Teachers 208,000 12,100* 5.8
Table 2 BAME Representation in Primary Maintained Schools (2014) – DfE (2015c)
Secondary Maintained Schools
In 2014, just 7,800 out of 120,000 (6.5%) of LA maintained secondary teachers were from
BAME backgrounds. However, representation is even lower in senior leadership roles, with
only 630 out of 8,000 (7.9%) secondary heads from ethnic minorities.
SECONDARY MAINTAINED SCHOOLS
2014
Total (all
ethnic
groups)
Current BAME
Representation*
%
Head Teachers 8,000 630* 7.9
Engaging all young people in meaningful learning after 16 a review Dr Lendy Spires
This document provides a review of literature and stakeholder interviews on barriers to young people engaging in learning after age 16 and ways to improve engagement. It finds that young people face personal, institutional, and situational barriers that can cause gradual disengagement from learning. These include lack of motivation, poor teaching, and family or financial issues. The review suggests ways to improve engagement, such as better communication, more flexible options, and additional support for vulnerable groups. The goal is to inform policy and practice to ensure all young people can succeed in meaningful learning by 2015.
The survey gathered ideas from people in the Middle East and North Africa on how to forge a new partnership with Europe. Over 70,000 people were invited to participate and 25,184 submitted proposals and evaluations. The six most common themes identified were education, cultural exchange, youth empowerment, economic cooperation, human rights, and democracy development. Participants felt strongly that education reform and youth issues should be top priorities for cooperation, while acknowledging the need to respect cultural differences. They saw opportunities for partnership in areas like job creation, cultural understanding, and sharing best practices in governance.
This document provides guidance on addressing concerns about culture when promoting gender equality in development initiatives. It discusses the complex relationship between culture and gender, noting that cultures are not static and contain a diversity of views. While cultural sensitivity is important, culture alone does not justify discrimination. Development initiatives inevitably impact culture, so neutrality is not possible - the focus should be on promoting equality and empowerment.
Women in governance_Global_Classrooms_2014almusociales
The document discusses the Commission on the Status of Women's 57th session held from March 4-15, 2013. It includes speeches from the Chair, Vice President of the Economic and Social Council, and Michelle Bachelet on the topics of violence against women, gender equality, and the need for global solutions and national implementation to address discrimination. The document also provides biographical information about Michelle Bachelet, highlighting her background and roles as President of Chile.
Qualitative Study of Barriers to Educational Attainmentahmad yuhanna
This document summarizes a study on the social and psychological barriers to educational attainment faced by working class adult males. It conducted group sessions with over 10 participants to qualitatively analyze their experiences. The study found that many over 25 view returning to education as limiting rather than advancing potential due to an "us vs them" mindset. It also found that low expectations, whether self-inflicted or institutional, have contributed to past and may affect future academic achievement for those from low-income households in deprived areas. The document recommends alternative learning programs tailored to individuals and a coaching/mentoring program to promote interest in learning and the value of education.
1. The document summarizes a summit on cross-continental cooperation in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia focused on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals in Africa. Representatives from African governments, universities, and organizations discussed challenges in achieving the goals and a path forward.
2. Key topics included considerable progress in Ethiopia but remaining challenges like poverty, the need to think beyond the 2015 timeline for the goals, and how to address issues like weak leadership in achieving long-term development in Africa.
3. INISE gave a presentation on supporting marginalized communities in Africa through partnership with Europe, which was well received with interest in potential collaboration.
This document summarizes a paper about rethinking good and bad jobs in Glasgow. It discusses how good jobs in creative industries like TV and film can actually be bad for some workers due to inequalities. Even supposedly bad jobs in retail and hospitality can be good for middle class students, but lone parents and unemployed workers face difficulties getting these jobs due to lack of flexibility and "soft skills" favored by employers. The paper concludes that both good and bad jobs will persist, and better understanding of job quality is needed to improve policies around job creation and reducing inequalities.
Engaging all young people in meaningful learning after 16 a review Dr Lendy Spires
This document provides a review of literature and stakeholder interviews on barriers to young people engaging in learning after age 16 and ways to improve engagement. It finds that young people face personal, institutional, and situational barriers that can cause gradual disengagement from learning. These include lack of motivation, poor teaching, and family or financial issues. The review suggests ways to improve engagement, such as better communication, more flexible options, and additional support for vulnerable groups. The goal is to inform policy and practice to ensure all young people can succeed in meaningful learning by 2015.
The survey gathered ideas from people in the Middle East and North Africa on how to forge a new partnership with Europe. Over 70,000 people were invited to participate and 25,184 submitted proposals and evaluations. The six most common themes identified were education, cultural exchange, youth empowerment, economic cooperation, human rights, and democracy development. Participants felt strongly that education reform and youth issues should be top priorities for cooperation, while acknowledging the need to respect cultural differences. They saw opportunities for partnership in areas like job creation, cultural understanding, and sharing best practices in governance.
This document provides guidance on addressing concerns about culture when promoting gender equality in development initiatives. It discusses the complex relationship between culture and gender, noting that cultures are not static and contain a diversity of views. While cultural sensitivity is important, culture alone does not justify discrimination. Development initiatives inevitably impact culture, so neutrality is not possible - the focus should be on promoting equality and empowerment.
Women in governance_Global_Classrooms_2014almusociales
The document discusses the Commission on the Status of Women's 57th session held from March 4-15, 2013. It includes speeches from the Chair, Vice President of the Economic and Social Council, and Michelle Bachelet on the topics of violence against women, gender equality, and the need for global solutions and national implementation to address discrimination. The document also provides biographical information about Michelle Bachelet, highlighting her background and roles as President of Chile.
Qualitative Study of Barriers to Educational Attainmentahmad yuhanna
This document summarizes a study on the social and psychological barriers to educational attainment faced by working class adult males. It conducted group sessions with over 10 participants to qualitatively analyze their experiences. The study found that many over 25 view returning to education as limiting rather than advancing potential due to an "us vs them" mindset. It also found that low expectations, whether self-inflicted or institutional, have contributed to past and may affect future academic achievement for those from low-income households in deprived areas. The document recommends alternative learning programs tailored to individuals and a coaching/mentoring program to promote interest in learning and the value of education.
1. The document summarizes a summit on cross-continental cooperation in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia focused on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals in Africa. Representatives from African governments, universities, and organizations discussed challenges in achieving the goals and a path forward.
2. Key topics included considerable progress in Ethiopia but remaining challenges like poverty, the need to think beyond the 2015 timeline for the goals, and how to address issues like weak leadership in achieving long-term development in Africa.
3. INISE gave a presentation on supporting marginalized communities in Africa through partnership with Europe, which was well received with interest in potential collaboration.
This document summarizes a paper about rethinking good and bad jobs in Glasgow. It discusses how good jobs in creative industries like TV and film can actually be bad for some workers due to inequalities. Even supposedly bad jobs in retail and hospitality can be good for middle class students, but lone parents and unemployed workers face difficulties getting these jobs due to lack of flexibility and "soft skills" favored by employers. The paper concludes that both good and bad jobs will persist, and better understanding of job quality is needed to improve policies around job creation and reducing inequalities.
Turkey has a population of around 77 million people, with 25 million under the age of 25. Official unemployment is 10%, but unofficial unemployment is around 15%, with youth unemployment at around 25%. Reasons for high youth unemployment include a lack of job experience, problems with the educational system and foreign language skills, low salaries, and issues with Kurdish populations. While the government supports youth entrepreneurship through founding programs, bureaucracy makes the process of starting a business complicated. Additionally, older generations in Turkey still tend to distrust youth and see them as irresponsible and not caring about important traditions and religion, leading to generational conflicts.
APEGGA and Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta signed a historic memorandum of agreement to improve educational outcomes for First Nations youth. The agreement aims to increase the number of First Nations people entering engineering and geoscience professions by exposing Aboriginal youth to careers in these fields and encouraging them to study math and science. APEGGA volunteers will mentor Aboriginal youth and visit schools in Treaty 8 communities to foster interest in these subjects. Both organizations hope this partnership opens new doors of opportunity for First Nations youth.
A bottom-up approach to employment: an example of good practice. sophieproject
Report: A bottom-up approach to employment: an example of good practice by Lucia Bosáková. Published by the WHO Country office in Slovakia, Bratislava, 2013
An Exploration of Programmes Offered by Universities in Lesotho and how they ...ijtsrd
Lesotho is an under developed economy and faces challenges of the HIV AIDS pandemic, political instability, high poverty levels, high unemployment rate, high public expenditure, declining revenues and inequalities. The country has got three universities. This study sought to analyse the programmes offered by the universities and how they contribute to the development of the national fiscal and establish gaps that need to be filled. The study is explorative and investigative and uses qualitative analysis of the data. Tawanda Mukurunge | Takura Bhila "An Exploration of Programmes Offered by Universities in Lesotho and how they Align with the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP), Agenda 2063 and Strategic Development Goals (SDGs)" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-3 | Issue-1 , December 2018, URL: http://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd20243.pdf
http://www.ijtsrd.com/management/other/20243/an-exploration-of-programmes-offered-by-universities-in-lesotho-and-how-they-align-with-the-national-strategic-development-plan-nsdp-agenda-2063-and-strategic-development-goals-sdgs/tawanda-mukurunge
This document presents the Cross-Cultural Interlink Model, which aims to identify converging cultural dimensions between three disparate countries/regions to increase international business opportunities and economic development. The model involves a catalyst region (Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada), Country A (chosen as South Korea due to its shipbuilding expertise), and Country B (chosen as Sierra Leone, a post-conflict country). Cultural dimensions are measured using Hofstede's model to find convergence, with the goal of developing recruitment strategies and preparing for increased immigration. The model aims to connect these three disparate entities through increasing skilled labor migration from Country A to the catalyst region, utilizing its underdeveloped shipbuilding industry, while also providing opportunities for Country
Co-Constructing Democratic Knowledge for Social Justice: Lessons from an Inte...iBoP Asia
This document summarizes a paper about the Development Research Centre on Citizenship, Participation and Accountability (DRC), an international research collaboration between universities and think tanks from over 20 countries. The DRC aimed to better understand challenges to democracy and social justice globally and produce new knowledge on citizenship and democracy practices. Key lessons from the DRC's decade of collaborative work include the value of: (1) co-constructing knowledge with collaborators, (2) linking different forms of knowledge over time, (3) linking research to action, (4) connecting research on democracy to democratic pedagogies, and (5) researchers' role in empowering collaborators. These lessons provide an approach for universities to address complex problems
HP recognizes the importance of gender equity and investing in women. They have many programs to support women, including research, university partnerships, grants for STEM education, and supporting organizations that help female entrepreneurs. HP has also partnered with UNESCO and others on projects to increase access to education in developing countries and reduce brain drain in Africa.
The document discusses how remittances impact the capacity of Bangladeshi youth to aspire by exploring how remittances influence education, occupation, and migration aspirations, finding that while remittances increase opportunities, norms strongly circumscribe aspirations, especially for females. It calls for programs to help youth leverage remittances for skills and mainstreaming female participation in development.
Diversity in the Public Sector Report FINALSamuel Steel
This report examines representation of ethnic minorities in leadership positions within the UK public sector. After surveying over 500 public sector organizations and identifying over 2,600 senior leaders, the report found that just 3.5% of leaders were from non-white ethnic minority backgrounds. Most government departments, agencies, and public bodies lacked visible ethnic minority representation, especially at senior levels. The report concludes that the public sector is lagging the private sector in diversity and recommends initiatives to address this, such as mentoring programs, outreach efforts, and increasing entry-level opportunities.
The International Federation of Business and Professional Women is an influential international network of business and professional women from over 90 countries in 5 continents with Consultative Status at ECOSOC/United Nations. Founded in 1930, BPW International develops the professional, leadership and business potential of women on all levels through our mentoring, networking, skill building and economic empowerment programs and projects around the world. Visit our websites at: www.bpw-international.org and bpw-europe.org
Publikácia popisuje prípadovú štúdiu stupňovitého zamestnávania Rómov, ktorú už niekoľko rokov realizuje US Steel v Košiciach, jej autorkou je Ing. Lucia Bosáková, PhD.
The publication describes a case study on intervention aiming to increase employability of population living in Roma settlements, its author is Lucia Bosakova.
Iowa Virtual Literacy Initiative HandoutLinda Kelly
The document discusses the need to equip adults with low literacy skills for future work readiness through virtual literacy programs. It notes that as many as 90 million U.S. adults lack sufficient literacy skills for today's workplace. The Iowa Virtual Literacy Initiative is piloting virtual literacy technology and methods within employment training programs to prepare adult learners with low literacy for future work readiness by reducing timeframes and increasing completion rates. The initiative aims to address literacy needs of populations including low-skilled workers, unemployed individuals, immigrants, incarcerated individuals, and others.
Ethnic entrepreneurship case study- amsterdamThink Ethnic
This document provides background information on ethnic entrepreneurship in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It discusses the ethnic composition of Amsterdam's population, which in 2009 was 50% Dutch and 50% immigrants, including 15% from Western countries and 35% from non-Western countries. The top five non-Western immigrant groups in Amsterdam are Moroccan, Turkish, Surinamese, Antillean, and Aruban. The document also provides an introduction to the research questions that will be examined regarding ethnic entrepreneurship profiles, barriers faced, policies implemented, and their impacts.
Equal Pay Day is an international awareness campaign of BPW Business and Professional women International. It has been started in 2008 by BPW Germany and is no going around the world to close the Gender Pay Gap. The average pay gap in Europe is still 16 %.
This presentation shows the activities of all the federations and clubs of BPW Europe. Europe is largest region of BPW International with appr. 20000 members.
The International Federation of Business and Professional Women is an influential international network of business and professional women from over 96 countries in 5 continents with Consultative Status at ECOSOC/United Nations. Founded in 1930, BPW International develops the professional, leadership and business potential of women on all levels through mentoring, networking, skill building and economic empowerment programs and projects around the world. Visit our websites at: www.bpw-international.org and bpw-europe.org
Essential Skills Ontario released its 2011/2012 annual report highlighting its work over the past year and celebrating its 25th anniversary. Some key accomplishments included redesigning its strategy and changing its name to Essential Skills Ontario to better reflect the essential skills needed for life and work. It also published influential research reports such as "Menial No More" which sparked discussions about preparing Ontario's workforce. The annual report provides an overview of Essential Skills Ontario's strategic focus areas including evidence-driven research, communities of purpose, and commitment to innovation to support adult learners in gaining essential skills.
