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Equality diversity and inclusion

Our commitment 

NAHT is dedicated to promoting equality for all its members, and this commitment is enshrined in NAHT’s constitution. 

NAHT’s work on equality is overseen by our diversity and inclusion group, a sub-committee of NAHT’s national executive.

NAHT’s role

Our equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) work is centred around three aspects:

  1. Supporting our members as leaders: as school leaders, NAHT members are ideally positioned to create inclusive learning and working environments for all their pupils and staff, one which welcomes diversity and champions equality. NAHT’s role is to empower our members with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to do this effectively. 
     
  2. Supporting our members as individuals: we know members with certain protected characteristics face additional and/or specific challenges in their roles. As a Trade Union, our core purpose is protecting our members; whether proactively, for example campaigning to remove systemic inequities in the system, or reactively, aiding members who are experiencing particular issues in their workplace, through our representation and/or legal teams.
     
  3. As a democratic organisation: NAHT recognises that we are most effective in representing the views and needs of school leaders when we engage with all of our membership. We are therefore committed to ensuring our own democratic structures are inclusive and reflect the diversity of the educational professionals and learners that we serve.

NAHT’s equality networks

NAHT has three informal equality networks for members. These are led by members, for members.

Find out more about our networks, including how to join and planned meetings, by clicking on the links below. 

NAHT's EDI statements

Following a resolution at NAHT Annual Conference, we are developing a series of policy statements outlining NAHT’s views and commitments around equality, diversity and inclusion. These have been developed in conversations with NAHT’s equality networks, our diversity and inclusion group, and our national executive.

Click below to see our EDI statements:

Statements will continue to be reviewed and additional statements may be developed, as led by our membership.

Our statement of action and commitments on EDI in education for 2023/24

In September 2023, NAHT, alongside other key organisations working in the sector, outlined its new actions and commitments to help further equality, diversity and inclusion in education. Find out more and read our statement of action and commitments on EDI in education for 2023/24.

Resources

Advice and support

For more about the advice and guidance available from NAHT, along with resources to support members with EDI in their schools, see our EDI hub page.

TUC equality conferences

Every year, the TUC hosts a series of equality conferences that supplement the general work of TUC Congress. These conferences focus on supporting the advancement of issues that disproportionally impact minority groups. Find out more and how NAHT members can get involved.

Latest news and advice

NAHT comments on government’s Inclusive Britain report

Commenting as the government publishes its Inclusive Britain report, a response to its Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“NAHT is deeply concerned by the long-awaited Government response to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report. It has failed to reflect on the inadequacies of the initial Commission report, which NAHT and others called on the need for at the time of the initial release, and does not go far enough in identifying and tackling the root causes of race discrimination in the UK.

“Despite the time taken to develop the strategy, the response has failed to recognise the challenge and scale of change required. As with the report, the new strategy does not seem to reflect the reality of so many people’s lived experiences. It also fails to appropriately address the many criticisms that the CRED report, rightly faced, at the time of publication.

“NAHT continues to reject any assertion that "blames communities themselves for inequalities because they are 'haunted' by historic, systemic racism" and  "reaffirms our determination to work together in the fight to dismantle systemic racism in all its manifestations".

“NAHT reaffirms its our determination to work together in the fight to dismantle systemic racism in all its manifestations and will continue to press government to go beyond the limited aims of the Inclusive Britain report.”

 

First published 18 March 2022
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