Acknowledgements

I would like to thank all the people who supported and inspired me. My lovely mum, Cory, Lisa and the wonderful Francesca, for their kindness and patience. The amazing practitioners I have worked alongside and, of course, the incredible young people I have had the privilege of teaching.

Foreword

It was in 2011 when a fresh-faced Sarah Wordlaw first entered the school I was teaching in. Like most new teachers, she was full of ideas – an enthusiastic ball of energy ready to take on the world. The sparkle in her eye told me that she wanted to make a difference, wanted to be the teacher whom children reminisced about fondly in years to come. As leaders, we see this regularly. Each year a new batch of energised teachers enter our schools with that same sparkle. Unfortunately, what we also see is this energy and excitement fade as the weight of the task takes hold, and that sparkle starts to lose its shine. Teachers who wanted to make a difference become resigned to just getting through the day. Those who once dreamed of inspiring the next generation to greatness now dream only of finally finishing the never-ending list of tasks.

Thankfully, every so often we find an educator capable of keeping the dream alive – an educator who is unapologetically driven and believes that, as teachers, we are responsible for the next generation. Sarah is that leader. Not only has her sparkle remained intact but, as the years have passed, she has strengthened her conviction and relentless ambition to design and implement a curriculum that does more than just tick boxes. Sarah sees the diverse curriculum as non-negotiable and her schools have consistently wrestled with what many leaders put in the ‘too hard’ basket; this has led to transformative education for the young people she works with. Throughout her career she has pushed colleagues to have uncomfortable conversations, to unpick what diversity is in a modern world and to enrich the offer within their settings.

I’ve been an executive headteacher in London for the past five years, and I know all too well the challenge of designing a courageously diverse curriculum. Pressures on leaders to meet key performance indicators have resulted in narrowed curriculum offers, which has in turn led to dry, joyless lessons designed to jump statistically through metaphorical hoops and over public relations hurdles. Smart school leaders have learned that, to avoid the punitive and public criticism of poor league table performance, they need to lead their schools with a new focus, designed to deliver results that meet the publishable requirements of their political overlords. In order to keep up, schools have begun concentrating their efforts on getting students with Ds to become Cs, abandoning Es and neglecting Bs and As because they have already passed the required level. Even our youngest children in primary schools are being labelled and overlooked, as adults declare around them, ‘They will never reach the required standard; just concentrate on those that might.’ Booster classes proliferate to progress children newly described as ‘on the cusp’, whilst those who are more or less able are left to run out the time until the test. It would be almost impossible to design a system more efficiently ruthless in its ability to disengage learners, dismay and demotivate a generation of teachers or disempower a future workforce. And all of this had already begun before the added complication of the post-Covid world in which we find ourselves today.

So where does this leave our young people? We simply toss them out into a world full of long-held prejudice and injustice, for which they are grossly under-prepared, and hope that they find their way. The book you’re about to read gives us hope that there is another way. For the past 11 years, Sarah has developed her skills in curriculum design and has a proven track record of success. She makes a compelling case for challenging ourselves to design a curriculum that is brave and bold. A curriculum that doesn’t just pay lip service to creating a more enlightened generation, but does it by weaving exposure into the everyday lives of children. The book is more than just a viewpoint or collection of ideas; it’s a toolkit, a step-by-step guide to creating a more diverse curriculum. Wherever you are on your journey, this book can provide the extra inspiration and guidance to take you to the next step.

Diversifying the curriculum is not progressive or innovative; it should not be viewed as something that schools do once the rest of the curriculum is set. It should, and must, be your starting point – the pillars on which you build your curriculum. I will be asking all my leaders to read this book and learn from the experience that Sarah brings to the page.

By following the guidance set out in the pages within, you can ensure that every single child in your school can not only see themselves within that curriculum but will be exposed to the beauty of difference, as they become the future that we all need.

Pia Longman, executive headteacher

The very fact that you, an educator, is reading this book brings hope for a better future for education. It means that you’re interested in questioning and developing the curriculum that you deliver. Interested in continually pursuing inclusive education for young people. Interested in opening up avenues and thought processes that are yet to be explored and challenging current perspectives. Education is powerful; it is a chance to change life opportunities for young people, in particular those from marginalised communities. As educators, we too are on a learning journey with developing our understanding of the world, our subject knowledge and our own ability to critically think in order to deliver the absolute best for those whom we teach. Diversity, inclusion and visibility in the classroom is a constant journey; there is no end point where you wake up and excitedly exclaim, ‘Hey, I’m fully diverse and inclusive now!’. We all have our own biases – known and unknown – based upon our own experiences of life and personal education. It is important to be able to become more self-aware, to question, discuss and respectfully challenge each other on thoughts, beliefs and understandings of the world, in order for us to grow as individuals and, furthermore, educators.

It’s our responsibility (and privilege) to ensure that the next generation is more enlightened than we are currently, to teach young people that there are no outsiders in our society, irrespective of race, disability, sexuality, religion or gender identity. To fight for institutional change to both recognise and eradicate discriminatory beliefs. It is a fact that no child is born racist, homophobic or sexist. These are behaviours that children learn early on, from outside influences –another reason why diverse and inclusive teaching is imperative to both build and change our society for the better (Wordlaw, 2019).

Why is this needed?

In 2020, the death of George Floyd rallied a resurgence in the ferocity of the Black Lives Matter movement, sparking more conversations around the issue of institutionalised racism in our society – both globally and nationally.