The environment and conservation professions are among the least diverse in the UK. Yet people of colour and racially or ethnically marginalised groups are often the most affected by the climate crisis, and its intersecting challenges.
We won’t solve the climate crisis with the same people and thinking that created it; we need new voices in the room.
This isn’t a handbook, but a case study to help you initiate conversations on diversity, equity and inclusion in your own organisation. We are not the experts in this work, so we have also signposted you to those who are, and the services that are necessary for inclusivity and diversity in the climate movement.
2018-2019 Community Living Ontario Annual ReportMarwa Osman
The annual report summarizes Community Living Ontario's activities from 2018-2019. It highlights that buildings across Ontario were lit up blue and green for Community Living Month in May 2019. The report provides statistics on Community Living Ontario's impact, including that it supports over 12,000 members across 105 local associations. It also outlines Community Living Ontario's strategic priorities and key initiatives for supporting people with intellectual disabilities, such as mentoring programs, employment initiatives, and advocacy efforts.
Community Living Ontario is a non-profit provincial association.
For over 65 years, we have worked with people who have an intellectual disability, their families and our 100+ members.
We proudly collaborate with them and our national and international counterparts to ensure that people who have an intellectual disability live in a state of dignity and share in all elements of living in the community.
Social Mobility Evidence - Lords Select CommitteeKen Uché
This document provides evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on the social mobility challenges young people face in transitioning from school to work. It summarizes the findings of a focus group conducted with Youth Ambassadors aged 16-24 via Facebook. The focus group found that the most significant barriers to social mobility included complicated application processes, lack of networking opportunities, and lack of work experience from a young age. For those not following academic routes, challenges included a lack of support from the education system and negative perceptions of alternative pathways. The document recommends that the government and education institutions do more to foster career networks for young people and support alternative pathways to increase social mobility opportunities.
The document proposes policies for the next Mayor of London to address poverty in the city. It summarizes that over 2 million Londoners live in poverty despite London being one of the richest cities in the world. The policies focus on childhood, education, and family support. The Mayor has some limited powers but can champion causes to impact low-income households. Some key proposals include campaigning for higher quality and affordable childcare, continuing efforts to close the educational attainment gap, integrating leadership of the education system, and establishing family hubs to support parents and children.
The document proposes policies for the London mayoral candidates to address poverty in London. Over 2 million Londoners live in poverty. It recommends that the next Mayor champion high quality and affordable childcare, continue efforts to close the educational attainment gap, integrate leadership of the education system, and establish family support hubs. For working age Londoners, it suggests improving employment services to focus on earnings and job progression, using procurement to create jobs for disadvantaged youth, and advocating for the London Living Wage. The Mayor has powers to champion causes that impact low-income households and promote inclusive economic growth.
Turkey has a population of around 77 million people, with 25 million under the age of 25. Official unemployment is 10%, but unofficial unemployment is around 15%, with youth unemployment at around 25%. Reasons for high youth unemployment include a lack of job experience, problems with the educational system and foreign language skills, low salaries, and issues with Kurdish populations. While the government supports youth entrepreneurship through founding programs, bureaucracy makes the process of starting a business complicated. Additionally, older generations in Turkey still tend to distrust youth and see them as irresponsible and not caring about important traditions and religion, leading to generational conflicts.
APEGGA and Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta signed a historic memorandum of agreement to improve educational outcomes for First Nations youth. The agreement aims to increase the number of First Nations people entering engineering and geoscience professions by exposing Aboriginal youth to careers in these fields and encouraging them to study math and science. APEGGA volunteers will mentor Aboriginal youth and visit schools in Treaty 8 communities to foster interest in these subjects. Both organizations hope this partnership opens new doors of opportunity for First Nations youth.
A bottom-up approach to employment: an example of good practice. sophieproject
Report: A bottom-up approach to employment: an example of good practice by Lucia Bosáková. Published by the WHO Country office in Slovakia, Bratislava, 2013
An Exploration of Programmes Offered by Universities in Lesotho and how they ...ijtsrd
Lesotho is an under developed economy and faces challenges of the HIV AIDS pandemic, political instability, high poverty levels, high unemployment rate, high public expenditure, declining revenues and inequalities. The country has got three universities. This study sought to analyse the programmes offered by the universities and how they contribute to the development of the national fiscal and establish gaps that need to be filled. The study is explorative and investigative and uses qualitative analysis of the data. Tawanda Mukurunge | Takura Bhila "An Exploration of Programmes Offered by Universities in Lesotho and how they Align with the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP), Agenda 2063 and Strategic Development Goals (SDGs)" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-3 | Issue-1 , December 2018, URL: http://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd20243.pdf
http://www.ijtsrd.com/management/other/20243/an-exploration-of-programmes-offered-by-universities-in-lesotho-and-how-they-align-with-the-national-strategic-development-plan-nsdp-agenda-2063-and-strategic-development-goals-sdgs/tawanda-mukurunge
This document presents the Cross-Cultural Interlink Model, which aims to identify converging cultural dimensions between three disparate countries/regions to increase international business opportunities and economic development. The model involves a catalyst region (Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada), Country A (chosen as South Korea due to its shipbuilding expertise), and Country B (chosen as Sierra Leone, a post-conflict country). Cultural dimensions are measured using Hofstede's model to find convergence, with the goal of developing recruitment strategies and preparing for increased immigration. The model aims to connect these three disparate entities through increasing skilled labor migration from Country A to the catalyst region, utilizing its underdeveloped shipbuilding industry, while also providing opportunities for Country
Co-Constructing Democratic Knowledge for Social Justice: Lessons from an Inte...iBoP Asia
This document summarizes a paper about the Development Research Centre on Citizenship, Participation and Accountability (DRC), an international research collaboration between universities and think tanks from over 20 countries. The DRC aimed to better understand challenges to democracy and social justice globally and produce new knowledge on citizenship and democracy practices. Key lessons from the DRC's decade of collaborative work include the value of: (1) co-constructing knowledge with collaborators, (2) linking different forms of knowledge over time, (3) linking research to action, (4) connecting research on democracy to democratic pedagogies, and (5) researchers' role in empowering collaborators. These lessons provide an approach for universities to address complex problems
HP recognizes the importance of gender equity and investing in women. They have many programs to support women, including research, university partnerships, grants for STEM education, and supporting organizations that help female entrepreneurs. HP has also partnered with UNESCO and others on projects to increase access to education in developing countries and reduce brain drain in Africa.
The document discusses how remittances impact the capacity of Bangladeshi youth to aspire by exploring how remittances influence education, occupation, and migration aspirations, finding that while remittances increase opportunities, norms strongly circumscribe aspirations, especially for females. It calls for programs to help youth leverage remittances for skills and mainstreaming female participation in development.
Diversity in the Public Sector Report FINALSamuel Steel
This report examines representation of ethnic minorities in leadership positions within the UK public sector. After surveying over 500 public sector organizations and identifying over 2,600 senior leaders, the report found that just 3.5% of leaders were from non-white ethnic minority backgrounds. Most government departments, agencies, and public bodies lacked visible ethnic minority representation, especially at senior levels. The report concludes that the public sector is lagging the private sector in diversity and recommends initiatives to address this, such as mentoring programs, outreach efforts, and increasing entry-level opportunities.
The International Federation of Business and Professional Women is an influential international network of business and professional women from over 90 countries in 5 continents with Consultative Status at ECOSOC/United Nations. Founded in 1930, BPW International develops the professional, leadership and business potential of women on all levels through our mentoring, networking, skill building and economic empowerment programs and projects around the world. Visit our websites at: www.bpw-international.org and bpw-europe.org
Publikácia popisuje prípadovú štúdiu stupňovitého zamestnávania Rómov, ktorú už niekoľko rokov realizuje US Steel v Košiciach, jej autorkou je Ing. Lucia Bosáková, PhD.
The publication describes a case study on intervention aiming to increase employability of population living in Roma settlements, its author is Lucia Bosakova.
Iowa Virtual Literacy Initiative HandoutLinda Kelly
The document discusses the need to equip adults with low literacy skills for future work readiness through virtual literacy programs. It notes that as many as 90 million U.S. adults lack sufficient literacy skills for today's workplace. The Iowa Virtual Literacy Initiative is piloting virtual literacy technology and methods within employment training programs to prepare adult learners with low literacy for future work readiness by reducing timeframes and increasing completion rates. The initiative aims to address literacy needs of populations including low-skilled workers, unemployed individuals, immigrants, incarcerated individuals, and others.
Ethnic entrepreneurship case study- amsterdamThink Ethnic
This document provides background information on ethnic entrepreneurship in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It discusses the ethnic composition of Amsterdam's population, which in 2009 was 50% Dutch and 50% immigrants, including 15% from Western countries and 35% from non-Western countries. The top five non-Western immigrant groups in Amsterdam are Moroccan, Turkish, Surinamese, Antillean, and Aruban. The document also provides an introduction to the research questions that will be examined regarding ethnic entrepreneurship profiles, barriers faced, policies implemented, and their impacts.
Equal Pay Day is an international awareness campaign of BPW Business and Professional women International. It has been started in 2008 by BPW Germany and is no going around the world to close the Gender Pay Gap. The average pay gap in Europe is still 16 %.
This presentation shows the activities of all the federations and clubs of BPW Europe. Europe is largest region of BPW International with appr. 20000 members.
The International Federation of Business and Professional Women is an influential international network of business and professional women from over 96 countries in 5 continents with Consultative Status at ECOSOC/United Nations. Founded in 1930, BPW International develops the professional, leadership and business potential of women on all levels through mentoring, networking, skill building and economic empowerment programs and projects around the world. Visit our websites at: www.bpw-international.org and bpw-europe.org
Essential Skills Ontario released its 2011/2012 annual report highlighting its work over the past year and celebrating its 25th anniversary. Some key accomplishments included redesigning its strategy and changing its name to Essential Skills Ontario to better reflect the essential skills needed for life and work. It also published influential research reports such as "Menial No More" which sparked discussions about preparing Ontario's workforce. The annual report provides an overview of Essential Skills Ontario's strategic focus areas including evidence-driven research, communities of purpose, and commitment to innovation to support adult learners in gaining essential skills.
The environment and conservation professions are among the least diverse in the UK. Yet people of colour and racially or ethnically marginalised groups are often the most affected by the climate crisis, and its intersecting challenges.
We won’t solve the climate crisis with the same people and thinking that created it; we need new voices in the room.
This isn’t a handbook, but a case study to help you initiate conversations on diversity, equity and inclusion in your own organisation. We are not the experts in this work, so we have also signposted you to those who are, and the services that are necessary for inclusivity and diversity in the climate movement.
2018-2019 Community Living Ontario Annual ReportMarwa Osman
The annual report summarizes Community Living Ontario's activities from 2018-2019. It highlights that buildings across Ontario were lit up blue and green for Community Living Month in May 2019. The report provides statistics on Community Living Ontario's impact, including that it supports over 12,000 members across 105 local associations. It also outlines Community Living Ontario's strategic priorities and key initiatives for supporting people with intellectual disabilities, such as mentoring programs, employment initiatives, and advocacy efforts.
Community Living Ontario is a non-profit provincial association.
For over 65 years, we have worked with people who have an intellectual disability, their families and our 100+ members.
We proudly collaborate with them and our national and international counterparts to ensure that people who have an intellectual disability live in a state of dignity and share in all elements of living in the community.
Social Mobility Evidence - Lords Select CommitteeKen Uché
This document provides evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on the social mobility challenges young people face in transitioning from school to work. It summarizes the findings of a focus group conducted with Youth Ambassadors aged 16-24 via Facebook. The focus group found that the most significant barriers to social mobility included complicated application processes, lack of networking opportunities, and lack of work experience from a young age. For those not following academic routes, challenges included a lack of support from the education system and negative perceptions of alternative pathways. The document recommends that the government and education institutions do more to foster career networks for young people and support alternative pathways to increase social mobility opportunities.
The document proposes policies for the next Mayor of London to address poverty in the city. It summarizes that over 2 million Londoners live in poverty despite London being one of the richest cities in the world. The policies focus on childhood, education, and family support. The Mayor has some limited powers but can champion causes to impact low-income households. Some key proposals include campaigning for higher quality and affordable childcare, continuing efforts to close the educational attainment gap, integrating leadership of the education system, and establishing family hubs to support parents and children.
The document proposes policies for the London mayoral candidates to address poverty in London. Over 2 million Londoners live in poverty. It recommends that the next Mayor champion high quality and affordable childcare, continue efforts to close the educational attainment gap, integrate leadership of the education system, and establish family support hubs. For working age Londoners, it suggests improving employment services to focus on earnings and job progression, using procurement to create jobs for disadvantaged youth, and advocating for the London Living Wage. The Mayor has powers to champion causes that impact low-income households and promote inclusive economic growth.
The Routes Project is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The document provides an overview of the project and how it has evolved over the past decade to support newly arrived families in Manchester.
The Routes Project was originally established in 2002 to help refugee and asylum-seeking children access services and integrate into the community. Through home visits and assistance navigating social and educational systems, the multi-ethnic staff helped families overcome obstacles. Over the years, Routes has adapted to changing needs but maintains its core mission.
The document includes interviews with early service users who discuss the challenges they faced upon arrival and how Routes made a significant positive impact. One woman from Zimbabwe discussed the legal and health issues supporting her disabled daughter.
Partnering Strategically Presentation Oct 08 Updatetrmbomb
The document discusses mentoring and life skills programs to help at-risk youth. It notes statistics showing high dropout and unemployment rates. The organization provides in-school and after-school programs to develop career skills, ethics, leadership, and other life skills. Their goal is to partner with schools and communities to improve outcomes for emerging generations.
