Call for more diversity in teaching staff
Assistant Professor Joshua Fullard of Warwick Business School reported that over half of England's primary schools lack Black or Asian teachers.
Dr Fullard and his team analysed the latest data from the School Workforce Census (SWC) along with statistics from the Department for Education (DfE) obtained through Freedom of Information requests.
The study revealed that more than 55% of state-funded primary schools have no classroom teachers from ethnic minority backgrounds. Additionally, almost 1 in 5 schools in England are staffed exclusively by white women (18%), while 23% of primary schools, out of more than 16,000 in England, do not have any male classroom teachers.
Staff shortages have also impacted the sector, with more teachers leaving the profession each year than can be replaced. Dr Fullard stated that the government has "persistently failed" to recruit enough teachers to meet rising demands and must do more to attract individuals to the profession.
"A pay rise of over 10 percent and policies aimed at reducing teaching working hours and improving school leadership quality would be a good place to start in tackling the issue," he added.
In October 2023, the National Association of Head Teachers union called for mandatory anti-racism training for school staff, acknowledging the ongoing presence of racism within the education sector.
"While ethnic representation in schools is improving year on year, the rate of change is slow – today, over half of primary schools in England still do not have a teacher from an ethnic minority background," Dr Fullard noted.
His research also reported that over 87% of English state schools have no Black or Asian senior leaders.
There are six local authorities where more than 80% of schools do not have a teacher from an ethnic minority background: County Durham, Cumbria, Isles of Scilly, North Yorkshire, Shropshire, and York.
"Almost 1 in 5 schools in England have no gender or ethnic diversity among classroom teachers as they are staffed by white women," Dr Fullard explained.
Gradual Improvement
On a positive note, the proportion of male classroom teachers from ethnic minority backgrounds is at a record high. The overall proportion of teachers from ethnic minority backgrounds is increasing year by year, albeit slowly.
Teacher vacancies have more than doubled, from 1,100 in November 2020 to 2,800 in November 2023, according to the School Workforce Census.
"While ethnic representation in schools is improving year on year, the rate of change is slow – today, over half of primary schools in England still do not have a teacher from an ethnic minority background," Dr Fullard noted.
"There is still a long way to go before the school workforce becomes representative of the pupils they teach."
Read the full paper on Dr Fullard's research.
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