What are the key educational challenges faced in the classroom by teachers in working-class schools and how much time and space do you have to address them?
Written by Darren Crosdale
English and Media Studies-trained teacher, currently working in a large Liverpool comprehensive
I could list the oh-so-obvious issues faced by teachers in working-class schools but if you’re reading this, it’s likely you have already read similar compilations on a blog or a Twitter thread. So, I decided to do things a little differently.
In over twenty years of teaching, I have had students disclose a wide variety of issues. That they are trans. That their parents are separating. That they had unprotected sex with a neighbour’s lad while their mothers were downstairs chatting. That they were smuggled into the country in the back of a lorry and almost froze to death. The list goes on.
I have never, however, had a student tell me they are poor. That they are hungry. Or that the weight of poverty on their young shoulders was unbearable. Never. And I know from colleagues up and down the country, this situation is replicated.
Occasionally, students ask me to pay for their lunch (and I know I am not the only teacher, sadly.) Every now and again a student will say ‘Those apples look nice sir,’ pointing at the apples on my shelf. (I am known for having a Pink Lady at break time. I will always hand one over.) Never, however, has a student divulged that they are ‘poor’ or ‘struggling’ or ‘disadvantaged’ as our teacher parlance states. There is an immense shame attached to poverty in our society. A shame that is rarely spoken about or directly confronted by staff and students alike.
One of my favourite lessons asks students to think about how much the government thinks their education is worth: not some flimsy philosophical description but raw numbers, please. We start off by discussing the world-famous private school, Eton College. Its fees are approximately £46,000 per year. When students begin to brainstorm how much your average secondary comprehensive receives from the government for each child, you can see lights twinkling in eyes. I sit back and listen carefully.
“I reckon the school gets £50 for us,” a girl said recently.
“Per year?” I reply.
“That can’t be right,” retorts a lad. He’s good at Maths.
“Actually,” another student asks, “Do the teachers’ wages and the leccie bill and glue sticks come out of that money too?” She’s better at Maths.
“Yup,” I reply.
“So, it has to be more than £50!” another student snorts.
And so, the discussion continues. This is one of those lessons all teachers enjoy: the students are teaching each other; they are thinking, critically, about our society; it’s one of those lessons where they question the way in which inequality works. Invariably, the students’ suggestions about how much their education is worth moves up from £50 but they can never settle on a figure. Whatever total they hover around, however, it is far, far away from £46,000.
Because these regular comprehensive students simply feel they are worth less than those who attend Eton.
Because they know Eton and their comp are both schools but that one is so very different from the other.
Twenty of the fifty-seven prime ministers the UK has had, went to Eton, including Boris Johnson. Our illustrious former prime minister is in the news as I write this. He earned £1m in just six weeks for after-dinner speeches. It also turns out he is living, rent free, in a phenomenal London town house as well. (https://www.gbnews.uk/news/boris-johnson-living-for-free-in-20m-home-in-britains-poshest-street-despite-earning-1m-in-six-weeks/422207) Because of course he is.
Parents will tell you that one of the fascinating aspects of raising young people is around their acquisition of language. My young people do not yet have the power to say “the myth of meritocracy makes our lives more difficult”. (https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/01/the-myth-of-meritocracy-according-to-michael-sandel/) But they can damned well draw a link between Boris Johnson attending Eton, becoming Mayor of London, failing upwards to prime minister, getting caught bending the truth, time and time again, stepping down, only to earn more in six weeks than they ever will in their lifetimes.
I haven’t even mentioned the pandemic yet. Ask any teacher and they will tell you there is a clear demarcation between Before and After two years of lockdowns. Things may have been tough Before but After is a whole other thing. Lockdowns were damned difficult if you were in a comfortable house, worked from home, took regular exercise and did not lose anyone to the awful disease. For those who were already struggling, however, lockdowns were perhaps a last straw. All inequalities were magnified – health, finances, education. A friend who teaches in London told me he insisted during a lockdown lesson, that everyone in his A-Level Biology class turned their cameras on. He was desperate to boost morale and add that human touch so very missed during those dry, dry lessons. A student reluctantly, finally turned on her camera, only to reveal a tiny bedroom with six other siblings wearing headphones, trying to focus on their own online lessons. “That’s OK everyone,” he said, heartbroken after a few seconds of realisation, “You can turn them off if you want.” She immediately clicked that small camera icon off.
The worst of it is that, although our new normal is acknowledged – poor mental health, widespread substance abuse, clear mobile phone addiction – these issues have simply been tacked onto the other issues the most vulnerable in our society have been fighting with for decades.
So, no, I didn’t discuss list the typical list of problems working class school face – recruitment and retention, teachers’ pay, non-sticky glue sticks and a Michael Gove-created exam system that is clearly linked to British children ranking as some of the most unhappy in the Western world … but all of that is in attendance too.
Building trust: working with Gypsy, Roma & Traveller students
Written by Christian Johnson
Christian works as a tutor with GRT (Gypsy, Roma and Traveller) students for Open Doors Education and Training, and is also a Policy and Campaigns Officer for The Traveller Movement.
I’m a tutor working for Open Doors Education and Training (ODET), a community interest company and educational provider offering funded and tailored education to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children and young people. Having worked for ODET for over two years, one of the things we often hear from schools and other referral bodies, be that local authorities or youth service providers, is that they don’t know how to engage with different communities from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller backgrounds.
