According to government figures in 2019, 86% of all teachers were from a White British background, compared to 65% of pupils. Three recent reports on diversity look at how likely pupils are to find a teacher, a member of senior management or even learning materials that reflect them and their lives.
It is of course not just about race, though that is often one of the more visible signs of diversity. Two of the reports cover protected characteristics including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
Teachers as role models
The Trust Leaders CEO Conference 2021 in Nottingham on September 29th 2021 discussed research findings and recommendations from the first national research report into equality, diversity and inclusion amongst CEOs in the Academy Trust sector. This was published by Forum Strategy.
The report identified areas where the Trust sector has made some progress but also picked out areas for improvements. Many found this challenging. An unnamed Head of HR at a Trust in the West Midlands said: 'With quality diversity and inclusion, it does take a lot of courage, you do have to be very brave. It's not easy stuff.'
An Executive Principal in London said: 'We need more research, to explore any structural or cultural barriers that are maintaining workplace inequality… perhaps it’s a national body that might be able to provide that information.'
There are experts out there, from the Equalities Commission to the Embedding Race Equality Steering Group led by Naheeda Maharasingam who featured in an earlier edition of the Inclusion Journal. In fact, many would argue that we have the stats, the research and evidence of the scale of the problem but still fail to address the issues.