Diversity in the Teaching Profession and Education Workforce Subgroup - minutes: May 2023

Attendees and apologies

Present

• Nuzhat Uthmani (Chair), Principal Teacher
• Asif Chishti (Co-Chair), Senior Education Officer (National Race Diversity Lead), General Teaching Council Scotland
• Kevin Brack, Lecturer in Educational Leadership, Moray House School of Education and Sport
• Marla Baird, Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Manager, SQA
• Selma Augestad, National Officer (Equality), EIS
• Jehan Al-Azzawi, SAMEE
• Andrea Reid, ADES
• Louise Barrett, SCDE
• Sara Medel Jiménez, NASUWT
• Judith Mohamed, Head Teacher
• Lesley Whelan, Head of Professional Learning and Leadership, Education Scotland
• Keya Raksith, Workforce Planning, Scottish Government

In attendance

• Khadija Mohammed, UWS 
• Joanna Shedden, Scottish Government Analytical Services
• Keith Dryburgh, Scottish Government Analytical Services
• Emma Bunting, (Secretariat) Scottish Government Equalities in Education Team
• Judith Ballantine, Scottish Government Equalities in Education Team
• Pauline Hendry, Scottish Government Equalities in Education Team

Apologies

• Mélina Valdelièvre, Professional Learning and Leadership (Race Equality), Education Scotland 

Items and actions

Welcome and apologies

Nuzhat welcomed members to the nineteenth meeting of the DiTPEW subgroup.     

Khadija Mohammed joined the meeting as a guest to speak to the work being done alongside the Scottish Council of Deans of Education (SCDE) on the implementation of the Initial Teacher Education (ITE) anti-racism framework. Scottish Government Analytical Services colleagues also joined the meeting to speak to agenda item 5, on the work to develop a Theory of Change.

Apologies had been received in advance of the meeting from Mélina Valdelièvre.

Minutes and actions update

There were no comments to the minutes from the eighteenth meeting of the subgroup and as such those minutes were agreed as final.

Actions update:

• chairs and Secretariat to draft response to GTC Scotland, on behalf of the group, regarding the merit of equivalence between ESOL and English Higher for primary teaching. This should circulated to members for comment. Closed/Superseded. Nuzhat suggested that a small working group should be convened to assist the chair with drafting a response to this consultation. It was once again noted that it would not be appropriate for Asif to be part of this group due to his role within GTCS and a conflict of interest

Action: Chair and Secretariat to organise a small working group to develop a response to the GTCS consultation as it relates to the equivalence between ESOL and English Higher. 

• Emma to liaise with Education Analysts to ask UCAS along to a future meeting. Remains open. Emma has been engaging with Alan from Scottish Government’s Analytical Services regarding this. UCAS have asked what the group wish to cover during any session, to ensure that they field the right individual. Members suggested:
  • are they able to help the DiTPEW to piece together information relating to the number of applicants to ITE including potentially any split between successful/unsuccessful
  • interested to hear how UCAS are involved in the NFER data contained within the NFER report and whether they can provide the same for Scotland. There was a recognition that there may be a cost attached to this 
  • is it possible to break the above down by individual institution? Would be helpful if there was data covering a few years to allow for a direct comparison of progress
• Andrea confirmed that stats relating to English as an additional language were taken to committee last week and she agreed to circulate the paper following this meeting. Closed, paper was circulated after last meeting
• Asif and Nuzhat to draft a second submission to the Hayward Review and circulate for comment ahead of 30 April deadline. Closed, this was circulated to the membership and was submitted by the deadline
• Janice to check if granular information related to promoted posts can be shared with the group. Remains open, this information was shared with Chairs and can now be circulated to members more widely

Action: Add item to June agenda to discuss data related to promoted posts, as shared by Janice from Scottish Government analytical services. 

DITPEW chairing arrangements and terms of reference review

Nuzhat introduced the item by outlining the requirement, under the Terms of Reference, that the chairing arrangement be reviewed annually. She suggested that herself and Asif were content to continue their co-chairing arrangement but invited members to put themselves forward should they wish to chair. No other members submitted their names and it was confirmed that Nuzhat and Asif will continue as co-chairs for the following 12 months. 