This is something which is unfortunately reflected in the data. When it comes to education, GRT (Gypsy, Roma, Traveller) communities have the lowest attainment rates of any ethnic group in the UK as well as some of the highest fixed term exclusion rates (21.26% for Gypsy/Roma in 2018-19 and 14.63% for Irish Travellers vs. 5.36% of all pupils) from UK schools. These figures are compounded by the well-known correlation between low educational attainment and exposure to the criminal justice system, often referred to as the ‘School to Prison Pipeline’, which extends to the GRT population. Almost 10% of children in the youth estate identified as GRT, which is extremely concerning when we consider GRT only constitute between 0.5 – 1% of the UK population.
In trying to address these widening disparities, we recently released an evaluation of one of educational programs, ‘Tutors for Young GRT’, in partnership with Leeds Beckett University titled ‘Building Trust, Stepping Together’. Through stories, poems and songs, researchers captured the voices and thoughts of a large cohort of GRT students studying with Open Doors Education across the country, distilling their findings into cogent and concise reflections on what works and what doesn’t. These conclusions represent fertile ground for other teachers and those working within education to develop their own approaches to engaging with young GRT.
Tutors for Young Gypsy, Roma and Travellers
In the wake of the pandemic and in response to the data available, ODET’s ‘Tutors for Young GRT’ program was created to provide the support needed to reduce the attainment gap between young Gypsy, Roma and Traveller students and their peers. Each student receives an hour a week of one-to-one lessons from their tutor over the course of a school year, focused on topics best suited to their needs and delivered remotely via Zoom. In designing the program, ODET was keen to ensure that digital access didn’t become a barrier to education – as it was for many students during the pandemic. With this in mind, the digital needs for each student are assessed upon joining the program and, if required, are provided with a suitable device to attend their lessons free of charge.
The tutoring itself is, paradoxically, both generalised but also tailored; encompassing all ages (provided they’re in full time education) and across all subjects. This broader scope gives us as tutors a greater flexibility to tailor our lessons to the needs and interests of the child. While we place an onus on core subjects, if a child is a particularly talented artist then we’ll try to help them cultivate their ability by assigning them a relevantly experienced tutor. The same goes for other subjects; it’s primarily about nurturing a passion for learning among the students and giving them the support they need to succeed, regardless of the subject.
Building Trust, Stepping Together
Compiling the voices and experiences of 135 students, alongside reports published by the tutors at the end of each lesson, the evaluation found the program to be successful in helping to address the educational inequalities faced by the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller young children and young people. These findings were broken down into several sections, each tackling a component of what helped the program’s delivery, and summarising the voices of the students.
Valuing learning despite school – There was an overwhelming sense from the students that learning was important. Many students recognised the importance of the core subjects but also expressed interests in the humanities, arts and music. The report found that despite a desire to learn, many Gypsy, Roma and Traveller young people leave school due to poor experiences in education, often stemming from issues such as bullying, instances of discrimination and racism, bureaucracy and digital exclusion. One student commented that ‘I prefer this (online tutoring through ODET) to learning in class because sometimes it can get a little tricky in class with other people, who can sometimes make it hard to concentrate’. This willingness to learn was reflected in the attendance figures from the program, which, on average hovered at a consistent 70%.
Quality Tutors – The report found that the one-to-one structure of the program was positively received. Consistent across the experiences shared by students, were mentions of the importance of tutors having confidence in their pupils’ ability and building productive and supportive relationships. Another point of emphasis was that students didn’t feel judged or pressured during their learning. One student mentioned that they liked that the tutors are not too “pushy”. I think it helps me learn faster because they never put pressure on us so we are able to focus more.
ODET’s tuition – Research has shown us that GRT communities are more likely to have poor experiences within the education system. Another key takeaway of the report was that the program helped students build confidence with learning, which then carried into mainstream learning. One student reported that ‘school has been so much easier since tutoring with [tutor’s name]. School feels like so much better and all the support I’ve been getting… I really hope our lessons can continue’. This was reflected in data aggregated from the tutors’ reports, which found that roughly 90% of students displayed a commitment level ‘at or above the expected level’.
My experiences working with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Young People
The term ‘GRT’ itself is a broad umbrella, encompassing three varied groups (Gypsy, Roma and Traveller); each with their own distinct identities, variations and regional specificities. While there might be one broad term, the experiences of each student I’ve taught on the program have been resoundingly diverse. I’ve taught students who’ve left mainstream education in year 8 to be home-educated with their siblings, others who raise horses in their spare time; one young man who competes nationally for his age group in golf, and another who was awarded ‘student of the year’ in their school – the list goes on. In my experience, young people from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller backgrounds are, more often than not, high attainers, just not always in the context of mainstream education.
In a way, it’s a refreshing process to go through as an educator, for each lesson prompts you to reconsider and adjust your approach in order to better meet the needs of the child. Whether that’s through brushing up on your knowledge of golf terminology to teach spelling, or helping a student learn maths by designing a treehouse with them. This is where the format of the program, being one-to-one, really shines. It allows us as tutors, to tailor the lessons to the individual needs and experiences of the student, going at their pace while using material they’re passionate about. I realise it is a genuine rarity within the education sector, to have the scope and the time available to deliver lessons in this way, but it’s greatly needed for young GRT. In order to help address the widening attainment gap and allow these young people to go into the world confident and qualified to pursue a future they want rather than feeling like they’re on the back foot, programs such as these are absolutely essential.
