How do we create meaningful representation in our schools? Hannah Wilson of the Diverse Educators network advises on how we can diversify our workforce while avoiding tokenism


The lack of visible diversity and racial representation across the teaching profession has been highlighted during the past 12 months or so and there has been an increased focus on the need to diversify the teaching workforce.

This has led to incidents of calling out and calling in when organisations and teams are not diverse. There has been a lot of scrutiny of different groups such as trust boards, local governing boards and senior leadership teams that are not visibly diverse – although we must also remind ourselves that some diversity is not visible.

So, there has been a lot of noise about diversifying the workforce and redressing the imbalances – but has there been a lot of action?
We need to start by identifying the problems, to be able to find the solutions. To do this, we need to create talking and listening spaces which disrupt the hierarchy. We need to dismantle the structures and systems, the policies and practices, that have resulted in a lack of diversity. The current way of doing things enables certain groups and identities to rise and succeed, while other groups and identities are oppressed and marginalised.

Register now, read forever

Thank you for visiting SecEd and reading some of our content for professionals in secondary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.

What's included:

  • Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcast

  • New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here