Following a resolution at NAHT Annual Conference, we are developing a series of policy statements outlining NAHT’s views and commitments around equality, diversity and inclusion. These have been developed in conversations with NAHT’s equality networks, our diversity and inclusion group, and our national executive.
Below, you'll find:
Statements will continue to be reviewed and additional statements may be developed, as led by our membership.
We know that racism (intentional and unintentional) and racial inequality continues to exist, and we firmly believe that we, as an organisation and as individual members, must play a role in actively addressing this within the educational sector. It matters for the health, well-being and futures of our members, their staff and the pupils and communities that they serve.
NAHT commits to putting an anti-racist approach at the heart of our work; this means acknowledging, challenging and effectively addressing all forms of racism and racial inequality wherever we find it, both collectively and individually.
We know that doing so will not always be easy; for this to have true impact we must be willing to question our own roles in the system, both as an organisation and as individuals. We will need to acknowledge times where we may have got things wrong, or failed to improve our own understanding and awareness of the scale and impact of the current situation. It will also require clear action, not just rhetoric.
This means committing to improving our understanding, awareness and action on the systemic racism and inequality that is experienced by Black, Asian and minority ethnic children, staff and school leaders. We hope that the You Are Not Alone: Leaders for Race Equality book, supported by NAHT, is a positive first step in doing so. We will ensure that this is underpinned by the recognition that individuals from ‘Black, Asian and minority ethnic’ backgrounds are not one single category, but rather, people from a range of backgrounds, races and religions, each with their own unique challenges and experiences.
We know school leaders have a unique and vital role to play in this work. From the overarching ethos of schools to the detail of the curriculum, their educational leadership has the power to help bring about the change we need to see. We will work to support and empower all of our members to feel confident in adopting an anti-racist approach in their own schools; ensuring they have the understanding, knowledge and resources required to effectively embed an inclusive approach within their schools for all staff and pupils.
As a profession we also need to be prepared to hold a mirror up to ourselves. We know that the profession is not yet representative of the communities we serve, and that this is a particular issue at senior leadership level. We commit to addressing this issue head-on; collaborating with the sector and our partners to build on our current commitments to ensure we play our part in helping further equality, diversity and inclusion in the sector. We will also use our voice and standing in the sector in order to press for greater change and support from government on this critical issue.
And as a union, we must also be prepared to challenge ourselves by identifying and resolving issues of inequality within our own structures. This includes reviewing our processes and policies, supporting the growth of our equality networks and seeking new ways for members to engage with the democracy of NAHT.
We also know the NAHT has a role to assess its own internal culture and commitment to anti-racism, and to lead by example. To this end we have begun to review our policies and procedures, and are seeking to provide training for staff in areas such as ‘unconscious bias’.
We acknowledge that this is a journey and will take time. To be truly effective it must be embedded as part of our work developing a full equality, diversity and inclusion action plan which will be focused on achieving and monitoring sustainable change for NAHT. We will use the insight and challenge from the members of our Leaders for Race Equality network to guide us in this endeavour.
We encourage and support all our members and the wider profession to join us in this journey.
NAHT is committed to supporting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and all other identities covered under the LGBT+ umbrella. We recognise that, as an organisation and as individual members, we must play a role in actively challenging anti-LGBT+ sentiment within the educational sector; whether as allies or members of the LGBT+ community itself. It matters for the health, well-being and futures of our members, their staff and the pupils and communities that they serve.
We want to champion and understand the various ways in which individuals might identify and continue to educate ourselves about the meaning of these identities. We will ensure that this is underpinned by the recognition that sexual orientation and/or gender identity are only one part of people’s self and individuals from ‘LGBT+’ backgrounds are not one single group but rather, people from a range of backgrounds, each with their own unique experiences and challenges.
