How often, as educators, do we challenge the ways we view students and each other? As schools, do we effectively question pervasive stereotypes as much as we could or should?
More often than not, we are put into boxes from birth, the colour of the baby clothes we wear, the type of toys in the girls’ and boys’ sections of shops, and then at school or in society, where certain ethnicities are perceived to be good at maths, athletics, sciences…
This way of thinking, among society – parents, teachers and the wider community – is stifling students, their dreams and ambitions. Children and young people deserve a career that they enjoy and that they excel in, not one chosen out of duty or a lack of options.
While it is not the job of schools to change the perceptions of everyone in society, as a teacher you can open your students’ eyes to so much more. You can highlight and celebrate their unique talents, you can show them that their gender or race need not determine their future, you can help them understand that there is more than just a Plan A – but a Plan B and even C exist too!
Keep your curriculum wide open
Let’s start with the curriculum. Too often, white middle classness is being sold in education as the ultimate doorway to success. There is a lot of conversation at the moment of the narrowing of the curriculum, with some schools focusing on English, maths and science as they feel these are the subjects that will give their students a better chance of success, the ticket to better careers, to living happily ever after. But that’s not the case.
That’s not to discredit these vital subjects but prioritising these traditional core subjects over others is helping no-one. Students with a natural talent in music, for example, could feel a sense of failure if they are pushed down a different route, while there is a real risk that this could widen the social divide as access to some subjects are only available to a chosen few.
At present, 82% of pupils doing subjects like arts and architecture at degree level are white middle-class pupils, while 57% studying to be administrators are black (HESA, 2020).
A wide curriculum doesn’t just refer to subject options. In Pearson’s recent School Report (2022), teachers wanted to see core life-skills incorporated into the curriculum with as much time and emphasis as core subjects.
They also want to develop tolerance of diverse opinions and social and cultural awareness as they feel these characteristics will allow learners to thrive in today’s world.
Of course, the system doesn’t provide an ideal environment for this. When children are 14, we ask them to narrow down the subjects they study for their GCSEs, when they are 16, they are narrowed down further to three or four for A levels – and then just one subject for university.
By exposing students to a much broader outlook and giving them access to a wide range of subjects and skills, we can provide a stepping stone to broader future opportunities.
Talk to students
When I talk to students each year, I ask them what they want to do and what they see as success. I often get responses starting: “My mum and dad want me to…”
I always say that it’s lovely to know what your parents want, but what do you want?
In today’s social media-inspired world, it is not uncommon to get “professional footballer” or “celebrity” as a response. It is easy to discourage these as pipe dreams or to suggest a more realistic pathway, but why not use them for inspiration instead?
Take footballers for example – I always highlight the need to understand physiology and trigonometry and discuss how they support Plan A, as well as a possible Plan B. It is important to recognise and discuss the fact that things don’t always work out how you wish them to and so by broadening subject options and areas of interest, we can open up conversations about other careers like architecture, or teaching, or becoming a pilot – wherever their passions and interests might take them.
Having this conversation every year has proved to be useful to students, not only in helping them choose which subjects to study at GCSE but also highlighting that they can change their mind. A career path is never set in stone.
These conversations also provide you with the opportunity to find out what students expect from you. How do they feel they are being seen at school? Do they feel they are being stereotyped or pigeon-holed? What do they feel is being missed and how do they feel the school can correct this?
Show students that there are options
By getting students to think ahead and take responsibility for their own futures, I find they become much more focused on where they want to go.
I always find it interesting with year 11 and 12 students who begin to talk about the university they want to go to and the subjects they're going to study, and then you look at the drop-out rates at university when students realise that what they were good at at A level doesn’t necessarily mean it is what they want to do or that it will lead to the best career for them.
In addition to exposing students to a wider spectrum of subjects, it is important to diversify their understanding about what options are available to them after school, the different career paths they can access, and the subjects they need to study in order to get there – not just in year 11 and 12 but back in year 7 too!
A way to achieve this, and this may sound simple, is to keep school trips varied and regularly invite as many different people and businesses to school as possible, not just in careers week.
And remember, your visitors don’t just have to be “professionals” – we have had people come in who have climbed Mount Everest! Keep conversations and experiences open. In doing this and inviting students to question, explore and understand different perspectives on “success”, we can not only break-down stereotypes but open students’ eyes to a broader spectrum of opportunities.
Teachers must be on the same page
You need to make sure that as a staffing community you are all on the same page when it comes to the language used and how students are portrayed in school, especially in secondary schools where there are so many teachers across so many subjects.
We know from the Pearson research already cited that almost half of teachers (48%) have seen an increase in pupil awareness around racial inequality during the last academic year. Use those conversations discussed previously to understand if students feel that they are being put in a box and, if so, ensure this is fed back to all staff.
Listen and respect all staff members’ opinions, including the language they feel is most appropriate during staff meetings. These conversations won’t be perfect and, of course, there will be differing views, but it is only when everyone is on the same page, across the whole school, that we will be able to support our students effectively.
As educators, as schools and as participants of local, national and global communities, we need to proactively take these steps to break away from the stereotypes or boxes our young children are too often put in. If we are to reduce the race and gender pay gap and empower our future generations to embark on careers that inspire and challenge them, then we need to broaden the offer and opportunities available to them now.
Alison Kriel was an inner-city executive headteacher for nearly 20 years and is now a leadership advisor, mentor and public speaker on a range of topics including anti-racism. She is the founder of Above & Beyond Education. Visit https://alisonkriel.com and https://aboveandbeyond.education/ or follow @AlisonKriel
Further information & resources
- HESA: Higher education student statistics: UK, 2018/19, January 2020: www.hesa.ac.uk/news/16-01-2020/sb255-higher-education-student-statistics/subjects
- Pearson: School report, June 2022: www.pearson.com/uk/educators/schools/issues/school-report