As a mixed race person, in my own primary schooling I was one of very few non-White people (I use this particular term because this is how I personally identify myself) and I always felt outside of the ‘norm’. I never saw myself represented in any learning that was taught, with the exception of a tokenistic Black History Month assembly once per year, which sparked other children asking whether my family came from a ‘poor country in Africa’ and whether they could touch my hair.

Twenty-five years later, as a senior leader and practitioner based in South London schools with majority Black cohorts, I have always found it patronising to celebrate Black culture tokenistically and have personally found a lack of deliberate diverse and inclusive teaching.

I was interested in whether other teachers from marginalised communities had similar experiences within their education – not just related to race, but also sexuality, gender, disability, religion and culture. Surveying other practitioners, it was fascinating (and quite upsetting) to read other experiences that mirrored my own: a sense of feeling ‘othered’ (whether deliberate or not) and a general frustration at currently not delivering as well-rounded a curriculum as could be taught now. One teacher reflected on being told that AIDS was ‘given to the world by Black people’ in a secondary science lesson. Perhaps the most shocking were some of the reflections on current practice and curricula, and some battles with adapting and developing more inclusive practice. Many schools – even though it is statutory to teach – won’t even touch on discussing sexuality and the fact that different families exist. One teacher requested a book about Malala to be on the literacy long-term plan and was met with a ‘How will the White children relate to this?’ response, which is simply astounding. The bottom line is that racially literate teachers will teach in a racially literate way – will include lessons, discussions and opportunities for reflection in all subjects. Some subjects lend themselves to open discussions about race, disability and sexuality – like PSHE, literacy and citizenship – whereas others can be more challenging (for example, maths).

What is racial literacy?

‘Biases are the stories we make up about people before we know who they actually are.’ (Myers, 2014)

Racial literacy is having the awareness, knowledge, skills and dispositions to talk openly about racism and race. This includes having a rich vocabulary of appropriate and respectful terms like race, racism, prejudice, upstander, ally and so on. It means being able to notice racism or racist views when they occur and being equipped with strategies to cope with and challenge them. It is an understanding of the roles that race and racism hold in our society.

There are many – from both White communities and others – who may feel afraid or uncomfortable talking about race. Perhaps they feel that they ‘don’t see colour’ – however, this is unhelpful. It is important to see colour – to accept and notice that we have both similarities and differences and that the White experience is vastly different from the experience of the global majority. Some may believe that if they teach in a place that is predominantly White, there is less need for discussions on race. However, this is incorrect! Racially homogeneous schools can and do benefit from increased racial literacy as much as culturally diverse schools. This is the time to step up and increase our racial literacy as a profession; students from all races need us to do so (Howard, 2020).

‘Racial literacy and a commitment to anti-racism should be considered a key competency for entering the teaching profession.’ (Joseph-Salisbury, 2020, p. 22)

Should diverse teaching only be taught in ‘diverse’ schools?

All schools, regardless of their cohort, should teach from actively anti-racist, anti-homophobic, anti-ableist and anti-xenophobic perspectives (to name a few!). This is whether you work in a school within predominantly White communities or predominantly more racially diverse communities. In addition, Dr Remi Joseph-Salisbury states that ‘white teachers should engage with concepts of white privilege, white power, white complicity and white supremacy, in order to reflect on their own racialised positions’ (2020, p. 22). School leaders must continually cultivate racially literate teaching to challenge such perspectives, as a whole-school approach. Teaching forces must also strive to be diverse in order for teams to be exposed to different perspectives, improve cultural engagement and open dialogues. These ultimately promote creativity and, with enhanced engagement from children and families, pupil performance also improves. Teaching a diverse curriculum benefits not only the children from within those categories, but everyone.

What the research says

The proof is in the facts. It is a fact that discrimination – both conscious and unconscious – is still extremely prevalent in our society. It is a barrier that many face, and is one that we as educators have a chance to do something about.

What the research says

‘Exclusion rates for black Caribbean students in English schools are up to six times higher than those of their white peers in some local authorities…’ (McIntyre et al., 2021)

‘Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children were also excluded at much higher rates, with Roma children nine times more likely to be suspended in some areas. And exclusion rates for mixed-race white and black Caribbean students were more than four times higher than their white peers in several local authorities.’ (McIntyre et al., 2021)

‘Nearly half of lesbian, gay, bi and trans pupils (45 per cent) – including 64 per cent of trans pupils – are bullied for being LGBT at school.’ (Stonewall, 2017, p. 6)

‘The majority of LGBT pupils – 86 per cent – regularly hear phrases such as “that’s so gay” or “you’re so gay” in school.’ (Stonewall, 2017, p. 6)

‘Seven in ten LGBT pupils (68 per cent) report that teachers or school staff only “sometimes” or “never” challenge homophobic, biphobic and transphobic language when they hear it.’ (Stonewall, 2017, p. 6)

‘In the year ending March 2020, the Crime Survey for England and Wales estimated 1.6 million women aged 16 to 74 years in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse, around 7% of the female population.’ (Office for National Statistics, 2021)

‘Children with SEND from low-income families have poorer educational outcomes – whether in terms of academic achievement, wellbeing or exclusion rates – and these outcomes have a direct effect on their earning potential later in life.’ (Shaw et al., 2016, p. 12)

‘Gypsy/Traveller children, mostly either Gypsy/Roma or Travellers of Irish Heritage, have the lowest results of any minority ethnic group and are the group most at risk in the education system.’ (Rashid and Tikly, 2010, p. 8)

‘Black pupils and those from Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds achieve poorer examination results than do other groups.’ (Rashid and Tikly, 2010, p. 8)

‘95% of young Black British people have witnessed racist language in education. More than half of males said they hear racist language in school “all the time”.’ (YMCA, 2020)