WHAT CAN EARLY YEARS SETTINGS AND SCHOOLS DO IF FACED WITH STRONG, AND EVEN CONFLICTING, VIEWS SURROUNDING LGBT+?
As part of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), schools have a responsibility to consider the need to foster good relations across all characteristics. Promoting good relations between people and groups of all kinds is inherent in many things, which schools do through, for example, aspects of the curriculum that promote tolerance and friendship or through assemblies.
School leaders are ideally positioned to create inclusive learning and working environments for all their pupils, and indeed staff. At the heart of this is having a positive school ethos and values which promote an environment of belonging and respect for all.
A key part of this is parental engagement; and schools are well practised at this.
Building shared values and effective dialogue across the whole school community can aid leaders in navigating complex, sensitive and/or dividing issues.
A RECENT ARTICLE FROM A PARENT IMPLIED THEIR CHILD’S NURSERY WAS FORCING GENDER STEREOTYPES ON THEIR DAUGHTER. HOW CAN EDUCATION SETTINGS ENSURE THEY DO NOT FALL INTO THIS TRAP?
Early year settings and primary schools play a core role in laying the foundations for inclusive, respectful, and healthy interactions and relationships as children grow; and work to counter stereotypes is one part of that. This is reflected in the RSE curriculum, which requires both primary and secondary schools to address how gender stereotypes can be unfair, negative and damaging.
Speaking with members, the focus is very much on taking a whole-school approach – and involving all members of the school community. While one-off events or individual activities can be important, embedding comprehensive, long-term change requires a ‘whole school approach’ and a positive culture.
Approaches could include promotion of equal participation in tasks, using inclusive language, providing diverse examples or role models, and challenging gender stereotypes when they occur. NAHT (and Education and Employers’) Primary Futures programme is an excellent example of this. The programme brings volunteer role models from the world of work to talk to primary school children about their jobs – helping tackle stereotypes in the process.
HOW CAN SCHOOLS AND EARLY YEARS SETTINGS SUPPORT CHILDREN WHO IDENTIFY WITH A DIFFERENT GENDER FROM THE ONE ASSIGNED AT BIRTH, ARE UNSURE OF THEIR GENDER OR ARE GENDER FLUID?
It's helpful to recognise that gender identity can be a complicated topic, with different, interrelated aspects. We should also be mindful that every young person is different and there this no ‘one-size fits all’ approach.
Regardless of the specific area being considered, schools should (and do) work closely with all pupils and their parents to find sensitive pragmatic solutions which ensure that every pupil is kept safe, the privacy and dignity of every pupil is respected, and that all are enabled to access education and participate fully in the life of the school.
Focusing specifically on pupils with ‘gender-distress’, our member advice team has been and continues to be contacted by leaders around how to effectively support this group of pupils.
We believe additional guidance is urgently needed by nursery, school and college leaders. While there is access to general guidance which covers some of the broad issues, what is lacking is advice from a respected and knowledgeable body on the legal issues they need to consider when making decisions in this area. Our members continue to contact us around these issues and are often left having to make difficult decisions with legal and safeguarding implications.
NAHT HAS SAID THAT SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IS NOT AS DIVERSE OR REPRESENTATIVE AS IT SHOULD BE. WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS?
We know that children and young people benefit from having a diverse range of individuals working with them. It can also help to challenge stereotypes; critical in ensuring that children and young people can grow up in a world where there is equality of opportunity.
Yet data from the Department for Education (DfE)'s workforce statistics shows that the profession does not reflect this. For example, less than 10 per cent of head teachers are from a minority ethnic background, despite over a third of pupils being from a minority background.
In the early years specifically, analysis from the DfE indicates that the sector remains mainly female-dominated, and the levels of ethnic diversity are similar to those seen in schools.
A lot of the conversation around diversity in the early years has focused on the lack of men working in the sector. However, this is of course only one, albeit important, aspect; diversity, in terms of other characteristics, such as ethnicity, is also limited in the early years.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HELP PROMOTE CHANGE?
Knowing what drives a lack of diversity, and therefore changing this, requires not just quantitative analysis but also a commitment to understanding lived experiences.
That's why NAHT is proud to have supported some of our members with the launch of the You Are Not Alone book. The book shares personal and challenging stories of discrimination faced as both leaders and individuals through school and university.
NAHT has long been pressing the DfE to better recognise the importance of early years’ representation on school senior leadership teams and governing boards, as well as bringing a stronger focus on early years pedagogy to initial teacher training in order to protect, strengthen and improve the quality of early years provision in schools.
Last year, NAHT, as part of a coalition of key organisations across the sector, made a series of commitments to furthering equality, diversity and inclusion in education for 2021/22. This is an annual statement and we will be reporting back on our progress.