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.
Despite being 9% of the workforce, teachers who are visibly of an ethnic minority background go on to be 3% of headteachers in the profession. These diminishing chances create a sustained career ceiling that limits recruitment panels from attracting diverse candidates into all Headship opportunities. We need to change the way we think around recruitment at the most senior levels.
This conference is a start. Through engagement with those thinking about Headship and those in charge of recruitment for headship, we seek to bridge the gap between the desire for change and the act of it. Allana Gay, Co-founder of BAMEed, Headteacher, Vita et Pax Preparatory School.
RSAcademics exists to help schools thrive, by supporting Headteachers and governors with strategy, marketing, operations and leadership. In the UK, we now handle a very large proportion of the Head and Deputy Head appointments in independent schools, as well as an increasing number of senior hires in the maintained sector and internationally. We therefore have the power to help our clients thrive in another important way: by actively working to ensure that their senior leaders are selected fairly from as diverse candidate pools as possible and that the environment in which those leaders go on to work is as inclusive and equitable as possible. We are therefore thrilled and honoured to be working with BAMEed Network and All-in Education on this Career Development Conference. Russell Speirs, CEO & Founder, RSAcademics
Since 2017, All-in Education has worked with MATs, TSAs, schools in the public and independent sectors to support their efforts to achieve greater diversity and more inclusive workplaces.
Our work to create inclusive systems, processes and behaviours has generated real impact. All-in Education works with senior leadership teams and middle leaders by using training, coaching and strategy development sessions to ensure sustained impact on staff and students.
Working with BAMEed Network and RSAcademics to provide real insight into barriers to inclusion in recruitment is vital in our organisation’s quest to improve workplaces in education. We are honoured to share our knowledge and expertise to help governing bodies drive an inclusive approach to recruitment of new talent. Johan Jensen, Director, All-in Education
Keynote: BAME into leadership: The best time is right now
Key speaker: Allana Gay
At a time when schools and institutions are examining the inclusivity of their culture, we aim to bridge the gap between those who are seeking means to move towards diverse recruitment and those who are thinking about the next step in their career. There are talented leaders from ethnic minority backgrounds who are waiting until the time, the place, the moment is right. In doing so, they hold themselves back from the opportunities that are directly for them now.
By the end of this session and this week, the leader in you will be ignited. Not just to say “Why not me?” but “Of course it’s me!” The best time for your step towards Headship is right now.
Interviewing for Deputy Headship
Key speakers: Andrea Berkeley, Sarah Evans and Barry Speirs
Advice and insights from experienced heads, governors, recruiters, and leadership development coaches on how to perform at your best when applying for school senior leadership. RSAcademics has worked with schools to appoint over 400 Headteachers and Deputy Headteachers. Based on this experience, gain insights into why some candidates succeed whilst others sometimes fail to do themselves justice when faced with a selection panel.
We look at the reality of how schools select leaders, focusing on the panel interview, but also other aspects of the application and selection process. We will also share insights from our training courses aimed at helping candidates achieve headship, looking at what participants learned which helped them be successful.
Interviewing for Headship
Key speakers: Andrea Berkeley, Sarah Evans and Barry Speirs
Advice and insights from experienced heads, governors, recruiters, and leadership development coaches on how to perform at your best when applying for school senior leadership. RSAcademics has worked with schools to appoint over 400 Headteachers and Deputy Headteachers. Based on this experience, gain insights into why some candidates succeed whilst others sometimes fail to do themselves justice when faced with a selection panel.
We look at the reality of how schools select leaders, focusing on the panel interview, but also other aspects of the application and selection process. We will also share insights from our training courses aimed at helping candidates achieve headship, looking at what participants learned which helped them be successful.
Inclusive recruitment – what is it and what role do governing bodies play?
Key speakers: Johan Jensen and Louise Ishani
Schools are missing out on talent – current recruitment practices aren’t merit based. How can we access talent out there to the benefit of our schools? This session is backed up by research into what minority ethnic education professionals have experienced in their careers and what their needs are to succeed in a competitive employment market. We will provide key insights into the role the governing body can play in ensuring best practice approaches are applied to reap the benefits of recruitment which is truly based on merit.