Representation matters: Opening the pipeline for more black and brown teachers to join the profession

More than 40% of children in UK independent schools are from non-white and minoritised ethnicities (ISC, 2024) and these pupils report facing barriers to inclusion within school due to their ethnicity. Having a diverse staff body that at least matches the diversity of the pupil body is beneficial, as it provides an environment where pupils have a range of staff with a mixture of common lived experiences to be able to turn to when they need help and support. A more diverse staff body also provides insight and lived experience when schools are making all sorts of decisions from curriculum design to re-writing hair policies. From my own personal experience, most independent schools, particularly independent boarding schools in rural areas, are not as diverse as the national state school average of just under 11% black and brown teachers, and most teachers from these minoritised backgrounds tend to work in London and other cities. A UCL research team found that 46% of state schools in England have no black, Asian or minority ethnic teachers at all (Tereshchenko et al, 2020).
 
“The pipeline is broken,” said Allana Gay, headteacher and co-founder of BAMEed, at the 2022 ACEN Annual Anti-Racism Conference. Data from the NFER supports this, showing that black and brown applications to Initial Teacher Training (ITT) is higher than applications from white teachers (as a percentage of over/under-representation in wider society). Numbers of minoritised teachers then drop off at every stage of progression, meaning black and brown teachers are less likely to receive an offer for ITT, less likely to achieve QTS, less likely to be promoted to middle or senior leadership, and more likely to leave the profession at every career stage (Worth et al, 2022). 

“Barriers to recruitment, retention and progression coalesce around unequal treatment of teachers of colour in a system that was not designed to support either ethnic or intersectional diversity” (Sharp and Aston, 2024). The reality is that while minoritised teachers are under-represented in the state sector, they are less likely to have attended - and therefore know - about independent schools. We value character education and want our pupils to go out into the world confident to face life’s complex challenges, and if we can recruit staff from minority ethnic groups to reflect pupil diversity we not only benefit our pupils but wider society. 

The Cranleigh School motto “Ex Cultu Robur” means “from culture comes strength”. Maya Angelou is famously quoted as saying, “In diversity there is beauty and there is strength”. Cranleigh has been on a long and continuing journey of active anti-racism, anti-sexism and promoting inclusion of all protected groups. One hugely important step is to intentionally address the lack of diversity in our staff body and our two-year Graduate Teacher Experience Pathway (GTEP) is aimed at supporting applicants from all backgrounds into teaching in the independent boarding sector. It will upskill highly qualified staff in Year 1 to be able to fulfil wider aspects of a boarding school graduate assistant teacher role in Year 2, equipping them to apply for future unqualified teacher roles and/or teacher training SCITT/PGCE within the independent (boarding) sector. The GTEP offers graduates a competitive starting salary, subsidised accommodation and term-time meals, along with mentorship and support. It’s supported by BAMEed, with Allana Gay saying: “Cranleigh has thought deeply about this area and designed a comprehensive programme that removes key barriers, builds an enriched experience and will ultimately be a blueprint for widening access. BAMEed Network is proud to support this programme and its participants and looks forward to our future work together.”

The scheme is possible with support from the whole community and specifically from key staff and senior management, with Cranleigh’s head, Samantha Price, adding: “As a boarding school, Cranleigh is well placed to provide extended support for graduate trainees as well as accommodation and living arrangements that will help new teachers to thrive. It’s critical to offer support for minoritised teachers at a time when the profession itself is in crisis and struggling to keep numbers. We’re hoping that this scheme will grow to provide trained and supported staff for the independent sector, where representation is even lower than in education as a whole. Providing these opportunities will start to redress the balance.”

References

ISC Census and Annual Report 2024

DfE School workforce in England Report 2024

Tereshchenko, A., Mills, M., Bradbury, A. (2020) Making progress? Employment and retention of BAME teachers in England. UCL Institute of Education: London, UK

Cocks, M. (2022) Black Teacher Recruitment & Inclusion: The Case for Positive Action

YMCA. (2020) Young and Black: The Young and Black Experience of Institutional Racism in the UK

McKinsey. (2020) Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters

Worth, J., McLean, D. and Sharp, C. (2022) Racial equality in the teacher workforce: an analysis of representation and progression opportunities from initial teacher training to headship: Summary report. NFER/Mission 44

Sharp, C., Aston, K. (2024) Ethnic Diversity in the Teaching Workforce: Evidence Review. NFER/Mission 44

BSA, (2024) New graduate trainee Scheme addresses lack of diversity amongst teaching staff. Available at: https://www.boarding.org.uk/school-news/2024/12/05/new-graduate-trainee-scheme-addresses-lack-of-diversity-amongst-teaching-staff/ (Date accessed: 06 Dec 2024).