’t Pigeonhole EDI Advocates
    One of the challenges of working in EDI is the tendency to be pigeonholed into a political category. People often try to label EDI advocates as “left-leaning” or “activists,” which oversimplifies our perspectives. The reality is many of us don’t fit neatly into these boxes. In fact, some of us have experienced racism from self-proclaimed liberals or left-leaning individuals. EDI advocates come from diverse backgrounds and political ideologies, just as people with racist views do and it’s important to respect that there is diversity of thought amongst all groups. The work we do is not about political affiliation, it’s about creating spaces where everyone can thrive.
  5. Race and Religion: The Topics We Often Avoid
    Why have I focused on these two protected characteristics? Not only can I relate to them, I also know many real stories of discrimination that have and still prevent people from enjoying a fulfilling career or school experience. While all protected characteristics are important, there is a consistent pattern where discussions around race and religion are either avoided or deprioritised. This is often a silent issue in many workplaces where conversations about race or religion are treated as uncomfortable or taboo. This lack of focus on these critical issues only perpetuates the marginalisation of those who experience racial or religious discrimination. So that is why it’s vital that we prioritise these conversations (where it is needed) and create environments where they can happen openly and without fear of retaliation.
  6. Allyship and Accountability: Why It Matters
    The concept of allyship often makes some leaders uncomfortable because it involves acknowledging their own role in creating change and can feel threatening. But the truth is, we cannot continue to rely on ethnically minoritised individuals to bear the burden of EDI work. Leaders, especially those with power and influence, must be held accountable for creating inclusive environments. If leadership doesn’t take responsibility for EDI efforts, progress will always be limited. True allyship involves accountability, and it’s time for those in power to step up and lead effectively and that is where my energy lies and why allyship is needed.
  7. The Impact of Racism on Well-Being: It’s Not Exaggerated
    Another reality that often gets overlooked is the profound impact that discrimination can have on an individual’s health and well-being. Many people who speak out about their experiences with racism or discrimination do so at great personal risk. For some, the consequences are dire stress-related illnesses such as heart disease or high blood pressure are not uncommon. This isn’t an exaggeration. When individuals are forced to endure toxic work environments for years, it takes a toll on their mental and physical health. Recognising this harm is essential to making meaningful progress in the EDI space.
  8. Stereotyping EDI Advocates: A Misunderstanding
    A common stereotype about those working in EDI is that they are “ideologically rigid” or predominantly neurodivergent. This stereotype not only undermines the professionalism and rigour of EDI work, but it also perpetuates a harmful narrative about those who are dedicated to creating inclusive spaces. EDI work is not about rigid ideology, it’s about fostering environments that allow everyone to thrive, regardless of background. Reducing EDI practitioners to one-dimensional labels only serves to dismiss the complexity of the work and its importance.
  9. Racism Is Political: It Doesn’t Stay Out of the Workplace
    Some critics argue that EDI work is too political. But the reality is that racism and discrimination are inherently political, they are driven by policies, social norms, and cultural attitudes that affect every part of society, including the workplace. The influence of politics doesn’t stop at the doors of the office. National and local political agendas that perpetuate racism and discrimination impact everyone, including employees. It’s crucial that we understand the broader societal forces at play and work to mitigate their effects in our organisations instead of ignoring them and again, expecting racially minoritised people to take the brunt of the negativity.
  10. Creating Space for Open Conversations
    Ultimately, tension and conflict within EDI spaces often arise when open, honest conversations aren’t welcomed or facilitated. For everyone to thrive in an organisation, we need to create spaces where all voices can be heard, where differences are respected, and where leadership is willing to listen, learn, and adapt. It’s only when we build good relations with one another and trust each other that we can truly work efficiently and inclusively.

