The Times
Published: 29th June 2009

Although 29 per cent of teachers in the London borough of Wandsworth come from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds, the number who go on to be headteachers is very low - only 8.7 per cent of headteachers come from these backgrounds. If you compare the number of BME headteachers with the population in Wandsworth it is not representative - about 65 per cent of the pupils in our schools come from BME backgrounds.

These communities should be represented at the highest level. But in teaching, the further you go along the leadership spectrum, the fewer the number of people from BME backgrounds.

There are all kinds of barriers which mean that people from minority groups do not apply for headships or get shortlisted for jobs.

There are preconceptions of the stereotypical “headmaster” - a white, middle-aged man. A young black woman may not fit with school governors’ preconceptions.

There are personal barriers, too. We found a lack of confidence and career aspirations among our BME teachers. A number work in specialist roles - black male teachers working with young people on behaviour management, for example. They are less likely to go down the leadership career path.

We wanted to stimulate aspirant teachers to consider leadership. Teaching has made progress. The number of BME candidates going into the profession is better than ten years ago. But there is a time delay - people looking for headships will have come into teaching ten or 20 years ago.

It is difficult to find headteachers, which means that recruiting school leaders from a mix of backgrounds is vital. There is a shortage across the country and it is exacerbated in London because we are competing with other local authorities. In addition, two thirds of headteachers are over the age of 50 and many are looking to
retire. Eighteen months ago we identified five senior teachers from BME backgrounds who had not considered headship and set up a series of courses on leadership and management. We asked Integrity Coaching to put together a four-day programme looking at leadership styles and personal barriers to becoming leaders. They each developed an action plan.

We asked expert interviewers from the diocese that runs many schools in Wandsworth to conduct practice interviews. Every BME teacher applied for a mock position as a headteacher. They also interviewed their peers and were mentored by council directors.

We have had some real success with the programme. Three of our aspiring headteachers have gone through to final stage interviews and one has been offered a headship. She attributes her success to the course. We are now taking our programme into neighbouring boroughs - Richmond, Sutton, Merton and Kingston.

Social services suffers similar problems with attracting BME applicants at a high level so we asked five senior social workers to come on the scheme. The course also helped them learn about each other’s work.

Ultimately, we are looking for people who can best navigate the diverse terrain of London schools. Some of our aspirant BME teachers will be the best people to do that job.