It is well documented that Scotland’s teaching profession does not reflect the demographics of the population. This lack of diversity is likely to be reflected in the profile of staff within learning communities. Research has demonstrated that Minority Ethnic learners’ attainment is positively impacted when their teacher is from a Minority Ethnic background. A national working group has published recommendations to improve the diversity of the teaching profession and local authorities have developed initiatives to address the lack of diversity in education staff.
At setting level, leaders have a responsibility to ensure recruitment practices adhere to equalities legislation which explicitly references the need to be proactive in advancing equality of opportunity. Once recruited, it is important to ensure that Minority Ethnic staff feel a sense of belonging in the workplace; EIS research on teachers and lecturers’ experience of Islamophobia (2018) found that a significant majority of respondents had experienced racism in their capacity as a teacher or lecturer. All approaches in Section B will help to create a setting where Minority Ethnic staff feel valued. The pro-active tackling of racism displayed by staff or learners will also help Minority Ethnic staff to feel able to be themselves in the workplace. The promotion of staff from these backgrounds further underlines that these staff are valued and their contribution to the learning community is recognised.