One thing which is consistent across the students who’ve been on the program for a few weeks or more, is an amazing tenacity and genuine passion for learning. These students want to learn. Many just don’t necessarily see learning as synonymous with formal education. Several students have expressed this to me, that academic learning isn’t for them, that it’s for someone else.
This morning I received an email from a teacher in south London looking for poetry recommendations by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller authors she could teach to her year 7 class. I’m certainly no authority on GRT poetry, but it’s great to see educators recognising the importance of including positive Gypsy, Roma and Traveller representation in their curriculum. Including material from Gypsy, Roma and Travellers isn’t something teachers should ignore, but which they can find out about and incorporate. Because having texts, or paintings, or songs for that matter, from GRT artists, shows Gypsy, Roma and Traveller young people that education is for them, that it’s a path or stepping stone they can take to help them build the life they want.
Two of the key words which kept coming up in feedback for Leeds Beckett’s evaluation were patience and support. Many of the students reported feeling intimidated by school, that it was scary, lonely, and competitive. With many students, I noticed a dramatic shift in their attitude to learning after just a few weeks and I think this has a lot to do with just feeling comfortable. Having a historically difficult relationship with the UK’s education system, it’s important that teachers are patient, understanding and sympathetic of the structural barriers faced by many of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller young people and their families before them.
In talking about the report and my experiences as a tutor on the program, I hope to show others working with these young people that they want to learn, want to engage, and will do great things if given the opportunity.
For further information and guidance on techniques to engage with the GRT communities, I’d certainly recommend our recently released toolkit of best practice, titled BESTIE. Released in partnership with the National Youth Association, the toolkit provides a wealth of helpful guidance for practitioners working with young GRT in different contexts. You can find the toolkit here.
Tidying up: a lesson in values from the Japanese football fans
Written by Esther Cummins
Course Leader MA Education (online) at Falmouth University
Every four years, the World Cup offers schools a theme around which to focus their learning. The links to geography and sport are obvious, but further learning opportunities include the application of probability, time zones, languages, and textiles. Unexpectedly, this year we have all been shown an example of community values from the Japanese fans and players.
The pictures and videos that have circulated of spotless dressing rooms and tidy stadiums show the communal value of respecting your hosts held by the Japanese visitors. This representation of fans and players is a far cry from the embarrassing behaviour that is often seen in media reports about English fans. So why is there such a difference in the behaviour?
Interviews with Japanese fans have commonly cited the term, “atarimae”; the English translation is similar to ‘obvious’ or reasonable. From a young age, children take on the responsibility of cleaning their schools before they leave for the day. This task is not an ‘add-on’ to be squeezed into the curriculum if there is time. It is not a quick tidy-up or asking the students to put their chairs on the table. Without this cleaning, the school would be dirty.
I have cleaned schools out of necessity; in a small school where I was a senior leader, the headteacher and I were the contingency plan when the cleaner was absent. I have asked children to wash some toys at the end of a school term. I have asked university students to put their rubbish in the bin. But I have not worked in an environment where it was a regular expectation for the educators or the students to maintain the tidiness and cleanliness of the learning environment.
Within our society, we pay cleaners and caretakers less than we pay our educators. Perhaps this mentality is a hangover from the British Empire, where the wealthy expected their servants to clean up after them. Our values impact our behaviour (Steg et al., 2014), thus it is important to consider what and who we value. When we litter or leave a mess, we are saying we are more important than the environment or those that are paid to clean. Is this who we want to be as educators, and as a nation?
Respect is part of who we are; indeed, “The teaching of respect for others is not only one of education’s more important objectives, but in its absence little, if any, real learning can take place” (Ungoed-Thomas, 1996, p152). If we are viewing our pupils as the citizens of the future, we need to think carefully about the values we are instilling in their lives. Saying we are respectful is different to being respectful; we need to model and insist upon behaviour that mirrors this value.
This issue is about more than tidying up. It can be applied to any of our inclusive values, our desire for equality, and our drive for fairness. If atarimae means stating the obvious, which behaviours and values do we need to instil in our classrooms, from nursery to university, that creates a respectful community we are proud of?
We are yet to see who takes home the trophy, but I know whom I see as the winners of this year’s tournament.
Diversity and inclusion: what do students think?
Written by Lulu Frisson
Lulu Frisson is a 15-year-old secondary school student from Birmingham.
“But who benefits from all this stuff on inclusion and diversity at school? Do students actually care?”
My dad leans over the table, eyes bright, his questions hanging in the air between us. Both of my parents are teachers and occasionally conversations like these – about anti-discrimination work within education – will crop up at the family dinner table. Truthfully, I find it fascinating. I tick a lot of diversity boxes myself as a biracial, bisexual, autistic teen girl. I often think about my identity and how schools can be more accepting of students from minority groups, but conversations with my parents about diversity in education make me realise that there’s still a long way to go when it comes to creating inclusive learning environments.
I often think of the awful murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020 and the subsequent international Black Lives Matter protests as the sort of ‘explosive’ point for anti-discrimination work in schools and workplaces. In my mum’s primary school, the sudden heightened awareness around race within white spaces began igniting conversations around the lack of diversity in children’s books. In my own school, students began demanding change – to the curriculum, to the teaching staff, to the extracurricular clubs on offer – and we were largely listened to, encouraged to recognise and speak out against injustice. To answer my dad’s question – students undoubtedly cared about improving diversity and inclusion. And we absolutely do still care.
