Anti-Racism in Education Programme Board minutes: November 2024

Attendees and apologies

Present

• Khadija Mohammed, Chair
• Nuzhat Uthmani, Diversity in the Teaching Profession and Education Workforce Subgroup (DITPEW) subgroup
• Monica Medina, Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)
• Carrie Lindsay, Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES)
• Nikhat Yusaf, Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Network
• Victoria Smith, General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS)
• Mélina Valdelièvre, Curriculum Reform subgroup
• Chereen Rain, Education Leadership and Professional Learning (ELPL) subgroup
• Laura-Ann Currie, Education Scotland,
• Carol Young, Coalition for Race Equality and Rights (CRER)
• Garvin Sealy, Intercultural Youth Scotland (IYS)
• Jeff Macdonald, Anti-Racism Strategic Team, Scottish Government
• Judith Ballantine, Learning Directorate, Scottish Government (Secretariat)
• Emma Bunting, Learning Directorate, Scottish Government
• Catherine Law, Learning Directorate, Scottish Government (Secretariat)

Apologies

• Samir Sharma, Glasgow City Council
• Laura Ross, Curriculum Reform subgroup
• Saskia Kearns, Curriculum Reform subgroup
• Hakim Din, Education Workforce (DiTPEW) subgroup

Items and actions

Welcome and introductions

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting. Apologies were noted as above.

Guided mindfulness

The Chair outlined the rules around ensuring respectful dialogue.

Recognising the benefits of instilling mindful practice in all approaches to the AREP work, the group took 5 minutes to reflect. The Chair thanked Members and the importance of partaking in self-care as part of this work.

Minutes of previous meeting

The minutes from the previous meeting were agreed as final. The Secretariat provided an update on outstanding actions

• the Secretariat agreed to investigate with Scottish Government analytical services colleagues to discuss the potential development of Theory of Change models for each of the workstreams would be possible – Closed. This work is now underway, with the first session entitled “Introduction to Theory of Change” being held in the week prior
• Members were to provide comments on IYS’ Youth Ambassadors’ recommendations by close of business on Monday 8 July – Closed. This was concluded at the previous meeting, with subgroups now integrating the recommendations into their workstreams
• the Secretariat agreed to arrange for an education reform representative to attend the Board – Ongoing. The Secretariate provided an interim update and a colleague from Education Reform Directorate will attend the next AREP Board meeting on 29 January

Watching brief due to current Scottish Government spending controls

• Members were encouraged to send further thoughts on finance proposals and work plans, as well as where actions could be progressed with additional funding, via email to Secretariat – Ongoing, Members were reminded of the current financial situation, spending controls etc, as discussed in the previous meeting. The Secretariat noted that it may be helpful for Members to continue keeping potential proposals in mind for a time when there is financial flexibility again
• the Secretariat agreed to consider how to engage young people in the work of the Programme following the withdrawal of the Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament – Ongoing, The Secretariat again noted the current fiscal context and therefore it is not currently possible to remunerate young people for their engagement with the AREP Board. The Secretariat noted that the Board should continue to use the data already collated (e.g. outputs from IYS’ Youth Ambassadors and Show Racism The Red Card) to ensure input from young people
• The Secretariat agreed to investigate with Scottish Government analytical services colleagues to discuss if a Theory of Change (ToC) model for each of the workstreams would be possible – Ongoing, the Secretariat reached out to subgroup Leads to provide all of the material which informs their subgroup’s work. Once the Secretariat have received this and worked through it, they will meet with the subgroup Leads to consider how to provide an initial session to discuss best way to tackle the development of the ToCs, then will set up 2 x 90 minute sessions with the individual subgroups. This will take up until the end of 2024
• the Secretariat agreed to contact Connect to discuss undertaking parental engagement in relation to the AREP – Ongoing, the Secretariate met with Connect to discuss during the summer, however due to the current fiscal context, it is currently not possible to provide funding

Recap of previous meeting and overview of this one

The Chair reminded Members of what was discussed at the October 2024 meeting of the Board and provided a summary of that discussion. The Chair noted that Members discussed the rolling agenda items covered in Scottish Government updates (education reform, finance, and the Anti-Racist Observatory), updates from the subgroup Leads on progress within their subgroups, concluded the discussion on IYS’ recommendations, and continued the discussion on the summit replacement event.

