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:

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.
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.
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

How NAHT is supporting its members to meet their responsibilities under the Equality Act

Last month, the government published the final statutory guidance on relationships education, relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education. The new curriculum will be mandatory from September 2020. Schools already have an existing duty under the Equality Act to teach primary children about different kinds of people and families.

In a few instances, school leaders have encountered confusion and resistance from parents about what exactly is being taught. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of NAHT, which has been supporting those school leaders under protest, said: "The Secretary of State has already strongly encouraged every primary school to continue what they are already doing – to teach about relationships in an inclusive way. But the protests outside schools need to end, and the best way to achieve that is for the government to be absolutely clear about what will be taught in schools and when and how. At present, DfE guidance says that ‘primary schools are enabled and encouraged to cover LGBT content if they consider it age appropriate to do so’. We’d like the ‘if’ changed to ‘when’.”

“NAHT will continue to work alongside the schools where there have been protests, to help everyone involved restore a peaceful and productive teaching and learning environment. Dedicated public servants faithfully discharging their duty have an absolute right to feel confident and safe, and pupils should never have to experience noisy and aggressive protests at school.”

In an episode of Panorama which aired this week, NAHT national secretary, Rob Kelsall spoke about the impact parent protests are having in affected schools and called on the government to clarify the regulations. Watch the episode in full here.

In an article for Politics Home, Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, David Isaac also spoke out publicly about the need to make sure schools are “a safe space for children to learn and grow.” And that, “no child should be made to think that who they are, or the makeup of their family, is something to be ashamed of.”

You can also find out more information on what NAHT has been doing nationally and locally in the video below.

First published 16 July 2019

First published 31 March 2021

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Equality diversity and inclusion