And yet the contrast between pupils’ anger about social injustice in summer 2020 and our current vocal demand for change is stark, and it’s something that needs to be addressed if schools wish to continue making meaningful progress with diversity and inclusion. Our reaction to the horrifying events of that summer was loud, passionate and angry because being loud, passionate and angry is often the quickest way to drive change. Now, having seen some positive changes implemented in my own school – the creation of an annual Culture Week, for example, and the increased awareness around the texts we study – I think a lot of us have stopped talking about diversity and inclusion simply because we’ve come to believe that those changes may be the most our school is able or willing to make.
But schools can’t let the conversation die down. Students who are part of minority groups still experience discrimination regularly – so much so that I believe we’ve become somewhat de-sensitised to it. I’ve noticed that my classmates from minority groups often brush off or downplay personal incidences of discrimination, and it’s something I find myself doing too. If a teacher jokes about how ‘exotic’ I am, my immediate reaction is usually to laugh it off. If a classmate makes an ignorant comment about autism, or someone tells me that bisexuality does not exist, I tend to excuse them through a hopeful lens of forgiveness.
What this really shows it that there’s still a certain expectation for LGBTQ pupils and students of colour to extend endless grace and compassion to classmates or even teachers who offend us; from as young as primary school, we’re often told to ‘be the bigger person’ when it comes to conflict, or to stay quiet and not cause a fuss. As a result, a lot of comments we hear that would absolutely be considered discriminatory get unreported in schools, brushed off as insignificant or normalised – with inevitably damaging impacts on student mental health.
That’s why diversity and inclusion work within school is so important. I remember listening to an assembly about microaggressions and realising that it was okay to feel hurt and uncomfortable by comments a lot of us students have come to excuse as banter, curiosity or ignorance. The simple acknowledgement that discrimination exists in forms other than outright abuse was so impactful, and I left that assembly feeling like my identity, and the struggles I’ve faced surrounding it, are valid. My parents sometimes talk about how it is ultimately up to policy makers to improve our schools and the culture created in them. And whilst longer term national change towards promoting equality in education is incredibly important, I’d argue that smaller immediate actions towards inclusivity can be just as meaningful.
For students who use different pronouns, for example, inclusivity might mean having teachers who respect and actively try to use gender neutral language in their classrooms. For me personally as an autistic student, inclusivity has meant being able to access things like fidget toys and a time out card, and receiving pastoral support in school. More broadly as an LGBTQ biracial person, I’ve felt most included and safe in lessons that include perspectives and examples of people from all backgrounds. If a teacher uses a case study of a same sex couple in biology class, for example, I’ll know that they’re accepting of LGBTQ people, and by extension accepting of me. It may sound trivial, but it often really is small actions that make the biggest difference.
So yes, students do care about diversity and inclusion. We notice the changes being made – or lack thereof – to our schools more than we might let on. Many students from minority groups naturally care deeply about continuing and improving our work on inclusivity, but the truth is that everybody, staff and students alike, need to too. To have the ability to not care about inclusion is undeniably a privilege. To be able to think about diversity solely at times that suit you, to be aware of inequality only when it is pointed out, to be oblivious to the fact that you are amongst the majority in the spaces you occupy – these are privileges that people from marginalised communities are persistently denied.
So it is not enough for allies to say they do not see colour, do not care about sexuality or do not think about gender. And, to extend on that, it is not enough for schools to hear minority students’ struggles or uplift our voices only at times that are convenient. Regardless of whether it’s Black History Month, Pride Month or a time like the summer of 2020, schools need to continue to actively listen to students from marginalised communities and be receptive to our suggestions – not only to create more diverse learning environments, but safer ones, too. We do not have the ability to leave aspects of our identity behind when we come to school, and we shouldn’t have to, either.
Diverse Educators: A Manifesto - Book Review
Written by Madeleine Spink
Madeleine completed a PGCE in Citizenship at the IOE after studying at the University of York and Goldsmiths. Madeleine now teaches Sociology, PSHCE, Oracy and History at Langley Park School for Girls in Bromley.
Diverse Educators: A Manifesto is edited by Hannah Wilson and Bennie Kara, with contributions from over 100 educators, structured around the Equality Act 2010.
It starts with a quote from Maya Angelou that “diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.” The books format is best described as a tapestry. It is made up of ten chapters, one for each of the nine Protected Characteristics (Age; Disability; Gender Reassignment; Pregnancy and Maternity; Marriage and Civil Partnership; Race; Religion and Belief; Sex; Sexual Orientation) with a tenth chapter exploring intersectionality.
The book is collaboratively produced and mixes personal and professional experiences. Educators generously sharing their experiences and learning include primary and secondary teachers from all age groups, backgrounds and life experiences. The book develops the readers empathy to the diversity of educators, as well as the diversity of opinion of people within each protected characteristic. For example, the chapter on disability includes personal experience, the need for disability in RSE, practical tips to involve students in curriculum planning and data on the permanent exclusion rates for disabled students. It feature’s ACT’s own Lee Jerome on Intersectional Citizenship as a status, a feeling and a process. The chapter on Transgender inclusion is also insightful and talks about Lucy Meadows, whose death should not be forgotten by teachers who have followed her into the profession.
Deep questions are asked throughout, and the contributions informed my thinking about whose responsibility inclusion is, whose work it often ends up being and whether inclusion work is for the long term or ‘en vogue’. I would have loved to have seen a chapter talking about working class teachers existing in the middle class school environment, and how this identity intersects with the protected characteristics.