Conclusion: A Call for Action
EDI work is not easy, but it is necessary. The challenges we face in navigating resistance, misunderstanding, and pushback are real, but they shouldn’t deter us from our mission. We need to keep the conversation going, foster empathy, and encourage leadership to take responsibility. Only then can we begin to create workplaces that are truly inclusive and equitable for everyone. This is not the time to cave into push back, this is the time to embrace and push back with something better, with collective strength, kindness and sustained commitment.

by Hannah Wilson

Ten years of ‘No Outsiders’ assemblies: driving inclusion at a whole school level

Andrew Moffat portrait

Written by Andrew Moffat

Andrew Moffat has been teaching for 25 years and is currently PD Lead at Excelsior MAT. He is the author of “No Outsiders in our school: Teaching the Equality Act in Primary Schools” and “No Outsiders: everyone different, everyone welcome”. In 2017 Andrew was awarded a MBE for services to equality and diversity in education and in 2019 he was listed as a top ten finalist in the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize.

No Outsiders assemblies are 10 years old this month! Hooray! This is amazing – it’s gone by in a flash and I can remember each one like it was only yesterday … all 693 of them and with over 300,000 views.

The point of a No Outsiders assembly is to make the ethos real. The No Outsiders scheme is based on 43 picture books with a progression of lesson plans written for children in Reception to Year 6. The picture books are great; I’m using some wonderful authors and classic reads in there. Some of the picture books are based on real life stories, but it’s still different to discussing a photo taken of a real person in the last week. 

I realized in the early days of introducing the scheme in my school, that the lesson plans were not enough. You can’t build a whole school ethos on 6 lesson plans in each year group spread over the year; you need a weekly inclusion injection. Assemblies are the way to do this – everyone together discussing and driving the inclusive narrative. My aim was to find interesting current pictures to discuss with children and find ways to reach a ‘No Outsiders’ conclusion: “That’s why we say there are no outsiders here- everyone is welcome.” The assemblies became a key driver in our effort to develop the inclusive language and understanding. Everyone attended the weekly assemblies, and I encouraged staff to comment and relate to their own experiences in front of the children. Furthermore, as all the teachers were in the assembly, they would be referencing it throughout the week with their class.

I was worried when I first started doing the assemblies that we were summarising with the same sort of conclusion every week and I was reflecting whether children might get bored and start blandly replying, “No Outsiders” to every question, but it never happened. Even so, I started thinking about better questions and discussions; foster empathy skills and critical thinking; get a debate going with the children- ‘why does that person think that?’ and give them space to consider new and different ideas to their own. 

Oracy changed everything. I remember attending an oracy inset at my school in about 2021 and it was a game changer. The oracy lead at the time suggested we worked together and used No Outsiders assemblies to teach oracy and it was a perfect solution to both our aims. 

The aim in oracy is to teach children to speak; to use sentence stems and articulate their feelings; to agree and disagree. Disagreeing is ok as long as you disagree respectfully. This was key for No Outsiders because I could put in to practice this idea that different opinions were ok as long as you voiced them with respect and non-judgement. The ability to hold two points of view and balance opinions has always been central to a no outsiders ethos- I’m not teaching children what to think; rather I am teaching children to think. Now, using oracy, I had strategies and literally scripts (sentence stems) that I could use to encourage children to see other points of view and articulate those points of view in a reasoned manner, without necessarily agreeing with those points of view.

The first No Outsiders assembly was published on June 27th 2015. Looking back at my first attempt., it’s very different to the No Outsiders assemblies I am publishing today. It’s short, there are few questions and there is no attempt at recognising different points of view. Still, it’s a good first attempt and interesting to see how far we have come since June 2015.

Here it is (June 27th 2015): https://no-outsiders-assembly.blogspot.com/2015/06/assembly-picture-1-british-values.html

The picture shows a hand holding an old photo at chest height of an army squad. The focus is on the photo and the medals pinned to the jacket of the person holding up the photo. We can’t see their face.

Our activity:

Sword Beach, France Normandy veteran Alan King, from the Norwich and District NVA, holds a photo of himself (front second left) and his comrades from B Company taken on VE Day 1945, as dozens of British veterans made a cross-Channel pilgrimage to Normandy to honour the legacy of comrades killed in the D-Day landings 71 years ago. Photograph: Jonathan Brady/PA

  • Who is this man?
  • Why does he wear medals?
  • Who do you think is in the photo he holds?
  • What happened on June  6th 1944?
  • Why does Alan King want this photo to be seen?
  • What do you think are his feelings about that time?