Nuzhat asked members to submit their suggested amendments to the Terms of Reference by the end of next week so that these could be updated. Asif suggested that we may wish, as a group, to review our actions grid on a six-monthly basis. This was agreed.  

Action: Secretariat to ensure that review of actions is scheduled for 6 months time.

Anti-racism in ITE framework update

Nuzhat invited Khadija Mohammed and Louise Barrett to speak to the newly published ITE framework and progress towards the formal launch and implementation. 

Khadija said that the majority of the feedback that had been received has been really positive and that certain institutions, for example Aberdeen, have been doing some excellent work on developing their own racial literacy and in proactively sharing emerging practice across schools. There has also been some less positive feedback including a reflection that the framework focuses too much on race. Khadija suggested that its important we’re mindful of the intersection with other protected characteristics. 

Louise fed back on the first meetings of the Anti-Racism in ITE (ARITE) group, which has been established to drive forward engagement with the framework. This group includes representatives from all of the ITE providers and they have so far had two meetings with full attendance. The first meeting was intended to work as an introduction to the framework and allowed representatives to consider the work that they need to take forward and the challenges that may be faced. Members of that group reflected that, whilst all parts of the framework are important, priority should be given to enhancing the racial literacy of teacher educators and other ITE colleagues, in order to better equip them to deliver the rest of the framework. 

There is an intention to ask outside speakers to come to the meetings to discuss the topics on the agenda. Mélina has already agreed to attend the next meeting and speak to the building racial literacy programme. Whilst many members of the ARITE have completed the BRL Programme, they are keen to understand better how they can be sharing their learning. 

The next step for ITE institutions is to draft individual anti-racism action plans that can eventually be published on the SCDE’s webpage. Small working groups will also be formed to take forward different aspects of the framework.

The framework will be formally launched on the 8th June 2023, at SCDE’s Annual Self Reflection Day. This event will include a key note speech from Khadija. 

Members reflected that it’s clear there is lots of good work going on and thought needs to be given about how it can all be harnessed and brought together. 

Members wished it to be recorded in the minute the fact that Khadija has worked incredibly hard and produced an outstanding framework.

Theory of change update

Joanna and Keith, from the Scottish Government’s Analytical Services team outlined the work that has been done to date on developing a Theory of Change model for the DiTPEW, including reflecting on the engagement that has been had with members. They spoke through their emerging thinking and an outline of what the document will include. 

Keith outlined how the model will be used for different things at different times, including for planning, monitoring, evaluation and sharing of success and learning. 

Joanna explained that the next steps will be for a draft of the model to be circulated to members week commencing 28 May. Members will be asked to review the document by 16 June. 

Action: Invite Keith and Joanna to June meeting to discuss ToC Model.

Any other business

Members agreed that the group will meet in June and then take a hiatus over the summer, reconvening in August. 

There was a discussion related to the ongoing racist abuse being  targeted at members of the group following the advertisement of this year’s Principal Teacher roles by Glasgow City Council. 

Members reflected how disappointing it was that this had happened again and suggested that it was particularly concerning that the abuse had stemmed from other educators. 

The group suggested that there is an increasing need for clarity around the legality of various positive actions and that Local Authorities need to be more proactive in defending actions that they have taken. There is a real risk that situations like this lead to Local Authorities being less willing to use positive action measures and BME educators less likely to engage with posts such as these, which would be very disappointing. Members felt that there is a need for the AREP to be more widely visible. 

Action: Pauline to draft an FAQ document to sit on the DiTPEW/AREP webpage 

Andrea updated the group that, by August, there will be seven new minority ethnic Principal Teachers and that the posts  have been extended from 12 months to 23. It was noted that there is a BME educator represented on the current cohort of the Into Headship Programme.  Given the lack of diversity amongst participants on the programme in previous cohorts, this is positive.