Konnect Again Brochure London PRINT FinalVersionAidan Murphy
The document summarizes an alumni conference hosted by KonnectAgain on May 28th. It includes the welcome remarks, schedule of events, and biographies of some speakers. The day-long conference at Regent's University London aims to explore topics of interest to alumni relations professionals and discuss how to engage alumni through social media and technology. Some session topics include the role of diasporas in networking, trends in UK alumni relations, and engagement strategies from top business schools. The goal is to help modernize alumni relations and build connections between professionals in the field.
The Diversity Report 2014-15 from the University of Akron's Office of Inclusion and Equity summarizes the university's diversity initiatives and goals for the year. It discusses the university's commitment to diversity and preparing students for a changing demographic landscape. The report outlines 6 goals of the Diversity Council's subcommittees on improving student recruitment, retention, and graduation of diverse students. It provides an overview of diversity programs and the roles of various offices in promoting inclusion and supporting diverse students, faculty, and staff.
Common Purpose's 2020 impact report celebrates the leadership and impact of their alumni in a disruptive year. They worked with over 1,000 organizations and delivered programs to over 9,000 leaders online and in person. Throughout the pandemic, Common Purpose continued to facilitate connections and conversations among diverse leaders worldwide through their digital programs and alumni webinar series. The report highlights how Common Purpose and its alumni demonstrated agility and stepped up to address challenges in 2020.
A report on diversity within the UK PR industry.
This research study aims to:
• Create better understanding of the issues and barriers faced by different socio-economic
groups and understand what prevents underrepresented groups from engaging with public
relations
• Suggest potential and workable solutions for employers
• Propose initiatives to be led by professional bodies and other industry leaders
• Raise the issue of social mobility with individual practitioners
Multicultural Apprenticeship Alliance Launch Slide - Safaraz Ali 16.06.2022.pptxThe Pathway Group
The document discusses promoting diversity in apprenticeships for people from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds in the UK. It notes various government and organizational initiatives to increase BAME representation in apprenticeships and senior roles. These include commitments to increase the proportion of BAME apprentices by 20% and initiatives to improve outreach, support networks for BAME apprentices, and make workplaces more inclusive. Experts have criticized some blanket approaches as missing differences between ethnic groups and the need for more targeted support. The document advocates increasing visibility of BAME apprentice role models and leaders as well as support for employers to better engage BAME communities and provide progression opportunities.
Multicultural Apprenticeship Launch Slide Safaraz Ali- 16th June 2022.pptxThe Pathway Group
The document discusses promoting diversity in apprenticeships for people from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds in the UK. It provides context on the government's plans to increase representation of BAME individuals in apprenticeships by 20% and discusses experts criticizing the government's strategy of only using improved marketing. The document also discusses the need to support BAME apprentices and employers through networks, role models, and addressing disparities between different ethnic groups. It mentions the BAME Apprenticeship Awards which celebrate diversity in apprenticeships.
Multicultural Apprenticeship Alliance Launch Slide - Safaraz AliThe Pathway Group
The document discusses promoting diversity in apprenticeships for people from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds in the UK. It notes various government and organizational initiatives to increase BAME representation in apprenticeships and senior roles. These include commitments to increase the proportion of BAME apprentices by 20% and initiatives by groups like the BAME Apprenticeship Alliance to celebrate BAME apprentice talent and address barriers to participation. Experts critique some initiatives as not doing enough and call for more focus on specific ethnic groups and support for employers in diversifying their workforces.
Similar to Race-to-The-Top-2-Diversity-In-Education (20)
Multicultural Apprenticeship Alliance Launch Slide - Safaraz Ali
Race-to-The-Top-2-Diversity-In-Education
1. November 2015 Author: Samuel Steel
Race to the Top 2:
Diversity in Education
A Report Published by Elevation Networks
Trust
2. 2
Foreword
For 20 years, 1986-2006, I was head teacher of what
became a popular and successful large, mixed,
multicultural comprehensive school in South East
London. Following retirement from that I have worked
as an education consultant for Future leaders and as
a result have visited numerous inner city
comprehensives in London. I was also the lead writer
of a curriculum review for the New Labour
government, published in 2007 and resulting from 7/7
on ‘Diversity and Citizenship’.
My reason for introducing this report with facts about
my own professional background is merely to indicate
that I am very familiar with the terrain that the report
covers. I have also been aware during my professional career that as someone who is of mixed
African/white heritage that for large parts of my career at head teachers’ conferences I had to look
hard to find other non-white heads.
The report ‘Diversity and Citizenship’ arose out of concerns following 7/7 that Britain in Trevor Phillips’
words was ‘sleepwalking to segregation’. It was part of the government’s move to build the concept of
community cohesion and to inspect this in schools as a significant part of Ofsted.
Our key findings were negative in terms of the importance schools gave to education for diversity. To
quote ‘some schools make understanding identity and diversity core to what they do; for others it
barely flickers on the radar’. This lack of attention in many schools to the sensitivities of ethnicity and
identity was reflected in two reports published at the time: i) The Teacher Status project on the Status
of Minority Ethnic Teachers in England and ii) the Mayor of London’s report ‘Black Teachers in
London’. Both reports provide evidence of the disenchantment of black and minority ethnic teachers
as they encounter racist attitudes. A telling quote from the Mayor of London’s report was ‘teachers
from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, who had been teaching for 20 years, were half as likely
to rise to the post of head teacher as their white counterparts’.
In writing ‘Diversity and Citizenship’, a report commissioned by the government in 2006, the hope was
that it would bring attention to the issue and help to kick-start improvements. The evidence from this
report in 2015 is that there has been relatively little progress.
My experience as a head is that it is important to young people for the staff of the school to reflect
aspects of the ethnic makeup of this country. This is as true for predominantly white areas of Britain
as it is for the inner cities. Black and Minority Ethnic teachers should feel comfortable working
anywhere that they choose. For this to happen the importance of diversity has to be embedded in the
practice of all schools. Attitudes to equality have to go beyond the paper of the policy. The curriculum
needs to reflect a world seen through the eyes of different races, genders and religions. School
governors and recruitment panels need to understand all the unconscious biases around race and
religion that have been part of the Western world since the Enlightenment.
Things can change. In 2006 we found evidence around the country of good practice where schools
went out of their way to encourage a wide diversity of teachers to apply for jobs and who were
sensitive to the particular needs of these teachers. Some of these schools were in the inner city but in
others in largely white areas it was because the head and senior staff were determined to ensure that
their school was part of a wider society.
This good practice both in schools and in higher education needs to be highlighted and concerted
efforts made to ensure that the barriers to fair recruitment are removed immediately.
Sir Keith Ajegbo,
Chairman of the Stephen Lawrence Trust
3. 3
About Elevation Networks
Elevation Networks (EN) is an award winning youth employment charity that seeks to
develop the leadership potential of young people to increase their employability. EN works
with young people aged 11-25 specifically focusing on groups that are traditionally
underrepresented within the labour market and in certain industries. The groups are ethnic
minorities, women, young people from low socio-economic backgrounds, students from non-
Russell group universities and young people Not in Education, Employment or Training
(NEET).
Elevation Networks specialise in connecting high achieving BAME and female students with
top recruiters. We have worked with many organisations in both the public and private sector
to improve their diversity strategies and to enhance the diversity of their talent pipeline.
Through our partnerships with schools, university societies, subject departments, lecturers
and career services we have helped hundreds of diverse candidates to secure mentoring,
placement, internship and prestigious graduate development opportunities with national and
multinational organisations including the Civil Service, National Audit Office, Financial
Conduct Authority, Teach First, PwC, Barclays, Deloitte, and Wragge, Lawrence, Graham &
Co.
4. 4
Contents
Foreword ............................................................................................................................. 2
About Elevation Networks.................................................................................................. 3
Introduction......................................................................................................................... 6
Context ............................................................................................................................. 6
Policy Recommendations................................................................................................... 7
Diversity in Education – Statistical Summary................................................................... 9
Diversity in the UK............................................................................................................. 9
Primary Maintained Schools......................................................................................... 9-10
Secondary Maintained Schools.................................................................................. 10-11
Higher Education (HE) Institutions ............................................................................. 11-12
Government Departments............................................................................................... 12
Regional Variations.................................................................................................... 13-14
London................................................................................................................... 14-15
Current BAME Underrepresentation........................................................................... 15-16
Underrepresentation in English Regions .................................................................... 16-17
Attraction, Recruitment and Retention of BAME Staff................................................. 18-19
Experiences of BAME Staff in the Education Sector................................................... 19-21
Inequality and Institutional Racism ............................................................................. 20-21
Impact on Students .................................................................................................... 21-22
Diversity Initiatives .......................................................................................................... 22
Teach First .................................................................................................................. 22
Future Leaders....................................................................................................... 23-23
Leadership, Equality and Diversity Fund ..................................................................... 23
Summary of Wider Research .......................................................................................... 24
Student Perceptions of Teaching Careers.................................................................. 25-26
Regional Breakdown ....................................................................................................... 26
Student Focus Group ................................................................................................. 26-27
Perceptions of teaching............................................................................................... 27
Teachers as Role Models............................................................................................ 27
BAME Underrepresentation.................................................................................... 28-28
Improving Diversity in Recruitment ......................................................................... 28-29
Interviews with BAME teachers....................................................................................... 29
Career Attraction .................................................................................................... 29-30
Career Barriers....................................................................................................... 30-31
Discrimination and Racism.......................................................................................... 31
5. 5
Career progression and equal opportunities........................................................... 32-32
Perceptions of BAME Teachers.............................................................................. 33-33
Underrepresentation............................................................................................... 34-34
Increasing Diversity................................................................................................ 35-35
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 37
Methodology...................................................................................................................... 38
Secondary Research....................................................................................................... 38
Statistical Analysis....................................................................................................... 38
Background Research................................................................................................. 38
Primary Research ........................................................................................................... 38
The Great Debate Tour ............................................................................................... 38
Student Focus Group .................................................................................................. 39
Qualitative Interviews .................................................................................................. 39
Annexes............................................................................................................................. 39
Annex 1 Academic Attainment at Key Stage 2 Level (by Ethnic Group) ...................... 39
Annex 2 Academic Attainment at GCSE Level (by Ethnic Group)................................ 40
Annex 3 Academic Attainment at First Degree Level (by Ethnic Group) ...................... 40
References and Bibliography...................................................................................... 41-43
Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... 45
6. 6
Introduction
This report examines the representation of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME)
teaching staff within the UK education sector. Faced with an increasing BAME student
population and glaring inequalities for BAME staff and students the report examines the
implications of the lack of diversity in teaching and the education sector in general, with
specific recommendations for policy and practice.
Context
The size of the ethnic minority population in the UK is considerable. At the time of the last
census in 2011, 13 per cent of the UK population (equivalent to around 8.17 million people)
identified themselves as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic1
. Moreover, ethnic minority groups
have been growing exponentially year-on-year. It has been estimated that the number of
domiciled ethnic minority students alone has increased from 12% of the student population
in 1991 to 18.4% in 20112
.
Most recent statistics show that in 2015 there were 1.09 million (30.4%) BAME primary
school pupils, 0.84 million (26.6%) BAME secondary school students, whilst in 2013/14 there
0.35 million (24%) in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)3
. These figures are expected to
rise significantly as the ethnic minority population of the UK is predicted to more than double
by the year 2051 to around 20 to 30 per cent of the population.4
Whilst the UK ethnic minority student population has been rising over the past decade the
pace of demographic change has not been reflected in the representation of BAME teaching
and leadership staff within the education sector. Our research identifies that BAME teachers
are underrepresented ‘at every level of the profession’.
Inequalities for BAME teachers and students is are particularly concerning. The academic
attainment rate of ethnic minority groups has consistently lagged behind that of their white
peers. At Key Stage 2 level (KS2) 76 per cent of pupils from a black background achieved
the expected level in all of reading, writing and mathematics compared to the national
average of 79 per cent5
. Pupils from Black ethnic backgrounds remain the poorest
performing ethnic group in in terms of GCSE pass rates including English and Maths6
.
Moreover, the diversity attainment gap continues at higher education level. In 2012/13 57.1
per cent of UK domiciled BAME students achieved a top-degree classification (first class or
upper second class), compared with 73.2 per cent of white British students. 7
1
ONS (2013)
2
RfO (2012)
3
HEfCE (2015a); DfE (2015c)
4
Sunak and Rajeswaran (2014)
5
DfE (2014c)
6
DfE (2014b)
7
Equality Challenge Unit (2014)
7. 7
Policy Recommendations
➔ Work experience and volunteering
Students who had worked with young people reported increased motivation for teaching
careers. Similarly, teachers who had progressed to qualified teacher status often had
previous experience of working with young people in a non-teaching capacity. We
recommend the use of work placements or volunteering initiatives to feed into
existing teaching development programmes. Therefore work diversity placement
schemes for both secondary education, undergraduate and postgraduate level would
provide a more diverse talent pool to nurture and develop future teachers and
academics.
➔ Promotion of engagement in communities and public life
National youth programmes such as the government funded National Citizen Service
(NCS) could be used as platform to foster more engagement with underrepresented
groups. NCS is a government-funded programme for 16-17 year olds aimed at different
backgrounds to help them develop greater confidence, self-awareness and responsibility
with a view to create a more engaged society. Greater focus on the promotion of
continued civic and community engagement and participation in youth
development work could provide a generation of aspiring teachers from diverse
underrepresented groups.
➔ Replicating London strategies within other regions
Specific policy interventions in the London area such as the ‘London Challenge’ initiative
have been attributed to a significant rise in pupil attainment in recent years. Anecdotal
evidence also suggests that ethnic minority pupil attainment in London is
increasing at a higher rate compared to other English regions. Despite the presence
of the ‘London Effect’ there are still significant disparities for the prospects of both ethnic
minority staff and students in most UK regions. Increasing ethnic minority populations in
UK provincial towns has not yet been matched by increasing numbers of ethnic minority
teaching staff. Consequently, more should be done to tackle inequalities on a regional
level.
