Ethnic minority communities in the UK see education as a gateway for opportunities. Yet in the UK, the ethnic background of teaching staff does not mirror the profile of the pupils (Demie & See, 2023; Demie, 2019). Available government data signpost a mismatch between the teaching workforce and student populations, with 93 per cent of school leaders and 87 per cent of teachers in England being white.
This is despite 31 per cent of students being of ethnic minorities (Demie & See, 2023). Gorard et al. (2023) highlight the lack of ethnic diversity and the need for the teaching workforce to reflect the communities it serves. Initial teacher training (ITT) data also show striking disproportionality in acceptance rates, with Black applicants least likely to be accepted (Demie & See, 2023; Callender, 2020). Worryingly, this ethnic disproportionality has not been at the top of the agenda for successive governments in terms of policy and implementation.
Demie (2019) and Ingersoll et al. (2021) remind us that teachers of colour serve as role models for all students, raise aspiration, reduce school exclusion, and are instrumental in improving the academic outcomes of ethnic minority pupils. However, the journeys of these limited number of Black and Asian student teachers through ITT are fraught with suffering, often resulting from multitudes of (racial) microaggressions.
Well-documented research shows the difficult experiences encountered by Black and Asian student teachers (Warner, 2022). There is a critical absence of discussion of race issues that leads to self-censoring and marginalisation. Instead of feeling like role models, these student teachers feel less equipped and supported by their ITT tutors and school mentors. Clearly ITT institutions have a long way to go in instigating structural changes, shifting from tick-box and procedural approaches when it comes to developing genuinely listening and supportive senior-management-engaged cultures.