The obvious change over the last 10 years is the development of questions. I would still use the photo today but if I were writing this assembly in 2025, the questioning would be completely different. Here’s a plan using the same picture but ten years on. The questions to ask the children use italics. 

Our activity:

  • What do you see in the picture? What do you think this story is about?
  • There are two pictures here, how do you think they are related?

The photo shows Alan King who is a France Normandy Veteran.

  • What is a Veteran?
  • What does “France Normandy” mean – what famous event happened on the beaches at Normandy in WW2?

Alan holds a picture showing his comrades, taken on VE day in 1945. Alan is in the picture on the front row, second left.

  • Why do you think Alan is holding this picture?
  • What is VE day, what does it stand for and what happened on that day?
  • We can’t see Alan’s face in the photo today; we just see his medals and the old Alan in the photo he holds. Why do you think the photographer chose to do this?
  • Do you think the photographer should have sown Alan’s face? What are the arguments for and against this decision?

This photo of Alan was taken in 2015 as dozens of veterans crossed the English channel to Normandy to honour the legacy of comrades killed in the D-Day landings on June 6th 1944.

  • What were the D-Day landings, what happened on that day?
  • Why do you think veterans chose to make the crossing again 71 years later?
    • On the day in 1944 how many people do you think were involved in the crossing? (there were 175,000 soldiers involved.) Why only dozens today?
  • Why do we still remember that time when it was so long ago? Why not forget about it?
  • What can we learn from Alan?
  • Why is this about No Outsiders?
  • Which British value is this about?

I love the questions about the focus of the image- why can’t we see Alan’s face? This is a great debate, and we can encourage pupils to think about and articulate both sides of the argument using sentence stems such as:

  • “I would like to start by saying…”
  •  “I can see both sides: on the one hand, ___________, on the other…”
  • “One argument might be…”
  • “Building on…”
  • “That’s an interesting point, have you thought about…”

Today I always end my assemblies with the two questions, “Why is this about No Outsiders?” and, “Which British value is this about?” to ground the discussion in our school and link it back to the experience of the children in school. 

So, how should I finish this ten year anniversary blog post? It can only be to choose 5 of my favourite assemblies. It’s an impossible task to choose 5 out of over 500 so I will select 5 assemblies that reflected key events at the time. A key strength of these assemblies is I can write them quickly in response to any news event that I think schools need to talk about. I can respond right away, and schools can use the resource the next day. 

1 – The death of Queen Elizabeth II

The photo shows thousands of people congregating outside Buckingham Palace.

I struggled at first to think of an angle that linked to No Outsiders and then when commentators kept referring to the stability and constant presence that the Queen represented in their lives, I realised my focus could be on how equality laws and attitudes have changed while she was on the throne and also how people from different backgrounds felt the same way about her. This assembly is by far the most viewed assembly of the last ten years. https://no-outsiders-assembly.blogspot.com/2022/09/queen-elizabeth-ii-1926-2022.html

I did meet the Queen in 2017 when I received a MBE. I had about one minute with her, and she asked what I did in school. I told her what No Outsiders was aiming for and how we taught it in schools – I got in the protected characteristics and British Values! I think she didn’t quite know what to say at first and my boyfriend in the audience who was watching said you could see her concentrating and thinking of a reply. Then she said, “Very important for all our futures, I should think.”

2 – England losing the Euros final 2024

The photo shows Gareth Southgate in a kit on a pitch cheering. The impression is he has just scored a goal.

The Euro final between England and Spain was held on a Sunday evening in July 2024 and I knew that the game was going to be the only topic of conversation in school the next day. It had to be the theme for the Monday morning assembly, but I didn’t want to be writing an assembly at 10:00 on a Sunday evening about the result. I needed an assembly that could be used in schools the next day regardless of the result. 

