Education Leadership and Professional Learning Subgroup - minutes: November 2021

Attendees and apologies

Present

• Carol Young (Chair), Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER)
• Mélina Valdelièvre, Education Scotland
• Lesley Whelan, Education Scotland
• Tara Lillis, NASUWT
• Charlotte Dwyer, ScotDec (Scottish Development Centre)
• Victoria Smith, General Teaching Council (Scotland)
• Olwen Fraser, Northern Alliance Regional Improvement Collaborative
• Emamezi Obi-Baron, Education Scotland
• Rhona Jay, Association of Directors of Education Scotland (ADES)
• Khadija Mohammed, Scottish Association of Minority Ethnic Educators (SAMEE)
• Samir Sharma, Quality Improvement Officer, Glasgow City Council

Apologies

• Mark Langdon, Glasgow Life
• David Smith, Association of Directors of Education Scotland (ADES)

Items and actions

Welcome

The sixth meeting of the sub-group took place on Tuesday 2nd November, Carol Young (Chair) welcomed the group.

Note of last meeting

The group agreed that this was an accurate note of the meeting. Chair Rota agreed and confirmed from December 2021- February 2022.

Professional learning activities - overview and supporting engagement

Mélina Valdelièvre gave brief overview of the Professional Learning Activities (PLAs) available on the Education Scotland Professional Learning website.

Step 1 (education.gov.scot)
From the Education Scotland Professional Learning and Leadership online resource , you log on and you have access to all different learning activities. There are three different anti-racist learning activities that can be completed.

• becoming an anti-racist educator
• racial trauma
• consequences of racism on mental well-being and talking about racism steps to improve racial dialogue in Education

To find them, the key words of anti-racist and racism can be used. Information on how to access them has been communicated in newsletters.

Click on the PLA, it will give the learning outcomes according to GTCS, CLD and Social Services Council standards. Every PLL activity is split into five different steps. This can be done as a learning group or by an individual practitioner.

Action points and comments:

• SLPL members welcomed the PLAs as useful learning tools. Samir Sharma offered to raise awareness by sending the PLA instructions (attached above) across his Glasgow networks
• we need to consider specific engagement with LAs that are not very diverse and may have the view that they do not need to 'do' this work. Having a clear understanding of the 'why' as well as the 'how' will help
• we have shared information previously with CLPL leads but would be good to build on this engagement
• we are considering the whole system approach and the whole system learning, we need to remember Independent schools in the offer too (not just LAs)
• signposts and resource overload is an issue. People need agency within a connected system that helps them to manage what's out there and what best supports the work they need to do
• for people to step up we need to provide the step and "walk throughs"

Brief overview of any key updates from the SNG/workstream meetings

Mélina Valdelièvre gave a brief overview:

Stakeholder Network Group (SNG)

There was a meeting on the 20th October. The TIE campaign model for implementing LGBT inclusive education was looked at and members discussed which aspects of the model could be used and which aspects wouldn’t work.

Racism, racist incident and bullying - second meeting

There was a meeting on the 12th October. New members joined this group so time was spent on the initial stages of discussing terminology and the terms of reference. There is overlap with the SLPL workstream - crucial to support educators in developing their ability to identify racism and support anti-racist practice Including identifying what is a racist incident for example and also to lead anti-racist change that safe guards the well-being of people who experience racism.

Curriculum reform meeting

There was a meeting on the 7th October. The Curriculum for Excellence framework was presented and different options were discussed which could follow as action points for the workstream. 
Overlap with the SLPL workstream – Professional Learning will be needed to empower educators to become more confident in designing an anti-racist curriculum.

Diversity in the teaching profession and education workforce

This workstream will have a new lead so no meeting yet.
Overlap with the SLPL workstream – Professional Learning for school leaders to improve their recruitment practices. 

Action point:
We've talked about the need for strategic communication and we now need to develop an approach to communication across the whole programme as well as for particular elements of the supports available including the PLAs and the new resources that were launched last month.

Update from Building Racial Literacy group

Mélina Valdelièvre shared slides in respect to the update.

Members noted that 3 to 4 weeks is sufficient time for the recruitment process.

Race equality website and communications

• it would be helpful to promote other Professional Learning opportunities on the “professional learning” tab of the website
• the website will continue to evolve and respond to the REAREP progress
• signposts and resource overload is an issue. People need agency within a connected system that helps them to manage what's out there and what best supports the work they need to do
• the website is a space to share the outcomes of other workstreams (like the Racist Bullying workstream)
• members noted that it is useful to have all these things pulled together in one space and include links to other resources
• an induction pack could be made up for those who join schools/local authorities, particularly important for probationer teachers

Any other business

Members noted the possibility of embedding anti-racism in the new Lead Teacher initiative. 

Action Point:
Funding for an anti-racist Lead Teacher role to be considered in the future as a group.