Research School Network: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Leadership: Shaping the Future of the Teaching Workforce By Norfolk Research School

In today’s educational landscape, fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) feels essential for creating a supportive and effective teaching workforce that reflects the lived experiences of the students we serve. This blog post offers some thoughts on the importance of DEIB in educational leadership and highlights the challenges and opportunities for improvement.

Understanding Intersectionality and Privilege in Leadership

One of the key considerations in promoting DEIB in education is recognising intersectionality — the overlapping and interconnected nature of social categorisations such as race and ethnicity, gender, disability, and socioeconomic status. Leadership roles in education have historically been dominated by white cisgender individuals without disabilities, but there’s a growing call for more inclusive representation.

Many of us are familiar with the concept of ​“checking our privilege,” which can sometimes trigger defensiveness. It’s helpful to remember that, in this context, ​“privilege” refers to an absence of disadvantage. Having ​“white privilege” doesn’t equate to guaranteed success; it means that one’s skin colour hasn’t posed societal barriers.

Chris Hildrew, a headteacher in Somerset, articulates this experience well:
​“I am usually in the majority. I joke about how I have the privilege full house: White. Male. English. Straight. Cisgender. Middle class. […] When I speak, people listen. They always have. I expect them to.“

Data from Edurio(2021) and NFER (2024) reveal that the representation of non-white educators, disabled individuals, and LGBTQIA+ educators remains low in leadership positions. Addressing these disparities calls for thoughtful recruitment, retention, and career development strategies.

The Role of ITT Recruitment in Teacher Diversity

Recruiting a diverse teaching workforce starts with how we market initial teacher training (ITT) programmes. While people of colour are overrepresented among applicants for ITT, they are significantly underrepresented in the teaching workforce overall. In fact, 60% of schools in England had an all-white teaching staff in 2021 – 22, with 86% having an all-white senior leadership team.

Research by Dr. Gabriella Beckles-Raymond (2020) underlines the importance of targeted recruitment strategies aimed at attracting African, Caribbean, and Asian teachers. Schools and training providers might benefit from adopting inclusive messaging and outreach initiatives to encourage individuals from underrepresented backgrounds to explore teaching careers.

Recruitment should be thoughtful. For instance, we could consider:

• Do providers offer pre-application support, like explaining the English school system to those who didn’t grow up here?
• Are interview processes truly inclusive? Do they provide interview questions in advance or offer online options?
• Is the interview panel diverse in terms of race, gender, and age?

Making sure that trainee teachers have the right support means addressing barriers that can impede career progression. Access to mentorship, leadership training, and workplace policies that foster inclusion are all important aspects to think about.

Making Teaching a Sustainable Career for All

For many educators, especially those from marginalised groups, remaining in the profession long-term can be tough. Research from BERA (2019) on LGBTQIA+ teachers and the ​“Missing Mothers” project (2024) highlights how workplace culture, lack of support, and discrimination can push talented educators away from the profession.

To encourage sustainability in teaching careers, schools should implement policies that accommodate diverse needs, such as:

• Support for teachers going through menopause.
• Flexible work arrangements for primary caregivers.

Anti-discrimination policies that protect neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Leadership: Breaking Barriers and Creating Opportunities

Leadership in education needs to evolve to better reflect the communities it serves. Disparities persist; for instance, men are twice as likely to take on leadership positions as women, even though women comprise the majority of the teaching workforce. Gaps remain in representation among racial and ethnic minorities, disabled individuals, and LGBTQIA+ professionals.

Educational leaders can play a significant role in advocating for equity by:

• Sponsoring and mentoring diverse talent.
• Implementing transparent hiring and promotion practices.
• Encouraging conversations about privilege and systemic barriers.
• Revisiting senior leadership recruitment processes to ensure job descriptions and interview processes don’t unintentionally place women, disabled individuals, or caregivers at a disadvantage.

Moving Forward

We should ask ourselves: are we really setting up all teachers to enjoy a sustainable and fulfilling career?

Rethinking our approach to leadership is key — not just at senior levels but also in shaping the next generation of educators. There are alternative pathways to leadership in education beyond headteacher roles, such as Teaching School Hubs, Research Schools, and ITT leadership. These roles often offer flexibility, hybrid options, and meaningful opportunities to affect educational policy.

Ultimately, if we don’t act, the next generation of teachers will mirror those who currently remain in the system. Without deliberate attention and change, we risk perpetuating a cycle where leadership remains uniform. However, by embracing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, we have the potential to create a teaching workforce where all educators feel valued and every child sees themselves reflected in their role models.

To cultivate a more inclusive educational system, leaders should commit to ongoing education and implementing best practices. By embracing these principles, we can nurture a teaching workforce where diversity is celebrated, equity is upheld, inclusion is practised, and belonging is experienced by all. The future of education rests on leaders willing to challenge the status quo and promote DEIB at every level.

By Susi Waters, Operations Manager at Norfolk Research School; the Research Schools Network (RSN) Regional EDI Link (East of England and East Midlands); and Operations Manager and ITT Strategic Lead at the Julian Teaching School Hub.

This blog is a summary of a session that Susi delivered as part of Derby Research School’s Change Champions conference in autumn 2024; it forms part of the RSN and Norfolk Research School’s ongoing work around EDI and developing diverse voices.

All sources and recommended reading can be found here and you can watch the full session here.