For more about the advice and guidance available from NAHT, along with resources to support members with equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in their schools, see our EDI hub page.
NAHT is dedicated to promoting equality for all of its members. We aim to achieve sector-wide equal and fair treatment for everyone working and learning in UK schools and equal representation and engagement within our structures and democratic processes.
This commitment is enshrined in NAHT’s constitution, which states NAHT will ‘promote equality for all including through:
- Collective bargaining, publicity material and campaigning, representation, union organisation and structure, education and training, organising and recruitment, the provision of all other services and benefits and all other activities.
- The union’s own employment practices.
- To actively oppose all forms of harassment, prejudice and unfair discrimination whether on the grounds of sex, race, ethnic or national origin, religion, colour, class, caring responsibilities, marital status, sexuality, disability, age or other status or personal characteristic.’
NAHT’s work on equality is overseen by our Diversity and Inclusion Group, a sub-committee of NAHT’s National Executive. The committee meets four times a year to discuss issues relating to diversity and inclusion within the association, the profession and schools themselves.
NAHT’s work around equality and diversity runs across all areas of the association but centres around three main areas:
1. Schools
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 supports our members by providing advice and guidance to achieve this.
2. The profession
NAHT is committed to ensuring the education profession (and school leadership in particular) reflects the diversity of the communities and areas that schools work in. This includes establishing inclusive working environments and cultures for staff, lobbying for equal pay for groups with protected characteristics and providing advice and support to members who have experienced discrimination and harassment. As part of its ongoing efforts to improve the diversity at a school leadership level, NAHT has also pledged its own actions and commitments to furthering equality, diversity and inclusion in education for 2021/22.
3. NAHT
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. We will take all possible steps to promote and encourage the participation of all members in our democratic processes and actively address areas of under-representation.
Our Statement of action and commitments on equality, diversity and inclusion 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 equality, diversity and inclusion in education for 2023/24 here.
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 equality, diversity and inclusion statements:
Statements will continue to be reviewed and additional statements may be developed, as led by our membership.
Building on the success of NAHT's Leaders for Race Equality book, You Are Not Alone, we have launched a new member blog series - #ImASchoolLeader.
The series aims to celebrate the diversity of NAHT’s membership, highlighting the range of experiences, backgrounds and expertise that different members bring to school leadership, and the value this adds for their pupils, colleagues and school community.
We hope, in sharing aspects of members personal and/or professional experiences, insights and sometimes struggles, the series will continue to raise awareness and understanding of the experiences and issues facing under-represented school leaders, and offer support and hope to current and future leaders. As we saw through the ‘You Are Not Alone’ book, common to many stories is the impact of the school environment and how vital the support and influence of role models can be.
Use #ImASchoolLeader if you wish to join the discussion on social media about the blog series and the topics raised.
If you’re interested in sharing your own experiences as part of the series, please contact policy@naht.org.uk.
Please note that all views contained within the respective blogs are the authors' own, and do not necessarily reflect NAHT’s broader policy positions and work.
Click here to read the blogs
Find out more about our three existing equalities networks, including how to join and planned meetings, by clicking on the links below.
NAHT has several advice resources that support and address issues of equality, diversity and inclusion. You can access NAHT's advice for members here.
Guidance on provision for transgender pupils: in collaboration with ASCL, the Chartered College of Teaching, CST, ISBL and NGA, in November 2022, NAHT published a briefing for leaders of maintained schools and academies in England to support provision for transgender pupils.
The association is committed to pursuing, developing and championing equalities and equal opportunities in members’ employment. The association will protect members by challenging unlawful discrimination in employment matters. Further details on how to access support from NAHT can be found here.
While this page sets out the general position to provide helpful guidance to all members, the individual advice that we give may differ at times depending on the particular member’s personal circumstances and the factual position they find themselves in. There are also circumstances where NAHT will be pushing the government to change their position or take a different approach in the future but until that change is achieved, members need to follow the current legislation and the government’s guidance to protect their own position.
We hope members will attempt to go over and above the current legislation and the government’s guidance in their school, where they have the flexibility to do so and become beacons of best practice. This will help make these schools great places to be for all staff and pupils.
NAHT’s policy and campaigning work is centred around five key campaigns, with equality, diversity and inclusion embedded throughout. You can see our latest work and updates on these here.
We welcome and encourage members to become involved in NAHT’s diversity and inclusion work. There are many ways to do this, whether through becoming a union rep, joining Leaders’ for Race Equality, our LGBT+ Network or our Disabled Members' Network, or representing the union at a TUC equality conference.
If you would like to be more involved, please get in touch by emailing organising@naht.org.uk.
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.