In Search of Great Governance
Written by Rosemary Hoyle
Primary School Governor and Chair for over 20 years.
Inspired to write this post by a recent online event held as part of the Freedom to Learn Festival I have been prompted to draw together all my recent thoughts on diversity and the role of governance. In the opening remarks one of the speakers stated that it is a ‘schools’ purpose to create the next generation of global citizens’ and, not to give the game away too soon, that is surely why diversity matters! Looking back over earlier posts that I have written about the core functions of governance and, in particular the one about vision, values and strategy, I can see immediately how the board can lead in this area. In the strategic aims of the school I chair, agreed by the board after consultation with children, staff and the community, we felt strongly that there was a need to make diversity explicit so we state that we want to be –
A school that is at the heart of the community; a good neighbour and engaged with community groups of all ages. A school that builds on our pupils’ own experiences, interests and strengths and helps to develop their sense of identity as local, national and global citizens.
In order to do this, we state that we want ‘A curriculum that exposes children to other cultures and offers opportunities to explore a wide range of ideas’. After listening to the presentations at the Diverse Educators event I think this needs to be even stronger, wider and bolder in its aspirations. It isn’t just learning about others is it? Another of the speakers at the online event talked about being able to be your own authentic self and, surely, in order for that to happen you have to believe that your own ethnicity, your own culture and religion, your own sexuality, your own gender identification or your own disability has a place and is valued and represented in the world around you.
So, let’s get back to the beginning – Yes, for this very important reason diversity matters and it matters to the whole school community. It matters in the curriculum we teach our children and it matters in the resources that support this work. It matters in the public information, the displays and the literature that families see about our schools. It matters in the workplace, in the leaders and staff that the children (and staff) see around them every day in school and it matters in the board of governors. It is part of the ‘ethic of everybody’. (1) It should be a thread that runs through every part of our education system and we, as governors, have a big part to play in leading this. Mary Myatt suggests that governors ‘might ask themselves whether their work is underpinned by doing right by everybody?’ (2) Any boards that have been involved in the Ethical Leadership in Education Project will have given a lot of consideration to this recently but take a moment to look around the boardroom table for there are real dangers in group think from a board that lacks diversity. In the 2019 NGA survey 93% of respondents identified as white and only 10% reported being under 40! (3)
Then look up from that table and look at the school you lead, support and challenge, and ask yourselves are we really inclusive – does diversity matter here? (4) (5)
Here are a series of questions that we governors should ask
-of ourselves:
- How does our board reflect the diversity of the school community it serves?
- Is valuing diversity explicit in our vision and strategy?
- Do we/Should we have a governor who is focused on diversity?
- What training have we undertaken as a board to challenge and reflect on our understanding of diversity?
- How often have we talked about this at a board discussion?
– of our school:
- Does our public information reflect the diversity around us?
- How and where is diversity evident in our curriculum – right from the Early Years?
- Do we have resources for our children from Early Years onwards which have a full range of representation – books, dolls, displays around the school?
- Are our staff confident to answer questions and continue conversations with children about diversity – do they know what language to use?
- What CPD have they been able to access to help them with this?
Notes:
- Dame Alison Peacock quoted in Mary Myatt, Hopeful Schools,2016, p 60-62
- Mary Myatt, Hopeful Schools,2016, p 61
- National Governance Association, School Governance in 2019, [online] at https://www.nga.org.uk/Knowledge-Centre/research-(1)/Annual-school-governance-survey/School-governance-in-2019.aspxaccessed 21/08/2020
- The Ethical Leadership Commission, Framework for Ethical Leadership in Education, [online] at https://www.nga.org.uk/ethicalleadership.aspxaccessed 21/08/2020
- National Governance Association, Everyone on Board, NGA [online] at https://www.nga.org.uk/News/Campaigns/Everyone-on-Board-increasing-diversity-in-school-g.aspxaccessed 21/08/2020
Inclusive Allyship
Written by Hannah Wilson
Founder of Diverse Educators
Allies:
noun. a state formally cooperating with another for a military or other purpose.
verb. combine or unite a resource or commodity with (another) for mutual benefit.
Allyship:
A lifelong process of building relationships based on trust, consistency, and accountability with marginalized individuals and/or groups of people. not self-defined—work and efforts must be recognized by those you are seeking to ally with.
Why do we need to be Inclusive Allies?
We are all humans. We are all equal. We all need to check our privilege. We need to empathise with the struggle that some people go through. We need to be aware of the obstacles and the barriers in the way of some people on their journey. We need to be aware of the impact of prejudice and discrimination.
#HeForShe and #WhiteAlly are two labels I have heard used in the last few years as the grassroots communities encourage supporters to join their movements for change.