The variety of editing and writing styles did make the manifesto lack cohesion and feel inaccessible at times. The structure takes time to get used to, and can be navigated either by starting with the editors overview and selecting the sections that appeal to a particular interest, or by focussing on the key takeaways and ‘contributions’ to the manifesto at the end of each chapter. This changes depending on how the chapter has been edited, and some chapters are referenced while others lack referencing. It is a tapestry of a book, to capture such a variety of perspectives is a huge achievement, but not everything will appeal to everyone.
Diverse Educators is a book to dip in to, reference and use as a guide to practical steps that can be taken to inclusion. It would be a good choice for a staff book group and comes with a reading guide and questions. There’s a lot of ways this resource can be used and shape teaching, learning and the school environment.
Working with Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller Young People
Written by Karen Self
Karen joined the NYA in late 2020 as a Youth Work Specialist. She is a JNC professionally qualified youth and community worker and qualified trainer. Karen has worked in the youth and community field for over 25 years, including managing and leading activity across a range of sectors and environments.
Karen Self, Learning and Development Manager, National Youth Agency, describes why she is so passionate about the new Gypsy, Roma and Traveller CPD course for youth workers and others working with young people looking to ensure their services are inclusive.
‘’The most important piece of advice for any youth service hoping to engage with young Gypsies, Roma and Travellers is to go out and meet and talk to the young people, their families and others in the community.’’ This statement, from our recently launched CPD course ‘Working with Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller Young People, might seem obvious if you’re a youth worker, but how well do you really understand Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities?
Perhaps you’re already working with Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller young people but not realise that you are because, contrary to the common misconception, some 78% of Gypsy, Roma, and Travellers in the UK live in permanent bricks and mortar housing (according to the 2011 Census)
Furthermore, do you fully appreciate the challenges the Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities face?
This question takes me back to my work directly with young Roma people, as well as managing teams that have worked with the local Roma community. I recall that it was essential that the team gave their absolute commitment to building trusted relationships within the community over a period of months, even years. Yes, we faced many challenges, the young people we connected with were often discriminated against by peers and members of the community, a mutual lack of cultural understanding often led to conflict with other young people, there were also worries about our intentions and our own concerns about the risk of exploitation of Roma young people by others; however, over time the work flourished, and we witnessed many successful outcomes for young people. We found that by focussing on their similarities with other young people – like football, music and dance – we were able to improve relationships and understanding amongst young people and by working with partners in the community and in the local secondary school we were able to tackle some of the more complex issues.
Our work with a group of Roma young people was successful because the lead detached youth worker was knowledgeable about the communities they worked alongside; they always strove to understand their needs and experiences and were committed to developing trusted, yet boundaried, relationships and instilled these values in their team of detached youth workers.
Would a course have improved the team’s and other professional’s knowledge and understanding? Most definitely! That’s why I’m so passionate about the two Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller CPD units the National Youth Agency has produced alongside ODET (Open Doors Education & Training).
The second course provides insights into successful activities to engage young people from the Gypsy Roma and Traveller communities, including.
- The importance of youth work with the community and effective approaches to engagement, social inclusion outreach, diversity, integration, and multi-agency work all with a focus on promoting pride and the visibility of cultures.
- How to identify and analyse participation barrier challenges.
- Examine good practice examples in youth work settings and how to develop inclusive practice in their own settings.
Including case studies, useful templates, and a wealth of resources, the ‘Working with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Young People’ CPD is a must for any Youth Worker or any other professional working with young people who wishes to provide meaningful, trusted, and inclusive services.
You can access the CPD Parts 1 and 2 on the National Youth Agency website at www.nya.org.uk/academy-cpd/
Normalising Difference
Written by Amrutha Anthony
Amrutha Anthony is a trainee teacher at Basingstoke SCITT (BASCITT).
Difference is daunting.
There are many differences and mine is that I am not British. I am an Indian who grew up in the UAE. This was not a problem by itself. However, I had decided to train to teach Secondary English.
I would be a foreigner teaching English to the English.
The humour was not lost on me, nor were the apprehensions.
However, I was lucky enough my main placement school is also where I’d gotten to work at as an LSA for a few months before my training began. From the very first day my school made me feel like I had always been part of the school community. From my days since I have realised why.
My school hosts a diverse community of both staff and students. Last year, 56% of the students were from ethnic groups, and English was second language to 31% of the student populace. My school’s diversity has been channelled into an attitude of inclusivity that permeates every interaction that happens here. In response to the Basingstoke & Deane Inclusions and Diversity Partnership launched in 2021, the school set up a Diversity Lead. Under her guidance, around 60 students signed up to be EARAs – Equality and Rights Advocates. They were trained to challenge and be upstanders in a gentle way. They were also responsible for training other students formally (assemblies) and informally (personal conversations). The EARAs proposed and piloted workshops for KS3 students on LGBTQ+, neurodiversity, and race. Historically, students also led a sign language workshop that proved quite popular.
School students support all forms of diversity because their own uniqueness is celebrated here. I remember being in a history class last year when they were learning about Black history in the UK. Whilst Black history in the US has become popular knowledge, the UK perspective was entirely new to me; together with the students, I soaked up this new angle in fascination. I found out later that this lesson was a result of the school wanting KS3 curriculum to reflect the histories of all its students. This commitment to year-round inclusivity made the schools Black History Month celebration so much more sincere.