➔ Key focus on recruiting male primary school teachers
Statistics show that male BAME teachers are disproportionately underrepresented in
primary schools in comparison with their female counterparts. Moreover, there is a
perception amongst male BAME students that teaching ‘lacks prestige’, has few male
role models to inspire them, and offers poor incentives in comparison to other career
pathways.
Attraction and diversity strategies should focus on targeting male BAME groups
through the use of prominent BAME male role models. We also call for early
interventions within schools and colleges to promote teaching careers to this
specific target group.
8. 8
➔ The school curriculum should be more representative
Many students that were surveyed felt that they did not have BAME role models that they
could relate to throughout their education experience. It is argued that a greater focus
on diversity within the school curriculum and ethnic minority role models could
enhance BAME perceptions of teaching as a profession and therefore encourage more
ethnic minorities to consider teaching as a career.
9. 9
Diversity in Education – Statistical Summary
Diversity in the UK
At the last census in 2011, 13 per cent of the UK population were identified as belonging to
BAME groups7
. The ethnic minority population of the UK has more than doubled in size
since 1991, rising from 3 to 7 million, with the African population growing faster than any
other ethnic group, reaching a total of 990,000 in 2011. Meanwhile, the number of mixed
multi-racial ethnic groups within families and neighbourhoods has also risen by almost 50
per cent since 2001 to over a million people in 20118
.
The growth in diversity is perhaps most evident among the student population, which is
estimated to have risen from 12% in 1991 to 18.4% in 20119
. Accordingly, primary schools
have the highest concentrations of ethnic minority students, with 1.09 million (30.4%) BAME
pupils recorded in 2015. There are currently 0.84 million (26.6%) BAME secondary school
students and in 2013/14 there were 0.35 million (24%) BAME students in Higher Education
Institutions (HEIs)10
, however these proportions are likely to rise significantly as the ethnic
minority population increases and as BAME students’ progress through the education
system.
DIVERSITY IN THE UK
(%), 2011 CENSUS
White
Gypsy/Traveller/
IrishTraveller
Mixed/Multiple
EthnicGroups
Asian/Asian
British:Indian
Asian/Asian
British:Pakistani
Asian/Asian
British:Bangladeshi
Asian/Asian
British:Chinese
Asian/Asian
British:OtherAsian
Black/African/
Caribbean/Black
British
OtherEthnicGroup
UNITED KINGDOM 87.1 0.1 2 2.3 1.9 0.7 0.7 1.4 3 0.9
GREAT BRITAIN 86.7 0.1 2 2.4 1.9 0.7 0.7 1.4 3.1 0.9
ENGLAND AND WALES 85.9 0.1 2.2 2.5 2 0.8 0.7 1.5 3.3 1
ENGLAND 85.3 0.1 2.3 2.6 2.1 0.8 0.7 1.5 3.5 1
WALES 95.5 0.1 1 0.6 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.5
SCOTLAND 95.9 0.1 0.4 0.6 0.9 0.1 0.6 0.4 0.7 0.3
NORTHERN IRELAND 98.2 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.1 0 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.1
Table 1 Diversity in the UK (%) – ONS (2013).
Primary Maintained Schools
In 2014 just 12,100 out of 208,000 (6%) of local authority (LA) maintained primary teachers
were from BAME backgrounds. However, there is a significant disparity between those in
teaching roles compared to senior head or deputy head positions. Just 435 out of 14,500
7
ONS (2013)
8
Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2012)
9
RfO (2012)
10
HEfCE (2015a); DfE (2015a)
10. 10
(3%) of LA maintained primary school heads are from ethnic minority groups, with similar
representation in primary academies, where 46 out of 1,300 heads (3.6%) were from ethnic
minorities.
PRIMARY MAINTAINED SCHOOLS
2014
Total (all
ethnic
groups)
Current BAME
Representation*
%
Head Teachers 14,500 435* 3.0
Deputy Heads and assistants 19,400 935* 4.9
Classroom assistants and other 167,200 9,298* 6.2
All teachers 208,000 12,100* 6.0
Total of all BAME students: - 30.4
Table 2 BAME Representation in Primary Maintained Schools (DfE, 2015).
The primary school statistics also showed variations between genders. Although there were
more female BAME teachers compared to males, fewer male teachers progressed to head
teacher roles. Around 9,000 out of 124,300 (7.2%) of male teachers were from ethnic
minorities compared to around 25,800 out of 379,900 BAME female teachers (6.7%). The
BAME gender gap was also highlighted in senior head teaching roles, with around 162 out of
7,400 (2.2%) of male head teachers from BAME groups, compared to 475 out of 14,400
female heads (3.2%)11
. The statistics therefore suggested that BAME teachers are not
progressing to senior levels within teaching, whilst underrepresentation was more acute for
BAME males at a senior level.
Secondary Maintained Schools
Year 2014 statistics for state-funded secondary schools show that of the 86,400 qualified
and unqualified teachers approximately 9.9 per cent (around 8,553) were from BAME
backgrounds. There was little disparity between ethnicity and gender; male BAME teachers
accounted for 9.9% compared to BAME females who represented 9.7 per cent, however
there was higher representation among Asian backgrounds, with around 4,000 teachers
(4.9%) compared to 2,300 (2.9%) from black/African backgrounds.
In common with primary schools there is also significant underrepresentation in senior
positions in UK secondary schools, with only 46 (3.6 per cent) BAME head teachers out of a
total 1,300, and around 439 (6.1 per cent) BAME deputy heads and assistants out of 7,200.
The highest representation was among classroom support staff, with around 7,517 out of
73,700 (10.2%) classroom assistants from BAME groups12
.
11
DfE (2015a)
12
DfE (2015a)
“There are not many black teachers that I can relate to or have a bond
with.” – 2nd
Year Undergraduate (University of Birmingham)
11. 11
SECONDARY MAINTAINED
SCHOOLS 2014
Total (all
ethnic
groups)
Current BAME
Representation*
%
Head Teachers 1,300 46* 3.6
Deputy Heads and assistants 7,200 439* 6.1
Classroom assistants and other 73,700 7,517* 10.2
All teachers 86,400 8,553* 9.9
Total of all BAME students: - 26.6
Table 3 BAME Representation in Secondary Maintained Schools (DfE, 2015a). *Based on
% (not absolute figures)
Published data for Scottish schools showed similar comparisons, with 1.3 per cent of primary
and 1.8 per cent of secondary school teachers from ethnic backgrounds, both of which have
remained relatively static since 2008. However, the comparative breakdown for head
teachers, deputies and senior teachers shows that in 2014 there were no ethnic minorities
within senior positions in Scottish primary schools, and just 18 principal teachers from BAME
backgrounds within Scottish secondary schools; equivalent to 0.3 per cent of positions13
.
Comparable data for Wales is not currently available.
Higher Education (HE) Institutions
Higher education academic staff equality and diversity statistics highlight significant
disparities between academic seniority and subject areas with virtually no BAME
representation in the ‘upper echelons’ of the higher education profession. In September
2015 Baroness Amos become the first Black women to head a UK university14
, while only 25
out of 655 (3%) were employed in strategic leadership roles, and as few as 65 out of 1,570
(4%) were employed on senior management teams.
In 2013/14 just 935 (7%) of 12,125 professors were from BAME backgrounds. This
represented a 1 per cent decrease in real terms compared to 2012/13. Among senior
lecturers there were 1,385 BAME staff out of 16,565, equivalent to 8 per cent of all ethnic
groups, whilst for other BAME lecturers represented around 5,810 (9%) of the total. Despite
an increase of 1 percentage point in 2012 the number of BAME lecturers has remained
relatively static since 2010.
The HE statistics also showed significant disparities between academic functional areas,
with the highest concentration of BAME staff in modern languages representing 130 (42%)
BAME staff, and medicine and dentistry, with 1,460 (16%) BAME staff. In comparison,
educational faculties employed just 430 (5%) BAME staff15
, which is perhaps endemic of the
lack of diversity in the education sector as a whole.
13
ScotStat (2015)
14
N.B: HEFCE statistics relate the 2013/14 academic year and adjusted for statistical significance. Professor
Rama Thirunamachandran was appointed Vice Chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University in 2013 and
Baroness Amos was appointed as Director of SOAS University in September 2015, hence the actual number of
BAME Vice Chancellors may not be accurately reflected in the statistics.
15
HEFCE (2015a)
12. 12
HIGHER EDUCATION
INSTITUTIONS (ENGLAND) 2013/14
Total Staff (all
ethnic groups)
Current BAME
Representation
*
%
Vice Chancellor† 110 0‡ 0.0
Strategic Leadership 655 25 3.0
Senior Management 1,570 65 4.0
Professor 12,125 935 7.0
Lecturer (all) 62,960 5,810 9.0
Senior Lecturer 16,565 1,385 8.0
Research assistants 10,435 1,125 10.0
Total of all BAME staff in HE: 246,545 22,790 9.0
Total of all BAME students: 346,595 24.0
Table 4 BAME Representation in Education (HEFCE, 2015). *Based on % (not absolute
figures) †Excludes chancellors and ceremonial positions. ‡ Figures of less than 5 adjusted
for statistical significance16
Historical data published by the Higher Education Statistics Authority statistics record
showed that in 1994/5 there were 1,169 BAME full-time teaching and research staff,
equating to 3% of academic teaching staff17
. Although employee diversity in higher
education has trebled within the last 20 years the representation of BAME staff has
consistently failed to match the growth of the BAME university student population.
Government Departments
Diversity within the Department of Education (DfE) outperforms that of most
educational and academic institutions overall. The representation of BAME staff
within the Department for Education (DfE) currently exceeds the diversity makeup of
the UK population and that of the Civil Service overall. In 2015, as many as 518
BAME staff (16.7 per cent) were employed within the department, whilst as many as
44,834 staff (10.6 per cent) were employed within the Civil Service as a whole18
.
Promisingly, efforts to increase ethnic minority representation therefore appear to be
more effective at a governmental level. Specific targeting of ethnic minority groups
16
N.B: HEFCE statistics relate the 2013/14 academic year. Professor Rama Thirunamachandran was appointed
Vice Chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University in 2013 and Baroness Amos was appointed as Director
of SOAS University in September 2015, hence the actual number of BAME Vice Chancellors may not be
accurately reflected in the statistics.
17
HESA (2015)
18
Office of National Statistics (2015)
“The roots of inequality in the world of academia could stem from the challenges
confronting black students from school to university.”
Baroness Amos
13. 13
through recruitment initiatives such as the Fast Stream Graduate development
programme, diversity-focussed internships and equal opportunities policies appear to
be having an overall positive impact in terms of BAME representation. This is
significant given that the shaping of education policy has the power to influence
diversity strategies within the education sector as a whole.
GOVERNMENT Total (All Ethnic Groups) Current BAME
Representation*
%
Civil Servants 422,960 44,834 10.6
DfE Civil Servants 3,100 518 16.7
Table 5 BAME Representation in Government Departments
Regional Variations
Department for Education (DfE) statistics for maintained primary and secondary schools
show that the largest concentrations of BAME teachers are to be found in the London area.
In 2014 there were approximately 11,928 ethnic minority teachers in inner London
representing 40.4 per cent of the total, and approximately 17,189 (33.5%) in outer London.
This is perhaps not surprising given that London has some of the highest concentrations of
ethnic groups. Outside London the regions with the largest ethnic minority representation
include the West Midlands with 7,267 (13%) and East of England with 6,010 (10.5%). By
means of comparison the North East has just 672 (2.8%) ethnic minority teachers, and 2,176
(4.5 %) in the South West. The total representation for England as a whole was 12.5 per
cent, equivalent to 63,066 ethnic minority teachers19
.
Significantly, a comparison of the school workforce survey data and 2011 regional census
data for the ethnic minority student population (aged 5-19) suggested that there is an
overrepresentation of ethnic minority teachers in outer-London and the South East. In outer
London, this equated to 10,594 ethnic minority teachers and 2,144 in the South East. In
comparison, the most significant shortfalls currently exist in the West Midlands (6,613 BAME
teachers), North West (5,579 BAME teachers) and 4,783 in Yorkshire and the Humber.
Similar regional disparities are also apparent for initial teacher entrants training in primary
and secondary schools, with 31% (around 1,029) ethnic minority joiners in London
secondary schools, compared to 15% (around 292) in West Midlands secondary schools.
19
DfE (2015a).
“I strongly disagree with the education system in the UK”
2nd
Year BAME Undergraduate (University of Hull)
“The curriculum should be changed as opposed to who is teaching it”
BAME Undergraduate (University College London)
14. 14
This compared to just 2% and 3% of primary school teachers in the North East and South
West20
.
REGIONAL
BREAKDOWN
Total
Number
Of
Teachers
(Head-
count)
Total All
Ethnic
Groups
(Actual)
Total All
Ethnic
Groups
(%)
Total 5-19
Year Olds
From
Ethnic
Groups
(Actual)
Total 5-
19 Year
Olds
From
Ethnic
Groups
(%) *
North East 24,004 672 2.8 28,054 6.2
North West 66,699 3,802 5.7 180,815 14.3
Yorkshire and the
Humber
48,702 3,360 6.9 159,210 16.7
East Midlands 43,629 3,447 7.9 118,848 14.7
West Midlands 55,897 7,267 13.0 257,530 24.8
East of England 57,241 6,010 10.5 134,105 13.0
Inner London 29,524 11,928 40.4 748,350 53.0
Outer London 51,309 17,189 33.5 198,279 12.9
South East 79,174 7,522 9.5 60,969 6.8
South West 48,352 2,176 4.5 32,358 6.0
ENGLAND 504,531 63,372 12.5 1,918,518 -
Table 6 Regional BAME Representation in Schools (England) DfE (2015a) *ONS 2011
Census Data (2015)
London
The London area is significant in having a higher representation of ethnic minority teachers
compared to BAME pupils and some of the highest proportion of BAME teacher trainees in
the country. Research conducted by the Greater London Authority indicated that the majority
of teachers from black ethnic backgrounds were located in areas with the highest number of
black pupils, namely the London boroughs of Hackney, Lambeth and Southwark, where 48-
50 per cent of pupils are black. It is therefore likely that ethnic minority teachers commonly
work in areas where the student population is of a similar background to their own.