NAHT is clear that all individuals should be able to be their full selves and feel valued and accepted for who they are. Yet for some people that can be harder than others due to fear of being judged or treated differently; and this extends to the leaders in our schools. It can at times be easy to forget that it has been less than 20 years since section 28 was revoked; and we know from many members it continues to cast a long shadow.
We believe that the children and young people in our schools deserve to have an education that reflects themselves, their families, and the world around them. In doing so we support not only our LGBT+ young people to feel they belong but also the value of inclusion, respect, and support to all our children and young people.
We know school leaders have a unique and vital role to play in this work. From the overarching ethos of schools to the detail of the curriculum, their educational leadership has the power to help bring about the change we need to see. We will work to support and empower all our members to feel confident in developing LGBT+ inclusive approaches in their own schools; ensuring they have the understanding, knowledge and resources required to effectively challenge homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia, and to effectively embed an inclusive approach within their schools for all staff and pupils.
The value of a diverse workforce is well known; yet we know there is more to do in education, particularly at school leadership level. We commit to addressing this issue head-on; collaborating with the sector and our partners to build on our current commitments to ensure we play our part in helping further equality, diversity, and inclusion in the sector. We will also use our voice and standing in the sector in order to press for greater change and support from government on this critical issue.
To be truly effective we will embed this over-arching position as part of our equality, diversity and inclusion action plan which will be focused on achieving and monitoring sustainable change for NAHT. We will use the insight and challenge from the members of our LGBT+ Network to guide us in this endeavour.
We encourage and support all our members and the wider profession to join us in this journey.
Nearly one fifth of the UK population is reported to be disabled, yet we know that disabled people continue to face significant barriers and discrimination. We recognise that, as an organisation and as individual members, we must play a role in actively challenging this within education; whether as allies, or members of the disabled community. It matters for the health, well-being and futures of our members, their staff and the pupils and communities that they serve.
In doing so, we will approach this as a subscriber and promotor of the social model of disability, which argues that it is society and its structures that ‘disable’ individuals rather than their impairments. In other words, that disability is the result of the interaction between a person’s impairment and the barriers that exist around them. We will ensure that this is underpinned by a recognition that disability is only one part of people’s self and that disabled individuals are not a homogenous group but rather, people from a range of backgrounds, each with their own unique experiences and challenges.
We firmly believe that all children and young people, deserve access to a high-quality education supported with rich and varied learning experiences, whether that be in mainstream schools, special schools and/or specialist and alternative provision. In achieving this for pupils with SEND/ALN, we believe that a needs-led approach must be adopted. NAHT will continue to advocate for this approach and press for the appropriate funding to sustain it; not just for education, but for health and social care as well, in order to provide the high-quality specialist support and cross-sector systems to support pupils with SEND/ALN. Alongside this we will work to support and empower all of our members to feel confident in adopting an anti-ableist approach in their own schools; ensuring they have the understanding, knowledge and resources required to effectively embed an inclusive approach within their schools for all staff and pupils.
NAHT is clear that all individuals should be able to be their full selves and feel valued and accepted for who they are. Yet for some people that can be harder than others due to fear of being judged or treated differently; and this extends to the leaders in our schools, who may be hesitant to disclose their impairments. We commit to addressing this issue head-on; collaborating with the sector and our partners to build on our current commitments to ensure we play our part in helping further equality, diversity, and inclusion in the sector. We will also use our voice and standing in the sector in order to press for greater change and support from government on this critical issue.
And as a union, we must also be prepared to challenge ourselves by identifying and resolving issues of inequality within our own structures. This includes reviewing our processes and policies, supporting the growth of our equality networks and seeking new ways for members to engage with the democracy of NAHT.
To be truly effective we will embed this over-arching position as part of our equality, diversity and inclusion action plan which will be focused on achieving and monitoring sustainable change for NAHT. We will use the insight and challenge from the members of our Disabled Members' Network and our SEND council to guide us in this endeavour.
We encourage and support all our members and the wider profession to join us in this journey.