I found a fantastic article on radio 4 about Gareth Southgate and a speech he gives to the players in the changing room before every match. In the speech, Gareth talks about what it means to be English and about Pride in the game. He also says this:

“I am the England men’s football team manager. I have a responsibility to the wider community to use my voice and so do the players. It’s their duty to interact with the public on matters such as equality, inclusivity, racial injustice, while using the power of their voices to help put debates on the table; to raise awareness and educate.”

A Head teacher contacted me after using this assembly to say it visibly lifted the children on Monday morning after they came in despondent and disappointed because of the result. That was exactly the response I hope for. This assembly became the third most viewed of the ten years.

3 – General elections

The photo shows Prime Minister Theresa May standing alongside Lord Bucket Head at the count in her constituency for the general election.

General elections give us a wonderful opportunity to talk about British values and this picture from 2017 says it all. It’s a perfect vehicle to get children discussing democracy and how it works. 

The assembly also referenced Mr Fish Finger who stood in Westmorland and Lonsdale.  Questions to consider included:

  • 37,469 more people voted for Theresa May than voted for Lord Buckethead; why?
  • Do you think Lord Buckethead and Mr Fishfinger wanted to win?
  • Why do you think Mr Fishfinger and Lord Buckethead stood for election?
  • Some people voted for either Mr Fishfinger or Lord Buckethead. Did their votes count? Why?
  • Should Lord Buckethead and Mr Fishfinger be allowed to take part in elections? What would happen if they won?
  • What does this story demonstrate about democracy in the UK?
  • Why is this about No Outsiders?

4 – Fish and Chips

The photo shows Gary Lineker in a cafe tucking in to a plate of fish and chips.

When the horrific violence against refugees erupted last summer in Southport and across the country, I published assemblies for schools to use when they returned in September. In the autumn term 2024 I was invited by a school in Southport to deliver No Outsiders training to their staff. Five other local schools joined the training and the local police also came. 

This assembly was a direct response to any voices arguing refugees are not welcome, by making clear how England has benefitted from refugees. In a short video, Gary Lineker celebrates National Fish and Chip day, by asking where all the food on his plate originates.

I recently asked the Head Teacher of the school where I delivered training to reflect on the impact of that training a year later and here is his response: 

“The No Outsiders programme has had a huge impact at our school. The assemblies are fresh, relevant and provide wonderful opportunities for interactive assemblies that cover vital issues. In addition, the units of work for classrooms provide a depth of discussion that has really improved provision at our school. The programme has been embraced by the whole school community and is one of the most positive things we have undertaken in the last few years.”

5 – Start of a school year

The photo shows a sky dive formation involving 113 people making a flower shape in the sky.

The most re-used assembly of the last ten years has placed this one as the second most viewed overall. It’s perfect for the first assembly of a new school year. I find small ways to update it every time I repost, but the essence remains the same. It uses a photo of a world record flower formation skydive performed by an international crew and asks what is the impact when people of different nationality, gender, religion etc work together. Why don’t all the black sky divers stay together, and the white sky divers stay together? The flower formation took 13 attempts to get right; why didn’t they give up after 5?

There’s also a lone figure top left who is not part of the formation – who are they, what are they doing? What do you think people are shouting to them? My most recent update included questions about how the photo was taken- from what angle and form where? And how long would the divers have to make the formation? What can we learn from them?

https://ks1no-outsiders-assembly.blogspot.com/2024/09/start-of-school-year.html

I want to say thank you to anyone who has used a No Outsiders assembly over the last ten years and also to anyone who has got in touch to give feedback. I can’t see a time when I won’t be writing and publishing these assemblies; I think I’ll be writing them long after I am retired! The assemblies still give me joy both to write and deliver, and when things get challenging in the world outside, they give me hope. These assemblies are my way of saying “It’s going to be ok – we can get through this together. Together we are strong.”

Here’s to the next ten years. Cheers!

Signposting: 

No Outsiders assemblies are published weekly free to access on the No Outsiders website www.no-outsiders.com

Andrew Moffat also sends assemblies in powerpoint form to schools on a mailing list each week. To join the free mailing list and receive the power points, contact Andrew on his school email a.moffat@excelsiormat.org

by Hannah Wilson

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