BAMEed events

The BAMEed Network have hosted a range of events. Wherever possible, recorded videos and reading content are accessible here .

BAMEed Network at the Bett show 2022

Members of the BAMEed Network gave a series of talks about their work in taking a sustained and determined approach to diversity in the education sector. Speakers included:

Allana Gay (Founding member and Trustee) on the origins and activity of the BAMEed network.

Aleishia Lewis (BAMEed East) on working with schools on identity and belonging.

Sharon Porter & Domini Leong (BAMEed Bristol&SW) on developing racial literacy among staff and students in educational settings.

Nicola Bailey (BAMEed West Midlands) on developing psychological safety for staff in schools.

FE Voices

FE Voices (#FEVoices) is a series of events and resources focusing on equality, diversity and inclusion that seek to deconstruct the challenges within the FE sector.

The first series looks at the challenge of racism in FE and how to evolve the agenda and face the issue together. Staff, students, experts and organisations alike have come together to share concerns and ideas on ways in which we can recruit and progress more diversely.

The second series focuses on good practice from across the sector, showcasing how some colleges have identified issues around inclusive practice, barriers that have been faced and how they were overcome, the work that has been done and their future aspirations.

As we promised in the first series, being able to openly talk about the issues is just the start, the work that we do together to improve outcomes for all is the ambition.

Career development

Our inaugural online Career Development Conference took place in 2021, funded and delivered by a partnership involving BAMEed Network, RSAcademics and All-in Education. We came together as partners because we share a commitment to increasing diversity amongst senior leadership in schools and the content was developed in response to input and feedback from the BAMEed Network.

The events at this conference offered support for middle and senior leaders from black and minority ethnic backgrounds in achieving their first Headteacher and Deputy Head positions. The events also enable Governors to develop inclusive recruitment practices and access more talent within their schools.

Moving from non-racist to anti-racist practice: promoting racial equity in education

The EWC, in collaboration with BAMEed Network Wales, is pleased to share this event exploring the inspirational and innovative work being done across Wales to:

integrate the lived experiences and contributions of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic peoples in the new curriculum
support educators in dealing with issues surrounding race
work towards diversifying the education workforce; an
promote positive culture change and anti-racist practice across education settings.

The event featured a keynote from Professor Charlotte Williams, whose work has been pivotal to pushing forward these ambitions. We also hosted a fascinating talk with Sathnam Sanghera, author of bestseller The Boy with the Topknot.

Co-chaired by Dr Susan Davis and Chantelle Haughton of BAMEed Network Wales, this event will inform the development of a series of twilight sessions which will take place early in 2022. It’s a national opportunity for educators and those working in an education environment from all walks of life to learn about ways to promote race equity and put inclusive and anti-racist practice into action in their settings.

Taking an audit and setting the strategy to become an anti-racist institution

Before embarking on a journey towards becoming an anti-racist institution, there is a strategy to formulate. Before a strategy can be set, an audit and overview of the present situation needs to be undertaken. And before this can happen, a courageous conversation about what we know, and what we don’t needs to happen, about the sites where institutional and structural racism dwells in schools.

Professor Paul Miller is the leading researcher and thinker in the field of anti-racism, institutional and structural inequity in our educational leadership. Prof Miller gives us an overview of the issues to look out for, and outlines how to set firm foundations for success in leading your school towards being an anti-racist institution.

The session was followed by a panel discussion with members of The BAMEed Network and drew on questions from the session participants online.

Additional resources to explore

Working for a forward thinking Multi Academy Trust seeking Educational and Social Change.

Danielle Lewis-Egonu

Anti-racism charter – a framework to help you explore ideas around race equity and racism.

National Education Union (NEU)

What might we learn from this talk about addressing racism in the TV sector?

David Olusaga

Structural racism in education: lessons from Bristol’s past.

Councillor Ruth Pickersgill for BAMEed Bristol and South West

BLM & Anti-Racism: A whole school responsibility. A webinar and panel discussion.

Chiltern Learning Trust

How to create an anti-racist school setting. A PDF resource.

Shereen Chung-Blake and Sarah Carrington

Institutional Racism in Schools: What Can School Leaders And Governors Do?

Professor Paul Miller

Whole-school anti-racism audit. A tool for reflection and a plan for action steps.

The Key for School Leaders

Recruitment: staff and governance

The second session in this series took place in conversation with a group of panellists with experience of recruitment of diverse school staff, governors and trustees:

Karen Giles – headteacher, Barham Primary School and Chair of Trustees, Inspire Partnership Trust
Angela Browne – Education Leadership Coach, author Lighting the Way: the case for ethical leadership and former headteacher
Malcolm John – founder of Action for Trustee Racial Diversity

Additional resources to explore

A video presentation about diverse recruitment: getting it wrong and putting it right.

Kiran Gill

A case study – ‘How I recruited a diverse board and why it was important to me.’

Ninna Makrinov

Diversity Matters, a paper exploring the relationship between diversity and performance.

McKinsey and Company

Diversity in the boardroom. A booklet exploring practical steps that a company can take.

Deloitte

Curriculum design and decolonisation

The third session in our courageous conversations series took place in conversation with a group of panellists with experience of curriculum design and delivery:

Liz Pemberton has a rich background in nursery education and is Director of The Black Nursery Manager
Ben Mearhart is Deputy Headteacher at Gordon Children’s Academy and team member at The Black Curriculum
Domini Leong is Deputy Headteacher at Cotham School and chair of the BAMEed Bristol & SW Hub

A key part of the journey towards becoming an anti-racist institution, is to look at curriculum. Much thought goes into a school curriculum in terms of sequencing, key skills and knowledge, building towards exams and more. How do we create a curriculum that is inclusive and tells the true story of the British experience and that prepares our students to be global citizens?

Additional resources to explore

Identity and diversity: Creating a curriculum that our children need. A primary perspective.

Aleisha Lewis

Curriculum design and decolonisation. A secondary perspective from a regional network lead.

Domini Leong

The Black Curriculum. A research paper exploring black British history in the national curriculum.

The Black Curriculum

Explore some of the projects and exhibitions that help shed light on the things they didn’t teach us in school.

Manchester Museum

Get involved