J Gray
I was delighted to be asked to contribute a post for the launch of BAMEed.
If we wish for the best teaching profession possible for the children of our society, it is essential we consider the diversity within our staffrooms. The best profession we could achieve would be made up of individuals with the specific combination of skillsets needed for an age group and/or subject area. To have sufficient subject knowledge, understanding of human development and the ability to maintain effective professional relationships is relatively rare and therefore we need to maximise aspiration to the teaching profession across all communities regardless of characteristics or identities. Where barriers are created that prevent potential teachers from aspiring to, or accessing, the profession, we diminish the quality of teaching upon which educational outcomes depend. A diverse workforce at all levels and across all roles in education is therefore about promoting the highest quality professional practice.
