As we near the end of another school year, I’m pleased to share with you the online summer edition of Leadership Focus, which is themed around all things equality.
We have a fascinating interview with Professor Lee Elliot Major, the country’s first professor of social mobility, about his new book ‘Equity in Education’, which makes the case for schools to adopt a new equity-based approach to address cultural biases and barriers within the classroom (both their own and those of others) and work to remove some of the societal and other barriers to learning experienced by children outside of school.
We also report back from Maryland Primary School in Stratford, a school that has put inclusion and equality at the heart of everything it does and whose team is doing extraordinary work in the field by developing groundbreaking new resources and procedures to support their children. It’s a provocative, inspiring and uplifting feature, and we hope you enjoy learning about their story as much as we did when we visited.
Elsewhere in the issue, we share an update on NAHT’s pilot scheme to introduce regional equality representatives and how they will become our equality, diversity and inclusion ‘experts on the ground’. If you want to participate in this trial, submit your application to become a regional equality representative before Wednesday 31 July 2024.
We also examine how NAHT engages more widely with the trade union movement at the TUC’s equality conferences and hear from members who have attended this year’s events as part of NAHT’s delegation.
As always, we’re keen to hear from you if you have any feedback or suggestions regarding Leadership Focus, so do get in touch if there’s anything you’d like us to consider.
May I wish you all the best as your school year comes to an end, and I hope you have a relaxing and restorative summer break.
Best wishes
David Gilmore
NAHT head of communications
First published 17 July 2024