The murder of George Floyd in the USA has galvanised many public institutions to make explicit their commitment to equality and fairness. Many educational institutions have released
statements declaring a commitment to diversity, but what was happening before George Floyd?
The reality is that inequality still permeates education. Examples include the under representation of Black and Minority Ethnic teachers in leadership, higher exclusion rates for BME students and the issue of bias in education. A 2015 report by the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASWUT) found that 54% of BAME teachers had reported experiencing discrimination and harassment as a result of their ethnicity. It also revealed that 62% of them believed BAME students were not treated fairly. Black Caribbean pupils were three times more likely to be permanently excluded than their white counterparts. Building an inclusive culture is clearly not easy and it starts with leadership.
Diversity Mark schools have been committed to building inclusive settings and bringing diverse and global perspectives into education for many years. These recent global events provide a stark reminder of why our work across education from EarlyYears, to Schools and Colleges is so important.