However, specific initiatives to recruit ethnic minority teachers based on the local
demographic profile may have had a more positive impact on the number of ethnic minority
teachers recruited in the capital. In London, the former Training and Development Agency
for Schools implemented separate voluntary targets with each teacher training college or
university reflecting a demographic profile calculated depending on provider location and
opportunity to recruit locally, with financial incentives for training providers to both recruit and
train ethnic minority teachers21
. At a leadership level, other policy initiatives such as ‘The
London Challenge’ saw research conducted into the distinctive characteristics of teaching
20
McNamara, et al. (2009)
21
Greater London Authority (2006)
15. 15
and leadership in London in order to develop training on cultural and ethnic diversity for
courses provided by the National College of School Leadership22
.
Such policies may therefore have had a positive impact on the number of ethnic minority
teachers recruited and subsequently better outcomes for ethnic minority students.
Anecdotal evidence also suggests that ethnic minority pupil attainment in London is
increasing at a higher rate compared to other English regions. Between 2010 and 2014
the most significant improvements in attainment at Key Stage 1 (KS1) were found among
Bangladeshi, Black Caribbean and Black African students, of which the largest
concentrations live in the London area. The overall GCSE pass rate is also proportionally
higher in the capital than the rest of the UK and other comparable urban areas.23
Specific policy interventions in the London area such as Teach First, the rise in sponsored
academies and the ‘London Challenge’ initiative have been attributed to the significant rise in
pupil attainment in recent years. The higher rates of BAME student attainment in the capital
have been attributed to the ‘London Effect’, whereby pupils in London scored more highly
than pupils from disadvantaged schools and neighbourhoods in other urban areas.
Moreover, the prevalence of multi-ethnic schools is actually viewed as having a positive
impact on student attainment for all ethnic minority groups24
.
Despite the presence of the ‘London Effect’ there are still significant disparities for the
prospects of both ethnic minority staff and students in most UK regions. Increasing ethnic
minority populations in UK provincial towns has not yet been matched by increasing
numbers of ethnic minority teaching staff. Consequently, more should be done to tackle
inequalities on a regional and local level.
Current BAME Underrepresentation
Based on the current representation of BAME teaching staff we estimate that approximately
63,232 primary school teachers and 22,982 secondary school teachers would be required to
reflect the current diversity make-up of the student population in state-funded schools.
Similarly, around 4,408 primary school BAME head teachers and 346 secondary BAME
head teachers would be required to match the current diversity of students.
Within higher education, 26 vice-chancellors, 157 strategic leaders and 377 senior managers
would have to be recruited to match the current diversity make-up of university students,
whilst 2,910 professors, 15,110 lecturers and 3,976 senior lecturers would be required to
meet the current representation of academic teaching staff. If the diversity makeup of
teachers reflected the UK ethnic population, the sector would need to employ 27,040
primary, 11,232 secondary BAME teachers, and 8,185 lecturers.
Supposing that the recruitment of ethnic minority teachers was benchmarked against
the current ethnic minority student population the current shortfall of primary
teachers would equate to 51,132 primary school teachers, 14,429 secondary teachers
and 9,300 university lecturers.
22
Kidson and Norris (2014)
23
Demos (2015).
24
Burgess (2014)
16. 16
DIVERSITY DEFICIT IN
EDUCATION
Total
(all
ethnic
groups)
Most Recent
BAME
Representat
ion*
% Shortfall
based on
ethnic
student
population**
Shortfall
based
on UK
ethnic
minority
populati
on†
PRIMARY MAINTAINED
SCHOOLS
Head Teachers 14,500 435* 3.0 3,973 1,450
Deputy Heads and
assistants
19,400 935* 4.9 4,963 1,587
Classroom assistants
and other
167,200 9,298* 6.2 41,531 12,438
All teachers 208,000 12,100* 6.0 51,132 14,940
Total of all BAME
students:
- 30.
4
SECONDARY MAINTAINED
SCHOOLS
Head Teachers 1,300 46* 3.6 300 123
Deputy Heads and
assistants
7,200 439* 6.1 1,476 497
Classroom assistants
and other
73,700 7,517* 10.
2
12,087 2,064
All teachers 86,400 8,553* 9.9 14,429 2,679
Total of all BAME
students:
- 26.
6
HIGHER EDUCATION (HE)
INSTITUTIONS
Vice Chancellor /
principal‡
110 0 0.0 26 14
Strategic Leadership 655 25 3.0 132 60
Senior Management 1,570 65 4.0 312 139
Professor 12,125 935 7.0 1,975 641
Lecturer (all) 62,960 5,810 9.0 9,300 2,375
Senior Lecturer 16,565 1,385 8.0 2,591 768
Research assistants 10,435 1,125 10 1,379 232
Total of all BAME staff in
HE:
246,545 22,790 9.0 36,381 9,261
Total of all BAME
students:
346,595 24.
0
Table 7 BAME Representation in Education (HEFCE/DfE, 2015). *Based on % (not
absolute figures) **Based on the current representation of ethnic minority pupils in each level
of the education sector) †Based on 13% of the UK population (ONS, 2013) ‡Excludes
Chancellors and ceremonial positions.
17. 17
Underrepresentation in English Regions
Inner London and Outer London show the greatest proportional representation of BAME
teaching staff relative to the student population. Comparing current estimates for maintained
primary and secondary schools shows the greatest representation across inner and outer-
London schools and even suggested an overrepresentation in some areas. The West
Midlands currently has the largest shortfall compared to the local ethnic minority student
population, where 6,613 ethnic minority teachers would be required to match the current
diversity makeup of students.
REGIONAL
SHORTFAL
L
Total
Number Of
Teachers
(Head-
count)
Total
All
Ethni
c
Grou
ps
(Actu
al)
Total
All
Ethni
c
Grou
ps
(%)
Total 5-
19 Year
Olds
From
Ethnic
Groups
(Actual
)
Total
5-19
Year
Olds
From
Ethni
c
Grou
ps
(%) *
Required
Representat
ion of BAME
Teachers
Current
Shortfall
Based On
Ethnic
Minority
Student
Population
North East 24,004 672 2.8 28,054 6.2 1,494 822
North West 66,699 3,802 5.7 180,81
5
14.3 9,561 5,759
Yorkshire
and the
Humber
48,702 3,360 6.9 159,21
0
16.7 8,143 4,783
East
Midlands
43,629 3,447 7.9 118,84
8
14.7 6,417 2,971
West
Midlands
55,897 7,267 13 257,53
0
24.8 13,880 6,613
East of
England
57,241 6,010 10.5 134,10
5
13.0 7,434 1,423
Inner
London
29,524 11,92
8
40.4 748,35
0
53.0 15,655 3,727
Outer
London
51,309 17,18
9
33.5 198,27
9
12.9 6,595 -10,594
South East 79,174 7,522 9.5 60,969 6.8 5,378 -2,144
South West 48,352 2,176 4.5 32,358 6.0 2,898 722
ENGLAND 504,531 63,37
2
12.5 1,918,5
18
- 77,453 14,082
Table 8 Regional BAME Representation in Schools (England) DfE (2015a) *ONS 2011
Census Data (2015)
“A pool of diverse teachers for role models is also needed to inspire the next
generation [of students] – both in their own careers and to enter the
teaching profession”. Sandra Kerr, Race for Opportunity
18. 18
Attraction, Recruitment and Retention of BAME Staff
In 2013/14, 12 per cent of teacher trainees were from BAME backgrounds; a figure which
has remained relatively static for the past 5 years25
. Despite various government initiatives to
increase BAME recruitment and retention rates in the teaching profession there has been
little evidence to support the efficacy of these interventions26
.
There has been a limited amount of research that identifies why BAME members are not
attracted to teaching and the causality of BAME teacher attrition. Some studies have
suggested that cultural and practical barriers deter ethnic minorities from entering teaching.
Cultural barriers include the undesirability of teaching compared to other professions in
certain BAME communities, perceptions of poor pay and stressful working conditions.
Practical barriers, such as lower academic attainment, geographic and family commitments
of older candidates also prevent BAME teaching candidates from entering the profession
and progressing through the initial stages of teacher training. Whilst some of these issues
are common to all minorities some were particularly acute for BAME groups27
. Given the lack
of diversity in the sector it would appear that barriers for ethnic minority groups are more
significant than most.
A study by the University of Exeter28
into BAME PGCE students identified that personal
experiences had a direct impact on the attitudes and perceptions of trainee teachers.
Several recruits did not have any black role model teachers that they could relate to, whilst
many did not have positive experiences of the British education system, with instances of
racist bullying and low expectations from teachers and peers. Conversely, some saw this as
a positive ‘call to action’, and joined the teaching profession in order to rectify historical
injustices. A similar study also found that concern for ethnic communities and a desire to
become ‘role models’ for pupils at risk of underachieving. BAME teachers also reported a
strong desire to increase ethnic representation in order to encourage stronger engagement
from ethnic minority pupils.29
25
National College for Teaching and Leadership (2013)
26
Wilkins (2013)
27
Carrington and Tomlin (2000); Bhopal (2015); Wilkins and Lall (2011).
28
University of Exeter (2010)
29
Cunningham and Hargreaves (2007)
“Typical barriers include lack of funds, poor career planning and low self-esteem.”
_____________________________________Female Secondary School Teacher
“Teachers themselves don't promote their own profession”
___Male 1st
Year Undergraduate (Southampton University)
19. 19
Retention of teachers remains a particular problem for the sector as a whole. A recent
National Union of Teachers (NUT) survey indicated that nearly half of teachers in England
are considering leaving the profession in the next 2 years, with 67 per cent citing excessive
workloads as the primary reason for wanting to leave30
. Whilst recruitment figures have
increased year-on year since 2011, teacher wastage has also increased from 44,530 in 2011
to 49,120 in 2014, representing an attrition rate of 10.4 per cent31
. The ethnicity of leavers is
not currently recorded, however in 2003 (the most recent figures available) 5.2 per cent of
leavers were from ethnic minorities, compared to 4.7 per cent of ethnic teachers32
, which
may suggest that more BAME teachers are leaving the profession proportionate to their
white counterparts.
Recent studies have indicated that the degree of support for BAME teachers entering the
profession has a correlative impact on their subsequent retention and progression within the
sector. Such studies have suggested that BAME teachers commonly draw upon the support
of informal community networks and fellow BAME colleagues to overcome barriers to career
progression33
whilst the presence of effective coaching, BAME mentors and tangible senior
BAME teacher role models have been found to have a positive impact on the progression of
BAME teachers to more senior positions in the profession.34
Experiences of BAME Staff in the Education Sector
Recent literature has focussed on the experiences of BAME staff in the higher education
(HE) sector, within the context of diversity, progression and equal opportunity.
A study of 35 senior BAME academics reported that BAME staff identified that whilst few
staff experienced overt racism, some reported subtle discrimination including a ‘lack of trust’
from fellow colleagues and some pupils, whilst others experienced a sense of ‘exclusion’
from their university, which were deemed to have an adverse impact on the career
progression and recognition of BAME staff35
. Several studies have identified that individuals
often exhibit an ‘unconscious bias’ towards other ethnic groups, including a heightened
awareness of prejudice which often results in unintentionally negative outcomes36
.
The research points to similar social and institutional barriers for BAME teachers in primary
and secondary schools. Factors such as unfair recruitment and selection practices, biased
community attitudes, and overt and covert racism from parents, teachers and administrative
staff were found to be preventing BAME teachers from progressing to more senior positions
30
NUT/YouGuv (2015)
31
DfE (2015a)
32
Smithers and Robinson (2003)
33
Johnson and Campbell-Stephens (2013); Bush, et al. (2006).
34
Ogunbawo (2012).
35
Bhopal and Jackson (2013)
36
Jordan et al., (2012); RfO (2015); Manfredi and Hunter (2012)
“Being from a working class background is a challenge.”
Female Secondary Teacher
20. 20
within the sector.37
The research therefore suggests that the effect of unconscious bias may
have a negative impact on the recruitment of BAME staff in the education sector, and more
significantly their progression to more senior roles such as head teachers.
Inequality and Institutional Racism
Several common themes emerged from the literature. Negative perceptions of teaching are
commonly formed from early experiential interactions with the education system, whilst
practical and cultural barriers were also prevalent in the early stages of teacher training.
More significantly, instances of institutional racism appear commonplace across all levels of
the profession, and this is reflected in the lack of diversity at all levels.
The concept of ‘institutional racism’ gained significant prominence following the publication
of the MacPherson report in which the Metropolitan Police force was branded as
‘institutionally racist’.38
Whilst institutional racism is not commonly attributed to the teaching
profession, evidence strongly suggests that racism does exist at an ‘institutional level’.
A major study of 500 BAME school teachers found that over half had experienced
discrimination at work; however for black African teachers this was as high as 80 per cent.
Moreover, two-fifths of teachers had experienced racism during the recruitment process.
Incidences of discrimination were also more prevalent amongst senior BAME leaders;
indicating a culture of institutional racism at all levels of the profession.39
This is perhaps
more evident in higher education institutions, in which only one out of 110 vice-chancellors
are from a BAME background. Claims of institutional racism are supported by evidence that
BAME staff had experienced instances of racism in 56 per cent higher education
institutions40
.
37
Bush et al. (2006); Johnson and Campbell-Stephens (2013)
38
MacPherson (1999)
39
McNamara, et al. (2009)
40
Equality Challenge Unit (2009)
“Culturally we are not taught to go into teaching.”
BAME Undergraduate (University of Swansea)
“Whilst I was training someone it made it more difficult for me because of their
prejudices.”
- Female Secondary School English Teacher
“[Institutional Racism is] the collective failure of an organisation to provide an
appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture, or ethnic
origin. It can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to
discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist
stereotyping which disadvantage minority ethnic people.” MacPherson Report, 1999
21. 21
Following the enactment of the Equality Act in 2010 public sector bodies have had a duty to:
“have due regard to the desirability of exercising [functions] in a way that is designed to
reduce the inequalities of outcome which result from socio-economic disadvantage”.41
In
2014 the Department for Education (DfE) published its equality objectives with an aim to
increase the academic attainment of ethnic minority students and an expectation for
educational institutions to produce “evidence of increased representation of
underrepresented groups”.42
However in light of recent statistics it may take many years
before improved diversity outcomes are evidenced at a micro-environmental level.
