Copyright © 2024 – BAMEed Network. Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Registered charity number: 1192628
About us
We are a grassroots charity aimed at ensuring our diverse communities are represented as a substantive part of the education workforce for teachers and leaders in education. We seek to address the inequities in the recruitment of Black, Asian and minority ethnic colleagues into the teaching profession and the lack of support to ensure progress in those careers.
All of our Trustees commit their time and efforts into creating a tangible support network to equip teachers and leaders with the tools to progress into and through the workforce. The group connects with other education organisations and individuals through events, regional networks across the UK, signposting, mentoring and support aligned with our vision.
Creating the future
Hear from Allana Gay, a BAMEed Network Founding Member and Trustee about the BAMEed Network’s vision and the activity taking place to drive change in the education sector.
Video recorded at Bett 2022.
Meet our Trustees
Allana Gay is a headteacher at a North London Primary School. Her experience as an educator and school leader arches over secondary and primary schools all of whom have been in challenging or deprived circumstances.
Allana shares her leadership experiences across the sectors to encourage primary and secondary schools to work in true partnership. Allana seeks to change the outward face of education by ensuring equality for all within the education sector.
Allana co-founded the BAMEed Network to encourage more BAME educators into the profession and to ensure they are supported to progress within their careers.
Amjad Ali is a senior leader and trainer. He has worked with all sectors from trainee teachers to headteachers providing training on teaching, learning and inclusion.
He is ambitious and committed to making a difference to the education system by inspiring changes. He teaches, tweets and tweaks his practice to help others improve theirs, which in turn helps him and his students too. For Amjad, education is about ensuring wherever you come from, whatever your parents do or not do, does not impact on the potential of success. Whatever success means to a young person it should be found and celebrated.
Amjad has previous co-organised the country’s largest TeachMeets, whilst also presenting keynotes, offering workshops and inspirational addresses at others. Amjad has also been involved in setting up initiatives such as #TwitterCoachingED which has helped hundreds of colleagues online, and #CultureBoxED to help address the imbalance of diversity across the country.
Lizana Oberholzer is a senior lecturer in teacher education at the University of Wolverhampton.
She is passionate about teacher development and is the BERA special interest group convenor for teacher education in England, BELMAS research interest group convenor for governing and governance, BAMEed Trustee, CMI fellow, Chartered College of Teaching Founding Fellow, principal fellow of the Higher Education Academy, CollectiveEd fellow, Vice Chair of the UCET CPD Forum, and MAT Director.
Lizana supports the IPDA annual conference as the Conference Committee Chair, and is a member of the IPDA England Committee.
Frances Akinde is a qualified SENCO, and former headteacher of a Secondary (11-19) Special School for learners with Autism and associated difficulties. Over the last 20 years, she has worked in various roles across primary, secondary, special/alternative provision and local authority. From an Art and Design Technology teacher to an SLCN advisory teacher liaising with speech and language therapists across a local authority. She has now returned to local authority work as a SEND inspector and advisor, a role she does part time whilst managing her consultancy service.
In 2022, after discovering that she was neurodivergent and had a hearing impairment, Frances left headship and now uses her lived experiences to offer training and support to ensure that our schools and workplaces are genuinely inclusive. In January 2023, Frances co launched our BAMEed SEND Hub. She is also an Anti-Racist School’s coach as part of CRED (Leeds Beckett University).
Drawing from both her professional and lived experience, Frances talks and writes about the intersectionality from the perspective of Race & SEND As a neurodivergent educator, Frances uses her knowledge to support and mentor people struggling in the workplace and education. She is also an Assistive Technology Trainer. Her book, Be An Ally, Not a Bystander is due to be released in 2024.
Domini Leong is a Deputy Headteacher of a large, comprehensive Secondary school in Bristol. She has 16 years of senior leadership experience in multiple schools in Bristol and previously as a Head of English, Literacy Lead and local authority advisor in various schools in the London Borough of Southwark. She is also a Cohort 15 Future Leader with Ambition Institute and has an MA in Education. Domini also contributes to the Race Equality in Education Steering Group on Bristol City Council and is the Vice Regional Lead of BAMEed Bristol and South West.
As one of the first BAME senior leaders to be appointed in a Bristol secondary school 16 years ago, Domini has made it her mission to use her experience and knowledge to support and lift up other BAME colleagues. As an enthusiastic sociologist, Domini is also passionate about challenging all forms of inequality and knows first-hand the power that a good education can have on social mobility. Domini works with school staff and leaders all over the country to deliver CPD and devise strategy to support educational institutions on their anti-racist journey.
As the Director of Diversity and Inclusion in Professional Practice at the University of Wolverhampton, Adam Vasco is deeply committed to working towards eliminating barriers, reducing inequality and promoting diversity, inclusion, and belonging in education. His dual Nigerian/Scouse heritage, coupled with over two decades of experience in the wider educational sector, has shaped his unique perspective and fuelled his passion for transformative change.
Adam is currently finalising his doctoral research on cultural competence in education, which enhances his leadership in initiatives aimed at closing awarding and recruitment gaps, diversifying curricula, and boosting staff representation from underrepresented groups. A seasoned leader and changemaker in education, Adam’s strategic and research-based approach is dedicated to making a lasting impact on both the educational landscape and wider society. He leverages his expertise to influence policy, drive systemic change, and empower communities, affirming his role as a pivotal figure in educational reform.
Lilian 悦玲 Martin is a senior lecturer and strategic lead in teacher education at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. With over twenty years of experience in Welsh education, she plays a pivotal role in evaluating and enhancing anti-racist practices and provision in schools. Lilian shares her expertise on anti-racism in education with school leaders and at national conferences, bringing Welsh perspectives to broader discussions.
As a Trustee of the BAMEed Network, Lilian is dedicated to promoting inclusivity and equity in education. She is also an active member of the regional Welsh network, where she advocates for the recruitment and retention of BAME educators in Wales. As a coach, Lilian focuses on empowerment and actionable steps to create more equitable educational environments. Through her academic work and community engagement, she continues to drive meaningful change in education.