My school is also twinned with a school in Cameroon, by the Portsmouth Diocese to which the school belongs. When it was safer, staff and students had gone over to volunteer; now the school supports the college through fundraising activities. On Diversity Day last year, staff and students were encouraged to come dressed in traditional attire and to take part in an evening celebration of all the ethnicities in the school. This mufti day was made meaningful when all staff and students donated a pound each to be sent off to Bamenda.
Being a single faith school, my school often faces a question from the outside about how inclusive it is of other faiths. Those on the inside, however, have the answers. Before the pandemic, my school hosted a student-led interfaith question time. The students were supported in preparing their answers by the RE department, yet they took the lead in bringing the answers to the student populace. The school also hosts an annual multi-faith trip where Year 8 students visit a gurdwara, a mosque, and a mandir. They come back with their textbook knowledge improved by a real-world awareness of how different faiths practice their beliefs. This awareness is strengthened by the practical steps the school takes to accommodate all faiths. A prime example would be the student-led Ramadan assemblies that remind students to be supportive of their fasting peers. Staff are also asked to make allowances for fasting students and the school shifts other celebrations to ensure they do not miss out. A group of Muslim students make regular use of an RE space to pray during lunchtimes and plans for a Muslim prayer space next to the chapel are soon to be realised.
It has been heart-warming to hear parents talk about how this level of support makes their children feel safe at school. In addition to racial and religious diversity, the school also supports children with additional needs. Last year this was 8% of all students. As an LSA, I had been in classes with many of these students and it was delightful to see how the other children wholeheartedly accepted the SEND children. When the SEND children behave differently or are given additional support, none of the other children bat an eyelid. I have heard a SEND child screaming outside and I have seen my class calmly continue with their work; no one wanted to look out the window or even seem surprised. This to me showed true inclusivity – not just about understanding differences and accepting them, but having differences normalised.
Here at school, it is perfectly normal for me to be different.
Here at school, it is perfectly normal for me to be teaching English.
Here at school, I can grow and learn and the only thing that affects my ability to succeed is the amount of work I put in.
I write this as a student teacher, but I write this echoing the sentiments of hundreds of children who walk in each day. I write this having been cherished and supported by all members of staff. I have only been here for about half a year, but I have never felt so accepted anywhere else. The ethos of the school guides the community in respecting the innate dignity of all human beings. The school way is to ‘walk with each other’ and this is practiced by everyone from SLT to support staff to students.
What does Remembrance Day mean to you?
Written by Rich Watts
Rich Watts is a qualified teacher with over 10 years’ experience in the classroom, he has an MA in Education from the University of Winchester. He has worked in several roles in schools, including Head of Faculty. Rich left the classroom in 2018 to head up the British Army Supporting Education (BASE) Programme.
When you think of Remembrance Day, what comes to mind? Traditionally, we associate it with wearing red poppies and The Cenotaph. In actuality, it means different things to different people.
So, for 2022 we have developed new, free resources that introduce students to the ways different groups commemorate Remembrance, highlighting diverse voices and experiences. The resources have been designed to encourage students to further explore the vital, unsung role of women as well as members of the LGBTQ+, Sikh and black communities.
The resources have been created for students aged 11-16 across all four nations. They present schools with a fresh and engaging approach to Remembrance Day. Students will learn what Remembrance is, why we come together to commemorate it and the diverse ways that we commemorate Remembrance. Individuals will also develop key skills and knowledge on the topics of similarities and differences.
This year’s resources have been designed to encourage students to think about the parades and memorials they will have seen – perhaps a theatre production too. Students will be encouraged to find out more about The Women of World War II Memorial. It remembers the seven million women who served, either in the armed forces or on the Home Front. And at the Imperial War Museum, visitors can see the Memorial to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities who lost their lives to conflicts in the name of Britain’s Empire and Commonwealth.
Students will be asked to think about the different varieties of poppies that are worn to mark Remembrance and their individual significance. Did you know that the Khadi poppy honours the contribution of Indian soldiers to Britain during World War I? And did you know that the purple poppy commemorates the animals that have been victims of war?
Students can further explore subjects touched upon in the Remembrance resources. They will learn about the remarkable contribution of diverse voices standing shoulder to shoulder with Army personnel past and present, including women and members of the black and LGBTQ+ communities. It also includes a Sikh Service pack produced in association with the Defense Network and historian, Gurinder Singh Mann. It allows students to understand the varied contributions of Sikh soldiers throughout the history of the British Army.
Julian James, a design technology teacher in Wales, said: “For too long, assemblies celebrating Remembrance Day have always followed the same outdated format. To mark this year’s poignant event, the British Army is providing schools with a fresh approach to presenting such important, historical information. Its resources feature music, thought-provoking images and stimulate questioning. The Army’s lesson resources are undoubtedly a new way of keeping the tradition of Remembrance Day going, while deepening students’ knowledge of its meaning and relevance to their lives.”
Teachers can download the Remembrance Day resources for free at: https://britishar.my/remembrance
Whistle-blowers are damn nuisances aren’t they?
Written by Sonia Elmer-Soman
Sonia Elmer-Soman has a background in both law and education. She is a qualified law lecturer and has many years’ experience working as a legal practitioner in two prestigious law firms in the City and now within a reputable law firm local to her home town in Essex. She is also a qualified primary school teacher and is a guest writer for professional journals.
– The Pitfalls of Whistleblowing in UK Schools –
Official figures from the Standards and Testing Agency revealed that 793 maladministration investigations were carried out in 2018 – a rise of more than 50% in two years according to the Independent.
