Anti-racism professional learning for headteachers: FOI release

Information requested

In your document Education - Achieving Excellence and Equity - it is mentioned that compulsory anti-racist education was given to Headteachers. In then notes that: A series of 3 sessions for headteachers engaged in the Excellence in Headship series was delivered in 2020/21 academic session. The final of the series of 3 sessions was delivered on 22nd February 2021 with 22 attendees.

We believe the move back to remote learning in January 2021 and the pressures this had on headteachers in particular impacted on the attendance figures, which were lower in the final session compared to the previous sessions. The delivery of this anti-racist professional learning for headteachers is now complete and an ongoing part of the EIH Learn offering from next academic session.

I would like to see the teaching material that was used in these three sessions and any other anti-racist training material being used for teachers if that is available.

Response

The teaching materials used in the three EIH Learn sessions are not available to share as we are not the owner of them, they are created by a third party however the themes covered include:

• BME pupil and staff voices - are Scotland’s educators’ race cognisant?
• Developing racial literacy - laying the groundwork for critical conversations on race, racism and whiteness.

Mandatory learning activities for aspiring headteachers, as part of the national Into Headship programme, are provided through a bespoke online environment, specific to programme participants. The learning outcomes for the module on education law and employment law include reference to the Equality Act (2010) and again cover the themes of:

• understanding the aims and particulars of the Equality Act 2010 and the legal responsibilities of head teachers; and
• the protected characteristics and types of discrimination laid out by law.

The report of the Diversity in the Teaching Profession working group is part of the reading provided to all those participating in the Into Headship programme:

Teaching in a diverse Scotland - increasing and retaining minority ethnic teachers: 3 years on - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

This is supported by the involvement of the report’s author Professor Rowena Arshad at the national Into Headship launch conference, which takes place annually in September.

The Professional Learning and Leadership Directorate in Education Scotland offer a wide range of professional learning offers for educators. Lead Specialists within the team lead, develop and coordinate programmes of learning and self-directed Professional Learning Activities (PLAs), with partners and stakeholders, designed to support learning of specific groups of educators.

Details of these programmes and learning activities can be accessed through membership of the Professional Learning and Leadership online resource, at: https://professionallearning.education.gov.scot.

The website gives you free access to three Professional Learning Activities on anti-racist education:

• Becoming an anti-racist educator.
• Talking about racism: steps to improve racial dialogue in education.
• Racial trauma: consequences of racism on mental wellbeing.

Lead Specialists would be happy to talk through the themes covered and can be contacted through edspll@educationscotland.gov.scot.

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