Whilst legislation has led to the development of equal opportunity policies throughout many
academic institutions the literature suggests that diversity and equality for BAME teachers
and academics has received low priority in the sector’s policy agenda. Much research has
been conducted into the extent of institutional racism within the education sector, with many
BAME teachers citing racism as one of the biggest inhibitors to inclusion and career
progression.43
Impact on Students
Much has been written about the disparities between the academic attainments of ethnic
minority students, with certain ethnic minority groups often performing less well academically
compared to their white peers44
. Whilst this disparity is apparent at primary key stage 2 level,
the attainment gap continues to widen throughout secondary school, becoming more
significant within higher education.
Statistics show that at Key Stage 2 (KS2) level 76 per cent of pupils from a black
background achieved the expected level in reading, writing and mathematics compared to
the national average 79 per cent45
, however, pupils from Black ethnic backgrounds remain
the poorest performing ethnic group in in terms of GCSE pass rates including English and
Maths46
. The diversity attainment gap is also apparent within higher education, in 2012/13
57.1 per cent of UK domiciled BAME students achieved a first class or upper second class
degree classification, compared with 73.2 per cent of white British students.47
Despite these
statistics there is a dearth of literature concerning the potential causality between the
underrepresentation of ethnic minority teachers and the lower than average academic
attainment of ethnic minority pupils48
. (Annexes 1, 2 and 3).
41
Equality Act (2010)
42
DfE (2014)
43
Pilkington (2012); Pilkington, et al. (2015); McNamara, et al. (2009)
44
Elevation Networks Trust (2012); Equality Challenge Unit (2015); Macauley (2000); Kingdon and Cassen
(2010); Phillips (2011)
45
DfE (2014c)
46
DfE (2014b)
47
Equality Challenge Unit (2014)
48
Equality Challenge Unit (2009)
“I was told not to mention my name on my CV.”
_______________________________________________ BAME Student
- BAME Undergraduate (University of Swansea)
22. 22
London in particular has a higher than average representation of ethnic minority teachers;
the statistics suggest that in parts of outer-London and the south east with BAME teacher
representation equalling or indeed exceeding the ethnic makeup of students. Despite this
Black and Caribbean ethnic students in London perform the least well at GCSE level, with
only 57 per cent across London getting 5 A*-C to at GCSE, compared with 75% of all
London students49
. The London example suggests that the representation of ethnic minority
teachers alone may not increase ethnic minority student attainment. Some argue that other
factors such as institutional racism may have a greater negative impact on BAME students50
.
Diversity Initiatives
Teach First
Teach First is a charity that provides 2-year leadership development and teacher training for
graduates within primary and secondary schools in underprivileged large urban areas.
Teach First has featured highly in the Sunday Times Top 100 best graduate firms to work
for. In 2015, 1,685 graduates joined the Teach First programme, of which 15% were from
BAME groups, 28% were male, and 21% were from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Since 2003 around 54% of the Teach First graduates completing the programme have
progressed into teaching careers, whilst 70% have remained in the education sector51
.
However, with nearly half of the graduate cohort leaving frontline teaching, and almost a
third leaving education altogether after completing the 2-year development programme, the
longer-term impact on improving diversity in the teaching profession is less apparent. The
diversity profiles of continuing teachers is not currently available, hence it has not been
possible to determine the proportion of the BAME candidates actually progressing into
teaching careers. Moreover, with 49,120 teachers leaving the profession overall in 201452
the dual challenge of recruiting and retaining diverse teachers may not be fully addressed by
such initiatives alone.
49
Greater London Authority (2013)
50
Phillips, (2011); Wynne-Jones (2015)
51
Teach First Cohort Profile (2015)
52
DfE (2015a)
“Some people want to achieve but the consensus is that if no one else from a similar
background has gone before you then there is nobody to direct them. Even ‘celebrating’
the first black leaders shows that there is still an issue in that area.”
BAME Undergraduates (Coventry University)
23. 23
Future Leaders
The Future Leaders programme provides a fast-track leadership development programme
for qualified teachers who aspire to become senior leaders within the profession. The
programme supports aspiring leaders to reach headship in challenging schools with the aim
of raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. In 2015, 139 of Future Leaders cohort
achieved a headship position53
. However, without published figures it has not been possible
to ascertain how many of these leaders are from ethnic minority backgrounds. We estimate
that around 1,450 BAME head teachers are required to meet the current diversity shortfall in
primary schools alone. However, without a clear mandate for addressing the diversity issue
in school leadership such programmes may simply reinforce the diversity ‘status quo’
amongst senior leaders.
Leadership, Equality and Diversity Fund
In March 2015 the government launched its Leadership, Equality and Diversity Fund
programme administered by the National College of Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) to
support local, school-led initiatives aimed at increasing diversity in senior leadership.
Schools and colleges can apply for grant funding of up to £30,000 to fund diversity projects
at a local level. In 2014/15 the grant fund supported 20 secondary and 10 primary school
initiatives, supporting over 1,000 teachers to next-stage promotion within 12 months of
completing the programme. The school-led grants have replaced national diversity
programmes in a move to tackle specific barriers to leadership positions faced by teachers in
their local areas54
. However, without a coherent national strategy for tackling diversity issues
it may be difficult to evaluate full impact of such initiatives in the short-term.
Literature Review Summary
The literature illustrates the underrepresentation of BAME teachers in nearly every strand of
the teaching profession within the UK. The underrepresentation is more acute when
compared to the diversity makeup of students and the predicted growth rate of the young
ethnic minority population55
. Given the importance of teachers as role models for students,
there is clearly a need for the social profile of teachers to reflect the characteristics of the
population they serve56
. However, not only are BAME teachers underrepresented in primary,
53
The Future Leaders Trust (2015)
54
DfE (2015b)
55
Sunak and Rajeswaran (2014)
56
Riddell, et al. (2006)
“I feel very fortunate to have been accepted onto the Teach First programme. The
programme arranges the school and contract of employment. I feel confident about her
position for the next 2 years.”
Female Secondary Teacher
“If diversity strategies were effective then there would be more BAME teachers.”
Female French Teacher (Secondary School)
24. 24
secondary and higher education institutions and across geographic regions, but the dual
issue of racism and inequality appear to be preventing many ethnic minority teachers from
progressing to more senior teaching and leadership roles.
The literature suggests that significant cultural, institutional, and practical barriers are
preventing more ethnic minority teachers from entering the profession and progressing
through initial teacher training (ITT) courses. Whilst efforts to increase representation
through legislation and equal employment opportunities policies has raised the prominence
of diversity issues within the sector.
“Both staff and students from minority ethnic groups continue to experience
disadvantages compared to White staff and students; and yet such racial inequality
continues not to be a high priority issue for senior managers and academic
leaders.”57
Summary of Wider Research
Wider research indicated a strong need for more research into why BAME groups are
underrepresented in the education sector, including factors pertaining to recruitment,
the factors preventing ethnic minorities to progressing to more senior teaching and
leadership roles, and the implications for diversity and student attainment.
Student Perceptions of the Teaching Profession.
Student perceptions of teaching were generally positive or neutral. Those who had positive
perceptions illustrated how teachers have a positive impact.
Those who had neutral perceptions highlighted poor working conditions in terms of salary
expectations and the lack of black role models.
57
Pilkington (2012:243)
“Teachers have the power to be influential to vulnerable people and make a
positive change to their lives.” Female Undergraduate (Aston University)
“I feel it is amazing to impart knowledge onto another generation.”
1st
Year Undergraduate (University of Birmingham)
“As a profession it didn't look to bring in much money but at the same time can
give you skills to enter a job that can!” - Female Undergraduate (Aston University)
“Both staff and students from minority ethnic groups continue to experience
disadvantages compared to White staff and students; and yet such racial inequality
continues not to be a high priority issue for senior managers and academic leaders.57
25. 25
Those with negative perceptions were largely influenced by personal experiences and
cultural influences. Poor pay, lack of recognition and poor image were also cited:
Student Perceptions of Teaching Careers
We asked over 1,300 BAME undergraduate students if they would be interested in teaching
careers. The results were categorised by gender and geographic region. Just 14 per cent
of respondents said that they would be interested in a teaching career.
Figure 1 Number of BAME students who would consider teaching careers. Sample Size:
1,346
The majority of respondents were not generally interested in teaching even though they
admitted that the lack of Black teachers has a negative effect on BAME students. Many
“Teachers have the power to be influential to vulnerable people and make a positive
change to their lives.” Female Undergraduate (Aston University)
“I feel it is amazing to impart knowledge onto another generation.”
1st
Year Undergraduate (University of Birmingham)
“Black people are big dreamers and we aim for competitive industries.”
BAME Undergraduate (University of Swansea)
“Teaching has its disadvantages and its advantages. Personally I believe the system is
somehow getting worse.”
2nd Year Female Undergraduate (University of Hull)
26. 26
spoke about the Black teachers they had that encouraged them to 'do more'. This was met
with mixed reactions; some found the increased spotlight of the teacher's attention negative.
They felt the teachers were harder on them than they were on non-BAME students. Others
were encouraged to be better. Those who expressed an interest in the profession cited
intrinsic reasons such as inspiring and developing young people and giving back to their
communities. Respondents were also keen to redress the diversity deficit within the
profession.
Respondents who stated that they were not interested in teaching careers cited similar
reasons, including poor salary expectations compared to other professions and low ‘prestige’
of teaching compared to other careers. Perceptions of poor working conditions were
commonly highlighted.
It was apparent from the responses that students felt that teaching as a profession was
something that required ‘passion’, but that they were generally uninterested in teaching as a
career. Those who were unsure cited that teaching was regarded as a ‘last resort’ career, or
something they would consider if no other opportunities were available to them.
Regional Breakdown
A regional analysis of the responses indicated that respondents in the East Midlands region
were most likely to go into teaching. Comparing the results with current representation
indicated that around 20 per cent of respondents from the London area would consider
teaching, which also has the highest representation of BAME teachers in the country. In the
West Midlands around 5 per cent said that they would consider teaching; an area which
currently has one of the lowest BAME teacher representation in the English regions.
“We need more BAME in the teaching field.”
Female Undergraduate (University of Birmingham)
“[Teaching] doesn't appeal to me, long hours and not enough of a financial
payment.”
Female 1st
Year Undergraduate (University of Birmingham)
27. 27
Figure 2 Number of BAME students who would consider teaching careers (by region).
Sample Size: 1,346
Student Focus Group
Perceptions of teaching
Students generally had positive perceptions of teachers as being influential to young people.
The group stated that students need a level of education to be successful in life and to
achieve what you want to do in the future. However from the discussion several negative
factors emerged:
● The group thought that the education system puts boundaries on certain groups; for
example, setting low predicted grades.
● The group felt that teachers do not put enough effort into supporting lower grade
pupils; instead they believed that teachers were more concerned about the school’s
reputation/league tables rather than individual student performance.
● Higher achievers appear to get more attention, whilst the cultural differences
between state and private schools (one student was educated in a state school but
had a sibling in private education) also have an impact on the level of attention that
teachers provide to individual students.
● The group felt that [BAME] students are not given the ‘full potential to express
themselves’ through their cultural identities. Instead, they felt compelled to fit in with
defined ‘cultural norms’ as prescribed by teachers and the education system.
● The group thought that social media and television programmes have an impact on
people’s perceptions of ethnicity, but this was also dependent on family influences
and open-mindedness.
Teachers as Role Models
The group said that teachers should be inspirational to young people. Some of the students
expressed that teachers of similar backgrounds were easier to relate to, but none had
specific role models.
29
34
7
12
36
29
4
35
8
81
136
43
16
311
71
75
349
70
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
East Midlands
London
North West
Scotland
South East
South West
Wales
West Midlands
Yorkshire and the Humber
Students who would Consider Teaching Careers (by Region)
Sum of Yes
Sum of No
28. 28
BAME Underrepresentation
The group’s opinions on underrepresentation highlighted several cultural and institutional
factors. In terms of recruitment, the group felt that it is still difficult for ethnic minorities to get
interviews because of ‘racism’. The group felt strongly that equality was an issue, particularly
during the application process. For example, diversity (ethnicity) questions on application
forms may be seen as a barrier to ethnic groups.
The students felt that interview candidates are ‘expected to behave in a certain way’, and
that people with different cultural backgrounds were more likely to be discriminated for not
matching predetermined stereotypes. Some students are less likely to respect people from
different backgrounds, but it depends on their upbringing, and level of interaction with other
ethnic groups and social reference groups.
In terms of representation at senior levels the students stated that unconscious bias and
institutional racism were prevalent in educational establishments. The group felt that there is
a certain ‘cult’ within higher positions in education, and if certain people do not fit that mould
then you won’t be able to succeed.
Improving Diversity in Recruitment
The students highlighted both intrinsic and practical barriers in the recruitment process. In
terms of intrinsic barriers the students stated that “black people limit themselves to what is
out there in terms of opportunities because of discrimination”. The group also thought that
individual upbringing plays a part in breaking down cultural barriers, e.g. ‘believing that you
can achieve anything’.
“A teacher should be someone who shows you how you should be in the future.”
“I had 1 black maths teacher who used to push me more than other teachers,
because I feel that BAME teachers feel more of a ‘bond’ with students from similar
ethnic backgrounds and want to give something back to their communities.”
“I would not necessarily relate to someone more or less if from a similar
background to me, as I can also relate to teachers from different backgrounds.”
“All of my teachers were white but I had 1 ethnic minority teacher who I felt I
could relate to more.”
BAME Undergraduates (Coventry University)
“Black boys are more ‘business driven’; more motivated by money and salary
expectations; however some ethnic minorities are more driven to give something back to
their communities.”