Much like #DiverseEd aims to make connections between the different communities, we need a term to capture everyone who works with others to. At the #CollaborativeSupportForWomen event and our #DiverseEd event we have promoted the idea of Inclusive Allies:
Amy Ferguson spoke about Allyship at the Collaborative Support for Women event and the recording is here.
Patrick Ottley O’Connor spoke about Allyship at the Virtual Diverse Educators event and the recording is here.
Allyship is a process, and everyone has more to learn. Allyship involves a lot of listening. Sometimes, people say “doing ally work” or “acting in solidarity with” to reference the fact that “ally” is not an identity, it is an ongoing and lifelong process that involves a lot of work.
Inclusive Allyship is:
Men working alongside women to smash glass ceilings and advance gender equality.
White people working alongside people of colour to smash concrete ceilings and advance racial equity.
Heterosexual people working alongside Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex people to smash the gay glass ceiling.
Able-bodied people working alongside disabled people to smash the glass disability glass ceiling.
How do we support as Inclusive Allies?
Allyship is about confronting othering, ‘isms’, privilege, prejudice. Allyship is about standing up and speaking out on social justice issues.
I found a great website called Diversability which encourages us to think differently about allyship and I have lifted the below advice from The Guide to Allyship.
How to be an Inclusive Ally:
Take on the struggle as your own.
Stand up, even when you feel scared.
Transfer the benefits of your privilege to those who lack it.
Acknowledge that even though you feel pain, the conversation is not about you.
Be willing to own your mistakes and de-centre yourself.
Understand that your education is up to you and no one else.
Being an Inclusive Ally is about white people, straight people and able-bodied people being aware of our privilege. We need to do the work, the inner work, to reflect, to learn and to grow. As an Inclusive Ally there are different roles we can take on to move the conversation and the agenda for diversity, equity and inclusion forward.
7 ways to be an Inclusive Ally:
The Sponsor
The Champion
The Amplifier
The Advocate
The Scholar
The Upstander
The Confidant
Allyship will not always be comfortable. We need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. We need to check our privilege and realise that our momentary discomfort is not comparable to the long-term discomfort that people live with. Trauma and tragedy are the lived experienced for many people.
The last few months have been emotionally-charged. Our colleagues, our communities and our children who come from diverse backgrounds have potentially been deeply affected by the tragic murder of George Flood. I saw potentially as we cannot assume that everyone has experienced and responded to the most recent Black Lives Matter incident in the same way. To deepen your understanding I recommend reading this article on How to be an Ally During Times of Tragedy.
Becoming and being an Inclusive Ally requires intention, commitment and action. We need to lean in to this space, no matter how hard, how painful and how uncomfortable it is.
What do we do to be Inclusive Allies?
THE DO’S
Do be open to listening
Do be aware of your implicit biases
Do your research to learn more about the history of the struggle in which you are participating
Do the inner work to figure out a way to acknowledge how you participate in oppressive systems
Do the outer work and figure out how to change the oppressive systems
Do use your privilege to amplify (digitally and in-person) historically suppressed voices
Do learn how to listen and accept criticism with grace, even if it’s uncomfortable
Do the work every day to learn how to be a better ally
THE DON’TS
Do not expect to be taught or shown. Take it upon yourself to use the tools around you to learn and answer your questions
Do not participate for the gold medal in the “Oppression Olympics” (you don’t need to compare how your struggle is “just as bad as” a marginalized person’s)
Do not behave as though you know best
Do not take credit for the labour of those who are marginalized and did the work before you stepped into the picture
Do not assume that every member of an under-invested community feels oppressed
For teachers and those working in education we need to consider the impact we can have in our classrooms and our schools. We need to be the change in teaching tolerance and acceptance, we need to celebrate diversity and create a sense of belonging for all identities. We need to ensure that our environments and physically and psychologically safe for everybody. We need to have the big conversations about the world to equip everybody with the knowledge, skills and values to navigate society.
There are 10 Things You Can Do to be an Ally:
Listen
Get educated
Get involved
Show up
Speak up
Intervene
Welcome discomfort
Learn from your mistakes
Stay engaged
Donate
There are some tips here on how to be a teaching tolerance ally here.
For leaders, being an ally is a journey. Even the most inclusive leaders admit they have room to grow. The work never stops, yet it is your choice to start, to practise, and to be better every single day. There is a training programme here you may be interested in on leading like an ally.
Following our most recent Diverse Educators conference in June we have a series of free training videos of the event available for staff CPD on the topics of Landscape, Curriculum, Culture and Leadership: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3MxxcAlAy__4H5GiygV7fA?view_as=subscriber
I have also started a series of weekly webcasts with a HR and D&I specialist called #FastForwardDiversityInclusion available here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fastforwarddiversityinclusion-a-weekly-webcast-tickets-111397462810
My #DiverseEdPledge from the event is to be a better Inclusive Ally. Let’s all be upstanders for what is right, not bystanders for what is wrong.