How to create a safe, inclusive, equitable learning environment

Teachers need to improve their cultural intelligence and educate themselves on how different cultures engage, the different needs of diverse cultures, how to create physical and online spaces that are interfaith, collaborative and gender conscious.

All of this helps to give more marginalised groups the confidence to feel they can really engage, not just with their teacher and learning, but also with the space in which they need to be communicating, building genuine relationships with the people around them.  

Which resources?  

Examine the language and images used in teaching materials. Is the language inclusive, or does it still fall into the trap of the ‘default white male’? If resources include images of people, who’s represented? The same is true at an institutional level with the prospectus and website: do they include images of people from diverse backgrounds?  

When I went to university and even through my entire schooling period, most of the materials I engaged with didn't feel like they were right for me. That needs to change. 

Recruit, recruit, recruit 

Out of nearly 23,000 university professors in the UK, just 160 are black. It's a tiny number – fewer than 1%. If we can invest in getting more black and ethnic minority teachers and retaining them, it will have a direct impact on academic engagement, performance and future aspirations. 

In the meantime, more diverse industry mentors must be brought into the classroom to support students. Representation is crucial. If a student can see themselves in the literature, in their environment, in the people who are teaching them, in the workplace they want to enter, it impacts their aspirations and their beliefs about what they can do. 

Look after black teachers 

Since early 2020, black people in positions of influence, such as teachers or professional staff in education, have felt pressure from within their organisations to stand up and be role models. This is alongside all the micro aggressions they face on a day-to-day basis; alongside all the challenges they face to be able to thrive.   

In many cases, there will be one black teacher in the organisation or at a particular level. That means all the pressure is piled on them to help the organisation or the institution articulate its approach to stamping out racism or to attracting more diverse candidates. Institutions have got to urgently recruit more people from diverse backgrounds to build a wider network. 

Seek external advice 

One way to avoid putting so much pressure on staff is to bring in external expertise – it’s typically why my organisation gets called in.  

An institution may need external help to build a campaign that attracts more black teachers, tackling bias in the hiring process or to re-examine student enrollment. 

There are some phenomenal experts out there who know how to build inclusive environments within an organisation, celebrate diversity and accelerate it in a way that attracts more.

To ease the pressure on individuals, ask how they would like to be better supported.  And then – the important part – pledge to try and find that support and invest in changing processes to tackle the lack of representation. 

Educate on allyship 

Black teachers can face additional pressure from colleagues who, with the best intentions, seek their help in being a better ally, asking to be educated about how to address racism. 

Institutions can support  teachers by educating them all on allyship. It takes work and investment, but institutions need to make that commitment to get this right.   

Go beyond unconscious bias training  

If you seek external training, make sure it’s role specific. Unconscious bias training has been a fairly easy go-to for organisations and, while it may get people thinking differently, it's often far from practical. And that's what people need – relatable, scenario-based examples, which really help them feel they can take the information and use it directly from day one.