“Teachers do not get paid as much as other professions but people don’t think about the
impact that teachers can have.” BAME Undergraduates (Coventry University)
29. 29
The group had not really considered teaching as a career, but those that had volunteered or
previously worked with young people, such as ‘Camp America’ type activities had found the
experience of working with young people ‘rewarding’, and believed that ‘anyone could be a
teacher if they wanted to try it’. One participant had volunteered in a school. The group
thought that activities such as volunteering would encourage more people, particularly
graduates, to find out about the teaching experience and consider careers in teaching.
The group thought that teaching graduate development programmes were a good idea,
particularly as it would enable people to try teaching. Some expressed concerns that
‘student teachers’ may not be taken seriously by some pupils, particularly in secondary
schools. Consequently, most expressed a preference for primary school opportunities.
Interviews with BAME teachers
Interviews were conducted with 6 BAME teachers; 2 male and 4 female. All were located
within inner-city schools, including one primary, one independent secondary and one faith
school. Five respondents had qualified within the past 5 years or were due to qualify in the
current academic year; one had qualified 10 years ago. Core teaching subjects included
English, French and Computer Sciences.
Career Attraction
Teachers who had progressed to qualified teacher status emphasised that they had
previously worked with young people in non-teaching capacities before becoming teaching
assistants and progressing to qualified teacher status. Prior experience was the main
influence on preference for school type and wanting to become a teacher. The respondents
cited working with young people in a non-teaching capacity, either through volunteering or
other youth work. This was also reflected in the results of the focus groups, which showed
that volunteering and youth work had a positive influence on BAME undergraduates’
willingness to consider teaching as a career.
“We should break-down barriers from the application process, e.g. African names on
application forms, because selection panels will often feature no ethnic minorities. There
should be no difference between two candidates with the same qualifications; the colour
of their skin should not hinder them.”
BAME Undergraduates (Coventry University)
“If you wanted to be a teacher, it is much more than a job, as such, incentives such as
money are not as important. The main incentive is actually ‘becoming a teacher’, in a
similar vein to becoming a doctor […] it is not about what you get – but what you give. It
is the individual drive to ‘change the world’, but incentives might encourage those ethnic
minorities who are more business orientated and entrepreneurial.”
BAME Undergraduates (Coventry University)
30. 30
Contrary to previous studies58
none of the respondents highlighted a desire to enter teaching
as a means to correct ‘historic injustices’ or increase representation of ethnic groups.
Career Barriers
None of the respondents had experienced significant personal barriers to entering the
profession and most had positive experiences overall. The lack of recognisable BAME role
models was seen as a major barrier which would discourage ethnic minorities from joining
the profession and this was also highlighted within the literature, student surveys and focus
groups. Issues of race and personal background also had a negative impact on how BAME
teachers were perceived.
58
Cunningham and Hargreaves (2007); University of Exeter (2010)
“I used to do youth work in secondary schools before commencing teacher training and
becoming a qualified teacher […] My prior school experience was only in the primary
setting and I prefer working with younger children. Additionally, you get to teach a
number of subjects instead of just one.”
Male Year 3 Primary Teacher
“I love working with young people, I did some youth work with a church, and then
become a teaching assistant, now a qualified teacher on the Teach First programme.”
Female Secondary School Teacher
“I always enjoyed working with young people. Whilst at university I worked on an
intervention working with young BAME boys to raise aspirations in Nottingham schools.”
Male English Teacher (Secondary School)
“There are a lack of role models and inspirational BAME teachers in influential positions.
Also think some BAME communities have had bad experiences in the education system
which doesn’t motivate them to pursue a career in teaching. I didn’t have that many
barriers getting into teaching because I had positive role models in the profession that
supported me through the process.”
Male Secondary School Teacher
“Initially wouldn’t say there were any barriers, but there are issues regarding gender and
race. I have experienced negative attitudes as a BAME woman from a working class
background.”
Female Secondary School Teacher
31. 31
Two of the respondents highlighted cultural barriers within certain ethnic communities. In
common with the student responses and previous research59
the teaching profession was
not viewed as a prestigious career; professions such as law and medicine were more highly
valued among ethnic minority groups.
Discrimination and Racism
Occurrences of racism and discrimination were noted throughout the initial recruitment
stages and were viewed as a significant barrier to progression within the profession. In
common with previous studies teachers noted both subtle discrimination and overt racism.
Significantly, discrimination at leadership level and a lack of support from colleagues had a
negative impact on teachers’ career progression to more senior positions.60
One respondent
had experienced ‘positive discrimination’. More favourably, one respondent had experienced
‘positive discrimination’ from both staff and students.
59
Carrington and Tomlin (2000); Bhopal (2015); Wilkins and Lall (2011)
60
Bhopal and Jackson (2013)
“There is a lack of black professions in education and no role models for BAME people to
aspire to. In the part of Africa where I am, teaching is not a desirable profession; there
are more desirable jobs. To be a professional you have to succeed academically, and this
is not always the case for BAME students.”
Female Secondary School English Teacher
“West African’s don’t respect teaching as a career, family perceptions of teaching are not
great in comparison to becoming a doctor for example.”
Female French Teacher (Secondary School)
“A lot of us are first-born in the UK but aspirations of parents are mostly to become a
lawyer or doctor, etc. We are not told that we should become a teacher. Growing up
there were not enough black teachers as role models. I never wanted to be a teacher
whilst I was young.” Male English Teacher (Secondary School)
32. 32
Career progression and equal opportunities
Whilst teachers were encouraged “to grow professionally”, the lack of diversity of head
teachers and in leadership roles appeared to have a two-fold effect on career progression for
BAME teachers. It was felt that BAME teachers are being ‘side-lined’ for promotion and this
also negatively affected their career aspirations.
“I do feel their many undertones and subtle hints of discrimination that exist in a school
environment. I think there is an element of a ‘glass ceiling’ for BAME teachers; being
overlooked for certain positions in a school is a common occurrence.
Attending the NASWUT BAME conference in 2014 with over 300 BAME teachers across
the UK was an eye opener to hear of the racism that some BAME teachers face in schools
across the UK. The main concern from teachers is the lack of professional support from
the school.”
Male Secondary Teacher
“I have experienced instances of racism, for example, during an interview the panel
assumed I was of ‘Turkish’ origin. I have also experienced snide remarks/comments from
people in senior positions.”
Female Secondary Teacher
“Diversity drives innovation and inspires other BME teachers to aim high. BME teachers
normally have to work twice as hard as their counter parts to obtain a certain job role in a
school. Also many BME teachers feel they are being by-passed by their counterparts for
senior positions. Many schools have an inclusion polices on paper, but my concern is that
in reality it’s a different matter altogether.”
Male Secondary Teacher
“It depends on who is responsible for your progression and other candidates. I did a
psychology degree and wanted to be an educational psychologist. Teaching is a way into
my chosen career.”
“[I work in] a Christian faith school so it practices values of acceptance and inclusivity in
terms of the faith. There is significant diversity and inclusion in terms of race, religion and
disability. Female Secondary English Teacher
“Barriers [to promotion] include not being able to reach to the top of their career due to
their race and a lack of representation of their ethnicity within certain levels of staff.”
Year 3 Teacher
33. 33
Significantly, the lack of diversity in leadership positions appeared to limit opportunities for
ethnic minority teachers to ‘reach the top of their career’. This reflected in the statistics
across all levels of the sector, with very little or no ethnic minority representation in head
teaching and senior management roles.
Perceptions of BAME Teachers
The perception of teaching amongst BAME communities is generally positive, with teachers
seen as ‘role models’ and as someone to aspire to by their communities.
Early experiences of teaching and education did not have a significantly detrimental impact
on whether the respondents wanted to enter teaching, however there was a sense of
wanting to inspire others from ethnic minority groups by demonstrating ‘what can be
achieved’. There was also evidence that ethnic minorities are being stereotyped and
discriminated against acceding to professional occupations such as teaching. The findings
therefore supported previous studies which found that ethnic minorities experience face low
expectations from their peers and colleagues.61
This is subsequently likely to deter many
from ethnic minority groups from considering teaching as a career.
61
University of Exeter (2010)
“In terms of the community’s respect for teachers it is good for the children to have role
models. One [BAME] student commented that it was great to have me as a role model”
Female French Teacher (Secondary School)
“I have positive experiences being a teacher in my community. They see me as a role
model and admire the passion I have to see any child achieve to the best of their ability.
Most say there are not enough of us and that there should be to reflect the communities
we live in”.
“[However] the perception of BAME teachers should not be underlined by the stereotype
roles such as Head of Years, Behaviour Management or Inclusion Management. We need
to be seen as professionals that have the ability to lead any area of school life, if they
decide to pursue that route of career development.”
Male Secondary School Teacher
34. 34
Underrepresentation
The lack of representation had a negative impact on the number of visible role models for
BAME children to aspire to. It was felt that increasing the representation of ethnic minority
teachers would have overall positive benefits for students of all ethnic groups and BAME
students in particular. The lack of ethnic minority staff in senior positions including
governmental and policy-making roles had a detrimental impact on the aspirations amongst
BAME teachers. BAME pupils faced “disillusionment” at the lack of ethnic minority role
models in schools. This was more evident in schools with a large ethnic minority cohort but
with few BAME teaching staff.
It is arguable that the lack of diversity in schools may also be having a detrimental impact on
BAME students’ attainment and aspirations. Where policies are in place which focus on
improving the outcomes of ethnic minorities, for example in London, this has been found to
have an overall positive impact on the outcomes of ethnic minority representation and
attainment among all ethnic groups.
“My school is placed in a very multicultural working/middle class area where BAME
teachers are perceived positively. Most say there are not enough of us and that there
should be to reflect the communities we live in. Out of 13 teachers, I am the only black
teacher in my school. Some black parents are glad to see a person of their own ethnicity
teaching their children. This has helped in building stronger relationships between the
school and home on one occasion.
I went to an all-white teaching staff school when I grew up, but it didn’t have a positive or
negative impact on my perceptions of teaching. I didn’t really start thinking about it until
I applied to go on the PGCE course. I wanted to go into teaching not just because I love it
but also to prove to myself and others of the same ethnicity that it’s possible.”
Female Year 3 teacher
“I have experienced either negative attitudes, e.g. “What are you doing going into
teaching?” and positive attitudes, e.g. it’s amazing to inspire the next generation.
[However] there is an awareness of feeling isolated, e.g. being side-lined from
conversations. There was an attitude that ‘you’ll only ever be a teaching assistant’, and
‘you will only get to a certain level, forget being a leader.’
“My personal perceptions of education were generally negative as I attended a failing
school and I had to fight to obtain GCSEs. There was a general expectation that pupils
would ‘end up on benefits’; however there were some amazing teachers and the cultural
beliefs of parents pushed me to do better.”
Female Secondary Teacher
“It’s a known fact that BME students benefit hugely from seeing BME teachers in
leadership positions on a daily basis. A school that has a strong emphasis on diversity
helps to build a brighter future for students to embrace and respect other cultures. The
drive to recruit new BAME teachers is cause for concern. Until we see more BAME
teachers in senior positions and in influential positons in the education cabinet then we
will continuously fail to raise aspirations and show clear pathways for teachers of colour
to follow.” Male Secondary Teacher
35. 35
Increasing Diversity
In terms of recruiting more BAME teachers it was felt that unless the profession addresses
diversity in senior leadership and teaching positions then current strategies are unlikely to
raise aspirations which promote career pathways for BAME staff. In terms of improving
diversity recruitment strategies the respondents favoured a ‘top-down’ approach with more
BAME representation in the Department for Education (DfE) together with stronger ‘support
networks’ and ‘mentoring systems’ and greater ‘diversity awareness’ throughout initial
teacher training programmes. Increasing the funding for diversity initiatives and providing
additional financial assistance were also noted.
It was also felt that more should be done to attract and recruit candidates from an earlier age
together with initiatives, such as teaching ‘career workshops’ prior to university. Existing
initiatives such as Teach First are largely aimed at the graduate market, however it is argued
that earlier interventions, including youth volunteering and work experience programmes
which enable BAME secondary school pupils to experience teaching and youth work would
develop a much wider talent pool.
The issue of teachers’ pay was highlighted throughout the student surveys. Some teachers
argued that teaching is not seen as a desirable profession among some ethnic minority
groups, including certain African cultures. Reviewing the pay structure of teachers and
raising the ‘prestige’ of teaching as profession may go some way to redressing cultural
perceptions of teaching careers.
“There are a lot of black African/Caribbean children who need someone to look up to/
have role models, not just at home but in the community too. The lack of BAME teachers
seems to have a link with few BAME children being interested in pursuing a career in
teaching.”
Year 3 Teacher
“I think it is ignorant to say [diversity] is ‘not important’. I can see people in positions of
influence and this is what inspired me to do well. [The lack of diversity] has an impact on
student because you are led to believe that you can only become a ‘social worker’, not a
doctor, etc. For example a BAME student who wanted to become a doctor was told that
she should become a nurse.” Female Secondary Teacher
36. 36
Without policies which provide support to BAME teachers our objective to increase
representation in the profession, particularly in senior positions, is unlikely to become a
reality. Unless more BAME staff are appointed to head teacher, principal, managerial and
vice-chancellor positions then historic inequalities are likely to remain. Moreover, improved
outcomes for BAME pupils are unlikely to be fulfilled without a significant increase in support
for ethnic minority teachers.
“The government need more educators from BAME backgrounds in the Department for
Education. More transparent and clear career pathways are also needed for BAME
teachers to have a chance at reaching senior positions in schools and there should be
better network systems for BAME teachers in the profession. [e.g.] mentoring systems for
BAME teachers would help to strengthen and empower their teaching practices. Finally,
there needs to be a better awareness of diversity at Teacher Training Courses and
Programmes. Too often the courses are too cheesy or quickly brushed over.”
_____________________________________________ _Male Secondary Teacher
“There is definitely more that needs to be done. They try and recruit graduates by they
should start targeting and recruiting ethnic minority students from a younger age by
making the education system more appealing as a career for ethnic minority groups.”