Data compiled and analysed from the Teaching Regulation Agency, shows us that sexually motivated and other inappropriate conduct was the reason for a third of teaching bans between 2013 and 2018.
The charity, Protect, say that between 2020 and 2022 they received the highest number of calls about wrongdoing in the education sector than any other profession. In the majority of cases concerns will have been raised by well- intentioned individuals or, as legislation has it, – Whistle-blowers.
What is whistleblowing?
Whistleblowing occurs when an employee raises a concern about an alleged wrongdoing, including corrupt, illegal or unethical behaviours in a public or private sector organisation. The disclosure must be in the public interest and not for private gain.
Emma Knights, the Chief Executive of the National Governance Association, writes ‘Arguably the need to speak out is important in the education sector, which deals with young and vulnerable people , people to whom there is an overriding duty of care’.
What are the pitfalls faced by whistle-blowers?
In reality, many whistle-blowers say they face micro-aggressions, spurious claims of misconduct, gas-lighting and compromised or lost career opportunities.
Writing for Protect, Louise O’Neill explains how ‘gas-lighting’ involves the whistle-blower being told ‘they have not quite understood the situation’, that what they witnessed is ‘part of a bigger picture’ and that it is they who have ‘failed to fit in’.
O’Neill cites psychologist Doctor Jennifer Freyd (https/www.jjfreyd.com/about-research) when explaining the concept of ‘DARVO’ – Deny, Accuse, Reverse, Victim and Offender. So now the whistle-blower will hear comments as ‘You are intimidating and harassing me’ and ‘Your messages are harassing and hurtful to me’.
Discrimination following whistle-blowing does not end when the whistle-blower leaves the school gates. ‘Work and life intertwine in teaching’, ‘with threads running into and over other threads’.
Whistle-blowers may never have come across the term and it is not a particularly helpful one. They may not know that a school has a whistle-blowing policy and there are strict guidelines to follow.
There is no legal aid available for whistle-blowers and legal advice can be expensive. Furthermore, what falls within the arena of a protected disclosure can be confusing.
The All Party Parliamentary Group believes that legislation is no longer ‘fit for purpose’. They are seeking a revised definition of whistle-blowing to include ‘any harmful violation of integrity and ethics’, even when not criminal or illegal.
Mis-stepping.
Without access to legal advice before, during and after whistle-blowing, it is likely that a whistle-blower will find themselves having to evidence concerns, mend reputational damage and deal with resulting treatment, causing them to mis-step in the process or face detriment even when they have followed due process.
For instance, a professional couple were forced out of their jobs from a school in the south of England for exposing ‘systematic exam malpractice’. Rianna Croxford. ‘Whistleblowers: We spoke out and lost our jobs’. (15th July 2019) BBC News. (bbc.co.uk).
It is a failing in the system that claims of unfavourable treatment following whistleblowing are commonly dealt with under an internal grievance policy. This means that the organisation whom concerns have been raised against, is then in charge of determining the outcome.
In one case, a SEN teacher lost her job when a panel found she had stood on a pupil’s foot while he screamed, pushed a pupil down when he tried to get up and shouted and screamed at children. However, the teaching assistant who raised concern was ostracised and ultimately dismissed from her position.
Laura Fatah, Policy Officer of Protect writes “The problem of accessing justice when you’ve lost your job, have no lawyer, and are facing a strong armed employer is sadly all too familiar’.
Croxford reports only 3% of the 1,369 employment tribunal cases brought in connection with test maladministration between 2017 and 2018 were successful according to Government figures. A report by the University of Greenwich found that when examining employment tribunal outcomes between 2015-2018, women who whistle-blow are less likely to be represented or succeed.
What are the challenges and benefits of whistle-blowing for leadership?
School leaders perform a delicate balancing act in protecting all stakeholders including the rights of individual(s) whom claims are made against.
Dealing with concerns effectively can demonstrate an appetite for improvement, minimise the risk of more serious breaches, enhance structural practices, increase productivity, retain vital skills and encourage the best applicants.
Failing to listen and investigate concerns can result in reputational damage and time lost in defending claims and resulting legal proceedings.
Perhaps the worst injustice, however, is to the very people to whom there is an overriding duty of care and for whom the vast majority of staff work tirelessly to educate and safeguard – the children. Every child Matters. Every school day matters. Every year group matters.
Let’s Fix It.
Protect is seeking to reform the law so that whistle-blowers have access to greater legal support and guidance, while Baroness Kramer’s Bill introducing an Office of the Whistle-blower is working its way through the House of Lords. Schools which are geared up to deal with concerns effectively, will already be ahead of the curve whatever future changes in law and practice may follow.
How can leadership teams engage effectively with whistle-blowers?
- Look and interpret facts and patterns. Have concerns been raised before?
- Containing a situation is not the same as dealing with it.
- Do not make the whistle-blower do your job. Whistle-blowers are witnesses/messengers, not investigators.
- Maintain confidentiality.
- Avoid impromptu, unrepresented meetings.
- Avoid polarising individuals, as this serves only to distract from the original concern.
- Create a safe environment in which stakeholders can voluntarily disclose mistakes/breaches.
- Roll out training on your School’s whistle-blowing policy.
- Embed a culture of honesty.
- Imagine potential harm if an individual turned the other cheek to something they knew to be wrong, because they have seen how a previous whistle-blower was treated.
