Blog Posts

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Leadership: Shaping the Future of the Teaching Workforce

In today’s educational landscape, fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) feels essential for creating a supportive and effective teaching workforce that reflects the lived experiences of the students we serve. This blog post offers some thoughts on the importance of DEIB in educational leadership and highlights the challenges and opportunities for improvement. Understanding I

16/05/2025 Read more

Women of a certain age: The menopause at school

Developing an anti-misogynist culture in your school starts from the top. There must be a commitment from leadership at all levels, and it must be threaded throughout all school practices and policies. However, women remain under-represented within school leadership (Bergmann et al, 2022). In England, the school leadership characteristics and trends report (DfE, 2022) reveals that at primary level

16/05/2025 Read more

Supreme Court Ruling - Key Information for Educators

Introduction  On Wednesday 16th April the UK Supreme Court shared their ruling on the case For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Minister, which interprets the legal definition of the word ‘sex’, as used in the context of The Equality Act 2010.  Since the court handed down, the ruling has been spoken about extensively in the regulated media, unregulated social media, and in Parliament. W

16/05/2025 Read more

You can’t just teach a child out of poverty

One of the most urgent and complex issues schools face today is the deep-rooted impact of poverty on the communities they serve. For school leaders and educators, this isn’t just about data, it’s about real lives, and the daily reality of hardship affecting pupils and families. The challenges of poverty extend well beyond the school gates. It influences everything from children’s learning experien

17/04/2025 Read more

What can we learn about masculinity and misogyny from the Netflix drama 'Adolescence'?

Originally published here:  https://www.boldvoices.co.uk/blog/2025/3/20/what-can-we-learn-about-masculinity-and-misogyny-from-the-netflix-drama-adolescence On March 13 Adolescence premiered on Netflix, a week on and the show has a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has sent waves across media, starting conversations about themes of masculinity, the ‘manosphere’, incel culture and gender-based

17/04/2025 Read more

What Is the Point of Dialogue?

Dialogue is fundamental to building relationships and resolving differences. It is a crucial tool for addressing conflicts, yet when pain and injustice run deep, the idea of engaging in dialogue can feel futile—or even wrong. When faced with deep moral disagreements, people may question whether dialogue is worthwhile. Engaging with opposing viewpoints can feel uncomfortable and even counterproduct

17/04/2025 Read more

From Lettuce to Leadership: The Recipe for Real DEIB in Schools

The room fell silent. A lone voice cut through the air like a scalpel. “If we always do what we’ve always done, we’ll always get what we’ve always got.” A murmur of agreement rippled across the table, but the truth hung heavy. Governance in education wasn’t evolving fast enough. The diversity deficit on school boards was glaring, and yet the solution was tantalisingly within reach. Diversity, Equi

18/03/2025 Read more

World Book Day 2025

Another year, another World Book Day—same costumes, same characters. Harry and Hermione? Check. Little Red Riding Hood? Of course. The Gruffalo? Naturally. And let’s not forget Mrs. Trunchbull, stomping through the halls. Sound familiar? Thought so.  But here’s the thing—World Book Day can be so much more. It’s time to move beyond the usual suspects and reimagine it through a t

18/03/2025 Read more

To Belong Is Not Enough: Why We Must Move Towards Mattering

“No one would care if I weren’t here.” I can remember the words hitting me hard. As Designated Safeguarding Lead there were immediate red flags, but on a human level it broke my heart. 100% attendance, great progress, and never in trouble. On paper he belonged – but in reality he thought nobody cared. Across the country, I hear the language of belonging increasingly referenced in discussions about

18/03/2025 Read more

From Representation to Transformation: The Impact of Diverse Governing Boards in Schools

School governing boards in the UK are entrusted with the critical task of shaping the educational experiences of both students and staff. Within their role, they have the power to influence curriculum choices, define and redefine budget allocations and set the future direction of the school or trust, all whilst ensuring robust safeguarding policies are in place. Therefore, for these

07/02/2025 Read more

Inclusive Recruitment: 20 Tips to Consider

‘Diversifying Recruitment’ and ‘Inclusive Recruitment’ are two terms that we often hear being mentioned frequently in education circles, but what is the difference in approach? Diverse or diversifying suggests the focus is on finding diverse candidates. Inclusive or ‘inclusifying’ (phrase coined by Professor Paul Miller which we have adopted) suggests the focus is instead on including diverse cand

07/02/2025 Read more

Empowerment, Inclusion, and Storytelling: A New Approach to History Education

Traditional history education can sometimes feel stale and uninspired – a series of dates and old white men who seem to have little or no relevance to the lives of today’s children. This approach, heavily focused on Eurocentric perspectives and the accomplishments of a select few, can leave many students feeling excluded and disconnected from the past. But, as even Ofsted explained in their 

07/02/2025 Read more

What Could Sustainable Teacher Recruitment Campaigns Look Like?

When I trained to teach in 2010, I was drawn into the profession by the motivation to Make a Difference. I wanted to be a Changemaker; to have Social Impact; to Do Good. And I was willing to work all hours and make sacrifices to – essentially – satisfy my guilty white saviour complex. Maybe that’s a little cutting: after all, a sense of moral purpose and the pursuit of meaningful work ar

03/12/2024 Read more

A journey with the experienced other - coaching and leadership development

Coaching is the process used to enable the coachee to reach their goals or achieve clarity about their life, whether it’s about leadership development, career change, family, personal development or just managing work-life balance. This blog will focus on coaching as a vehicle for leadership development.   Leadership development training encourages the use of hands-on practical training

02/12/2024 Read more

LGBTQ+ teachers don’t receive the training and support they need

Originally posted on The Conversation in May 2024: https://theconversation.com/lgbtq-teachers-dont-receive-the-training-and-support-they-need-228162 Republished with permission of the author. LGBTQ+ teachers report feeling stressed and even discriminated against in the workplace due to their identity. This is a problem when keeping teachers in their jobs is vital. Teaching is facing a crisis in bo

02/12/2024 Read more