Female English Teacher (Secondary School)
“I think the perception of teaching needs to be changed. Low pay strategies does not
make teaching an appealing career for existing or new teachers. There needs to be an
effect to make it more of a specialist career similar to medicine or law. At the moment
anyone can go into teaching whereas doctors and lawyers are held in much higher
esteem. There should be workshops with young people to show them the impact of being
a teacher.” Male English Teacher (Secondary School)
37. 37
Conclusion
This report has highlighted the diversity challenges that currently exist at all levels of the
education profession. This lack of diversity is particularly acute within positions of leadership
across all levels of the sector.
In light of the increasingly diverse makeup of the UK population; current policies and
initiatives appear to be ineffective in recruiting sufficient numbers of ethnic minority teaching
staff and progressing those that are recruited into leadership positions. Consequently, the
number of ethnic minority teaching and leadership staff has failed to reflect the current
diversity makeup of the student population and wider population as a whole. This problem
was more acute in the West Midlands, North West and Yorkshire regions, which all have
sizeable ethnic minority communities. Initiatives within London appear to have been more
effective in terms of increasing diversity over recent years; however significant challenges
remain in ensuring that diversity and inclusion is tackled at a national level.
This report has argued that the current diversity shortfall is contributing to the roots of
inequality in terms of contributing to the lower academic standards for certain groups of
ethnic minority students, particularly those from black ethnic backgrounds. Other factors
such as institutional racism and the school curriculum were also reflective of the inequalities
faced by BAME students in education.
Our conversations with BAME students and teachers showed that working conditions, a lack
of visible BAME role models and institutional racism appear to be deterring ethnic minorities
considering careers in teaching, or being promoted to positions of responsibility and
leadership. The results of our survey of ethnic minority undergraduates indicated that as few
as 12 per cent of students would consider teaching as a career. Whilst most BAME students
had respect and admiration for teachers, most wanted careers with higher ‘prestige’, better
pay and working conditions. Moreover there appeared to be a cultural perception that
teaching was not a desirable profession for ethnic groups.
Despite negative perceptions of teaching our evidence strongly suggested that students who
had previously worked with young people were more positive about teaching as a career.
Moreover, teachers often had previous experience of working with young people in a non-
teaching capacity and this had a bearing on their propensity to become qualified teachers.
Interviews with teaching staff indicated that the current lack of diversity among senior
positions in the education sector appeared to be a deterrent for existing teachers. This also
acted as a barrier to encouraging more ethnic minorities from joining the profession,
particularly among student groups. Better support for existing teachers is also needed to
help BAME teachers to progress to leadership level.
Whilst diversity initiatives have made progress in promoting the diversity recruitment agenda,
current policies do not appear to have had a significant impact on improving diversity in the
sector. This report calls for greater focus from the government, Department for Education,
local authorities, and educational institutions to develop a comprehensive ‘top-down’
diversity strategy in order to combat the glaring inequalities faced by teaching staff and
students.
38. 38
Methodology
Elevation Networks used mixed primary and secondary research methods to investigate the
diversity shortfall in the teaching profession and the wider education sector. This included
the statistical analysis of teaching staff and pupil ethnicity profiles, an extensive review of the
current literature and a large-scale survey of over 1,300 undergraduate BAME students. We
also conducted a series of in-depth interviews with teaching staff and students from a range
of schools and universities. For the purposes of this research, we have focussed on
employment within local authority maintained primary and secondary schools and colleges,
universities and higher education (HE) institutions within the United Kingdom.
Secondary Research
Statistical Analysis
Using ethnicity datasets published by the Department for Education and the Higher
Education Statistics Agency Elevation Networks compared statistics for staff at every level of
the profession from state-funded primary schools, secondary schools and higher education
(HE) institutions. BAME representation was analysed for qualified teacher grades, head
teachers, lecturers, professors and senior management positions together with estimates of
the national and education level ethnic minority population.
Using a method of proportional representation across each sector and professional level we
calculated current diversity shortfall of ethnic minority teachers and staff compared to the
ethnic makeup of students and wider population on an institutional and regional level.
Background Research
A thorough review of the literature was conducted covering both published academic, policy
and research reports. For the purpose of the report, we have excluded research from non-
UK contexts and research conducted prior to the year 2000. The literature was categorised
according to key broad themes, including:
▪ Attraction, recruitment and retention of BAME staff
▪ BAME experiences in the sector
▪ Inequality and racism
▪ Impact on BAME students
▪ Current diversity initiatives
Primary Research
The Great Debate Tour
Elevation Networks conducted an extensive survey of over 1,300 BAME undergraduate
students from a range of UK universities in order to find out their perceptions of teaching as
a profession of choice. We polled audiences attending The Great Debate Tour, the UK’s
largest debating programme targeted at university students from BAME backgrounds to find
out how many BAME students would consider a career in teaching.
39. 39
Student Focus Group
We conducted a focus group with BAME undergraduate students from the University of
Coventry. Coventry University is a post-92 institution and over 50% of its students are from
ethnic minority groups62
.
Qualitative Interviews
Qualitative interviews were conducted with 6 BAME teaching staff. These included:
● A male Computer Sciences teacher from a secondary school;
● A female year 3 primary school teacher;
● A newly qualified female secondary school English teacher;
● A female secondary school English teacher due to qualify in 2016;
● A female inner-city secondary school French teacher with 5-years’ teaching
experience.
● A male inner-city secondary school English teacher, qualified in 2013/14.
Annexes
Annex 1 Academic Attainment at Key Stage 2 Level (by Ethnic Group)
Figure 3 Attainment at Key Stage 2 by Ethnicity (percentage of pupils achieving level 4 or
above in reading, writing and mathematics (DfE, 2014c).
62
Coventry University (2014).
40. 40
Annex 2 Academic Attainment at GCSE Level (by Ethnic Group)
Figure 4 Achievements at GCSE and equivalent for pupils1 at the end of key stage 4 by
pupil characteristics (DfE, 2014).
Annex 3 Academic Attainment at First Degree Level (by Ethnic Group)
Figure 5 Percentage Of Students Receiving A First Or 2:1 Degree Classification (By Ethnic
Group). (Equality Challenge Unit, 2014).
73.2
64.4 63.9
54.2
43.8
57.1
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
White British Indian Chinese Pakistani Other Black
Background
All BAME
Groups
Percentage Of Students Receiving A First Or 2:1
Degree Classification (By Ethnic Group)
41. 41
References and Bibliography
Bhopal, K. (2015) Race, Identity and Support in Initial Teacher Training, British Journal of
Educational Studies, Vol. 63, no.2, pp. 197-211.
Bhopal, K., and Jackson, J. (2013) The Experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic
Academics, Multiple Identities and Career Progression, Southampton, University of
Southampton, Available from: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/350967/ [Accessed 18th
August
2015].
Burgess, S. (2014) Understanding the Success of London’s Schools, Bristol, Centre for
Market and Public Organisation.
Bush, T., Glover, D., and Krishan, S. (2006) Black and Minority Ethnic Leaders in England: A
Portrait, School Leadership and Management, Vol. 26, no.3, pp. 289-305.
Carrington, B. and Tomlin, R. (2000) Towards a More Inclusive Profession: Teacher
Recruitment and Ethnicity, European Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 23, no.2, pp. 139-
157.
Coventry University (2014) 2013/14 Coventry University Student Demographics, Coventry,
Coventry University.
Cunningham, M. and Hargreaves, L. (2007) Minority Ethnic Teachers’ Professional
Experiences, Evidence from the Teacher Status Project, London, Department for Education
and Skills, Available from:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130401151715/http://www.education.gov.uk/pu
blications/eOrderingDownload/RR853.pdf [Accessed 20th August 2015].
Demos (2015) 61% Of Ethnic Minority Kids in England – And 90% In London – Begin Year 1
In Schools Where Ethnic Minorities Are The Majority Of The Student Body [online], London,
Demos, Available from: http://www.demos.co.uk/press-release/61-of-ethnic-minority-kids-in-
england-and-90-in-london-begin-year-1-in-schools-where-ethnic-minorities-are-the-m
[Accessed 10th November 2015].
DfE (2014a) Equality Objectives, London: Department for Education.
DfE (2014b) GCSE AND Equivalent Attainment by Pupil
Characteristics in England, 2012/13, London, Department for Education, Available from:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/280689/SFR0
5_2014_Text_FINAL.pdf [Accessed 2nd November].
DfE (2014c) National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 2 In
England, 2014 (Revised), London, Department for Education, Available from:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/428838/SFR5
0_2014_Text.pdf [Accessed 2nd November 2015].
DfE (2015a) School Workforce in England, November 2014, London, Department for
Education. Available from:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/440577/Text_
SFR21-2015.pdf [Accessed 10th August 2015].
42. 42
DfE (2015b) Grants to Help Boost Diversity in Senior School Leadership, London,
Department for Education, Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/grants-to-
help-boost-diversity-in-senior-school-leadership [Accessed 3rd November 2015].
DfE (2015c) Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics, January 2015. London, Department
for Education, Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-
their-characteristics-january-2015 [Accessed 10th August 2015].
Elevation Networks Trust (2012) Race to the Top, The Experience of Black Students in
Higher Education, London, The Bow Group.
Equality Challenge Unit (2009), The Experience of Black and Minority Ethnic Staff Working
in Higher Education, London: Equality Challenge Unit, Available from:
http://www.ecu.ac.uk/wpcontent/uploads/external/experience-of-bme-staff-in-he.pdf
[Accessed 17th August 2015].
Equality Challenge Unit (2014) Degree Attainment Gaps, London, Equality Challenge Unit.
Available from: http://www.ecu.ac.uk/guidance-resources/student-recruitment-retention-
attainment/student-attainment/degree-attainment-gaps/# [Accessed 2nd
November 2015].
Equality Challenge Unit (2015) Facing the Taboo of Race Discrimination in Higher
Education, London, Equality Challenge Unit. Available from:
http://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/facing-the-taboo-of-race-discr/4586702221 [Accessed
21st August 2015].
Future Leaders Trust (2015) Impact Report, 2015, London, The Future Leaders Trust,
Available from: http://www.future-leaders.org.uk/impact/future-leaders-trust-impact-report-
2015/2015-impact-report-summary/ [Accessed 30th
October 2015].
Greater London Authority (2006) Black Teachers in London (2006), London, Mayor of
London/Greater London Authority.
Greater London Authority (2013) The London Annual Education Report 2013, London,
Greater London Authority/Mayor of London, Available from:
https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/111507%20London%20Education%20Report%
20FINAL%20(1).pdf [Accessed16th October 2015].
HEFCE (2015a) Equality and Diversity Data Tables: Staff and Student Profiles, 2013/14,
Bristol, Higher Education Funding Council for England. Available from:
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/data/Year/2015/eddata/ [Accessed 11th
August 2015].
HEFCE (2015b) Differences in Degree Outcomes: The Effect of Subject and Student
Characteristics, Bristol, Higher Education Funding Council for England.
HESA (2015) Staff in Higher Education, Cheltenham, Higher Education Statistics Authority,
Available from:
https://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_pubs&task=show_pub_detail&pubid=1717&I
temid=286 [Accessed 17th
August 2015].
Johnson, L. and Campbell-Stephens, R. (2013) Developing the Next Generation of Black
and Global Majority Leaders for London Schools, Journal of Educational Administration, Vol.
51., no.1, pp. 24-39.
43. 43
Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2012) Dynamics of Diversity: Evidence from the 2011
Census, Manchester, Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Jordan, A. H., Lovett, B. J., Sweeton, J. L. (2012) The Social Psychology of Black–White
Interracial Interactions: Implications for Culturally Competent Clinical Practice, Journal of
Multicultural Counselling and Development, Vol. 40, pp.132-143.
Kidson, M. and Norris, E. (2014) Implementing the London Challenge, London, Institute for
Government.
Kingdon, G. and Cassen, R. (2000) Ethnicity and Low Achievement in English Schools,
British Educational Research Journal, Vol. 36, no.3, pp. 403-431.
Macauley, B. (2000) Raising the Attainment of Ethnic Minority Pupils, What Strategies are
Recognised? Improving Schools, Vol. 3, no.1, pp. 56-60.
MacPherson, W. (1999) The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry: Report of an Inquiry by Sir William
Macpherson of Cluny, Cm 4262-I, February 1999.
Manfredi, S., and Hunter, S. (2012) Higher Education: Advancing Equality in Challenging
Times, Perspectives, Policy and Practice in Higher Education, Vol. 16, no.1, pp. 1-2.
McNamara, O., Howson, J. Gunter, H. and Fryers, A. (2009) Supporting the Leadership
Aspirations and Careers of Black and Minority Ethnic Teachers, Birmingham, NASUWT,
Available from:
http://www.equitableeducation.co.uk/uploads/1/5/5/9/15597724/the_leadership_aspirations_
and_careers_of_black_and_minority_ethnic_teachers.pdf [Accessed 20th August 2015].
National College for Teaching & Leadership (2013) Initial Teacher Training Census, London,
Department for Education, Available from:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/300437/initial-
teacher-training-trainee-number-census-2013-2014-commentary.pdf [Accessed 20th August
2015].
National Union of Teachers (NUT) (2015) NUT/YouGov Teacher Survey on Government
Education Policy [online], London, NUT/YouGuv, Available from:
https://www.teachers.org.uk/files/nut-yougov-teacher-survey-results-pr167-2015.xlsx
[Accessed 12th October 2015].
Office of National Statistics (2013) 2011 Census: Ethnic Group, Local Authorities in the
United Kingdom, London, Available from: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-
census/key-statistics-and-quick-statistics-for-local-authorities-in-the-united-kingdom---part-
1/rft-ks201uk.xls [Accessed 13th August 2015].
Office of National Statistics (2015) Public Sector Employment, Q2, 2015, London, Office of
National Statistics.
Ogunbawo, D. (2012) Developing Black and Minority Ethnic Leaders: The Case for
Customized Programmes, Educational Management Administration & Leadership, Vol. 40,
no.2, pp. 158-174.
Phillips, C. (2011) Institutional Racism and Ethnic Inequalities: An Expanded Multilevel
Framework, Journal of Social Policy, Vol. 40, no.1, pp. 173-192.