Professor Toby Greany introduces the fourth UK-wide theme in the Sustainable School Leadership research report:
4. Leadership diversity – a problem no-one really owns
Lack of ethnic diversity in leadership across all three nations was widely acknowledged as problematic, yet no body or group demonstrated clear ownership of action to address it.
In England, approximately 7% of headteachers identify as non-White; in Scotland, 3-4%; while Northern Ireland has negligible Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) representation.
Women remain under-represented relative to the teaching workforce, though with variation by nation, phase, and sector.
Three reasons were given for why more BAME leaders have not been appointed. First, the teaching population itself is not diverse, so there are generally few, if any, BAME candidates for senior roles. Second, the lack of existing BAME role models and examples makes it hard to shift the culture. Third, it comes down to the recruitment process, with employers stating they would always appoint “the best person for the job” but others citing examples of biased behaviour by recruitment panels.
Only three deliberate initiatives to enhance leadership diversity were identified across the seven localities studied – one LA-led programme in Scotland and two MAT-led initiatives in England – with limited evidence of significant progress.
Sustainable School Leadership 