- Consider whether it is appropriate to have staff and Governors as eg, Facebook “Friends”, who have access to and are commenting on every aspect of your personal life.
- Look around your School. Who sits on your leadership team and at the table of the Board of Governors? Is diversity reflected anywhere? Lack of such can lead to conformity of thought and exclusion in dealing with concerns.
What can whistle-blowers do to mitigate loss?
- Consult with a Solicitor, the CAB, ACAS or speak with Protect or WhistleblowerUK before you raise the concern and harness that support going forward.
- Read the whistle-blowing policy before raising a concern.
- Be clear what and why you are raising a concern.
- Ensure meetings are scheduled, recorded and you are represented.
- Be realistic. Potentially harmful cultures are rarely remedied by one person/small group particularly if lower down in the hierarchy.
- Avoid Colluding with other colleagues/witnesses. Others may speak up or they may not. Be prepared to go it alone.
- Be patient. Potentially harmful cultures will take time to unpick if found to be present.
- Do not sign any document (eg, NDA) without getting legal advice.
- Check in with your mental wellbeing. The institution will stand long after you have gone. If there isn’t the vision for change, you alone are not responsible for it.
‘Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching’ (C.S. Lewis)
Against the backdrop of a system that is largely autonomous and results driven, structures and procedures can become ethical quagmires and a perfect storm for conflict.
Protect asks us to hold each-other to account courageously. Indeed, there is a moral imperative to do so.
‘School leaders can find themselves in uncomfortable positions’, but by working together ‘the best leaders will use the experience as a catalyst for change’.
Accessing accurate funding for your EAL pupils through the October Census
Written by Catherine Brennan
Catherine is the Director of Better Bilingual, a social enterprise based in Bristol, an EAL Academy Associate and active member of NALDIC.
One of the questions which often comes up during our Better Bilingual discussions with schools about developing EAL provision is funding. No surprise there…but what IS surprising is the absence of information and understanding about English as an additional language (EAL) being one of the 14 funding factors explicitly identified in England’s Schools operational guide: 2022-23
In this blog, I aim to explain what this EAL funding is and how schools may more easily understand – and hopefully access it – for the benefit of our many multilingual pupils, in relation to the Protected Characteristic of ‘Race’.
What is this EAL funding and how can schools access it?
This education funding guidance from the Education & Skills Funding Agency identifies English as an additional language (EAL) as being ‘an optional factor’ for local authorities to consider when they ‘plan the local implementation of the funding system’ – i.e. when they allocate central government funding to local schools.
The guidance specifies that ‘Pupils identified in the October census with a first language other than English may attract funding for up to three years after they enter the statutory school system. Local authorities can choose to use indicators based on one, two, or three years, and there can be separate unit values for primary and secondary.’
The means that each individual EAL pupil in a primary school could attract between £500 and £750 per pupil, whilst secondary funding could be between £1,500 and £1,750 per pupil.
This could be for 1 year or up to 3 years – all depending on how your local authority has decided to use this ‘optional factor’. So a considerable amount of money…
You can read an analysis of ‘how each local authority has allocated their dedicated schools grant (DSG) schools block funding for 2022 to 2023’ here: Schools Block Funding Formulae 2022 to 2023 (Education & Skills Funding Agency, June 2022).
Why is the October Census so important for schools’ EAL funding?
There are two reasons for this – firstly because this EAL data is collected only once each year through the October Census and secondly because the ‘first language’ definition is often misunderstood, meaning that many EAL pupils are not recorded correctly in the October Census. This can result in schools (and therefore their EAL pupils) missing out on funding.
So what does ‘first language other than English’ mean? Is it the same as ‘EAL’?
Before I answer the first question, I’ll answer the second – yes, it is. And the more we discuss and explore the definition of ‘EAL’ in schools, the better, as it’s important we have a shared understanding of it in order to develop an asset-based approach to EAL pedagogy.
As stated in the DfE English proficiency ad-hoc notice (Feb 2020):
‘Information on a pupil’s first language is collected in the school census. A pupil is recorded as having English as an additional language if she/he is exposed to a language at home that is known or believed to be other than English. It is not a measure of English language proficiency or a good proxy for recent immigration.’
That last sentence is important – ‘EAL’ does not indicate fluency and it does include those pupils who may have arrived some time ago or who were born in the UK.
It’s also worth noting that if there is more than one language spoken in the home – which includes English – the DfE requests that the language other than English is recorded.
Why might this be a positive thing? Well, if only English is recorded, then the additional language (and the additional cultural richness and sense of identity associated with it) may not be acknowledged, valued and utilised in school for wellbeing and academic success.
How can I find out more about EAL funding?
Our Better Bilingual Guidance on EAL funding for schools 2022-23 gives further information about this topic and we recommend that you talk to your governing body and local authority to find out more about how this funding is allocated (and monitored) locally.
How can schools use this EAL funding to promote DEI in relation to multilingualism?
Every single pupil learning through EAL is different and every school has their own EAL context. At Better Bilingual, we recommend funding decisions are made after the SLT:
- looks closely at their pupil population, ensuring that first language data is accurate
- analyses which particular individuals or groups are doing well (or not so well)
- reflects on the strengths of (and needs re) current whole school EAL provision.
Whether the need is for initial pupil assessments, a New Arrivals Policy or CPD on EAL assessment, potential EAL funding accessed through the October Census could be vital in eliminating discrimination and promoting high attainment for ALL our EAL pupils.