So many of the brilliant executive women we speak to at say diversity needs to start in schools, in order to build up into the workplace. Saturday 5th October is World Teaches Day, so we wanted to celebrate our educators across the globe and learn a little more ourselves!

Panelle's Ruby Smith spoke to Danielle Lewis-Egonu, CEO at Cygnus Academies Trust, author and activist, about all things DEI in schools. They discussed the responsibilities that teachers and leaders face, as well the community and open-mindedness that is essential for fostering inclusive school environments...

‍

Schools are where we form our understanding of the world. The books we read, the scientists we study, the artists we replicate – each person we come across in this early stage of development maps our comprehension of the society we live in.

So, what happens when our learning doesn’t match our society? When children don’t learn about people that look like them? Or aren’t exposed to role models that have similar life experiences?

Children are inspired by the people around them. They learn everyday of people have done extraordinary things. But for a long time, the only figures young people would have to aspire to were white men.

In recent years, schools have faced public pressure to diversify the curriculum and to offer more support to minority students.

Education specialists have reported for decades that children learn best when content is relatable to them as individuals. This means that when a classroom is filled with students whose families come from across the globe, lessons that are rich in culture and understanding often get the best results.

To hear more about fostering an inclusive environment in schools, Panelle's Ruby Smith spoke to Danielle Lewis-Egonu, an author, advocate and the CEO of Cygnus Academies Trust.

Her many years of experience in both teaching and leadership have given her an important perspective on how and why this conversation is so important.  

Danielle explained the realities of building a supportive environment in schools:

[Diversity] is important. But it’s not always possible for children across the UK to be taught by or led by the workforce that they encounter.

Quite simply, because the numbers don’t go into the profession, and we are minority in the UK. So, while of course it’s beneficial for children to have that aspiration around you and to see what the possibilities are, it’s not always a reality.

We have seen schools across the country bridge this gap, even when they don’t have a teaching force that directly reflects their makeup of the student body. I asked Danielle about some of the ways schools have managed to do this.

Raising awareness that there are teachers from all different backgrounds, or that there are leaders from all different backgrounds, is really important. Because while children might not experience it in their own settings, still seeing those people [winning] the teacher award or [doing] interviews so that they can see the scope that might be outside of their possibilities.

Many schools are doing great work across the country to diversify the school setting, because they might not have that in their work force. Through displays, or asking families to bring things into schools, or particular themed days.

Danielle went on to explain how schools can work with the curriculum to widen the scope of pupils’ learning.

Schools have gone out and found information or changed topics depending on their demographic.

Even down to studying art, and what artists students are exposed to. Or music, what musicians? Is it the standard musicians we all know and love or is it an incorporation of different people from across the world, or across the UK, that might be descendants from different places?

But in forming these lesson plans and creating spaces for children to be represented in their learning, Danielle emphasised the importance of open discussion and space to ask questions.

How are [teachers] going to develop their curriculum, and teach different subjects, or about different cultures, if they feel not confident in asking questions to fine tune or clarify about language?

And diversity is a collaborative process. Danielle spoke highly of outside charities such as Heart of Glass, who develop resources to support children. Additionally, she commended Into Film, (that Danielle is a trustee for) which offer great short films to support teachers in approaching new topics.

Someone finds a resource or a person or a keynote and thinks, ‘this person is fantastic, or this workshop is fantastic’ and we can duplicate that.

Most importantly, Danielle highlighted the impact that this work has had on children – the real experiences that she has been able to witness due to fantastic work done by her and other educators. She explained:

You see the work you have put in with all of those children and young people who will call that out and say, ‘you can’t do that’, or address their own parents or say ‘we have learnt this in school and you need to be kind to my teacher’. Those are, I’ve found, probably the most profound thing.

And that’s the legacy of it I think, and I think that’s the power of it. The legacy of even one child to know ‘actually I’m not going to do what my grandfather or grandma or maybe mum or dad did, I’m going to choose to go this way’.