Scottish Government updates

The Secretariat provided updates on education reform, finance and the Anti-Racist Observatory.

The Secretariat noted that the Education Reform Bill is still undergoing parliamentary scrutiny, and will be debated at stage one on 18 December in Parliament. Applications  an organisation to host the Centre for Teaching Excellence are also still undergoing scrutiny but it is expected that the appointment will be made by the end of the year, with the process for shortlisting applicant beginning on the prior Monday.

The Secretariat noted that the Scottish Government budget will be announced on 4 December, and encouraged Members to take note of the announcement, as it provides clarity for next year’s budget as well as a helpful overview of the current political and financial climate. On 6 December the budget will go to COSLA leaders to consider.

The Secretariat invited Jeff from the Anti-Racist Observatory team to provide an update to Members. Jeff noted that the procurement process related to identifying a host for the Observatory is ongoing and currently in the evaluation stage. The design advisory group will conclude their work in December, which will result in a final report being sent to the Minister for Equalities. Once the Anti-Racist Observatory is implemented, there will be connections in all sectors to make sure lived experience is a key component.

Progress updates from each of the Chairs of the AREP subgroups

The Chair referred Members to paper 1, containing all of the subgroup’s actions in one place, and reminded subgroup Chairs that their verbal updates help provide recent updates on progress on actions and stages, and should also highlight anything not on track or  that needs approval from the Board. The Chair noted that once all updates are provided, there will be an open floor for questions.

Diversity in the Teaching Profession and Education Workforce (DiTPEW)

The subgroup Chair noted that the subgroup met the day prior to the current Board meeting. The meeting consisted of a presentation and discussion with Scottish Government Analytical colleagues to discuss recent HESA and UCAS data, which has recently been made available. It was noted that the data  new HESA data will be published as an addendum to the 2024 Annual Data report in early 2025.

The subgroup also decided that the data report will now be published each September rather than April, as it allows for additional data to be included and this year indicates that the report is likely to  receive greater traction and engagement at this time of year. During the meeting, the subgroup also noted the upcoming equality survey results that will shortly be published by GTCS. This report will highlight key equality data related to provisionally registered teachers and will be used, alongside other data sources, to inform the work of the DiTPEW and the ongoing review of the 2030 target.

The group also discussed and agreed to assist the RRI subgroup by taking up work related to supporting staff who experience racism in the workplace, during the interim period whilst the Whole School Approach is being developed. Further engagement between the RRI and DiTPEW groups will be undertaken. During the  Board meeting, Members discussed potential resources for the subgroup consider as part of this work. 

Members were updated on progress with regards to the ongoing work being undertaken to review the 2030 target.

Education Leadership and Professional Learning (ELPL)

The subgroup Chair noted that the group had not met since the previous Board meeting as they meet every two months, but work has been ongoing. The BRL Mentors programme is now up and running and mentors will check-in in January regarding their progress.

Also, submissions are being collected for an anti-racist anthology, hosted by Education Scotland. Members discussed that this resource is similar in nature to one hosted by Show Racism the Red Card, and the subgroup Chair confirmed they have recently been made aware of this event, but that the goal is to co-exist without competing, and so this will be discussed further by the subgroup.

The subgroup also has two new Co-Chairs, Charlotte Dwyer, SCOTDEC, and Mark Landon, University of West of Scotland.

Curriculum Reform

The subgroup Chair noted that the subgroup met two days before the current meeting. They viewed and discussed some presentations, new resources that were made available in October (e.g. antiracist.scot) and professional learning resources they have planned, including an upcoming focus on literacy and English.

The subgroup Chair noted that anti-racist mentors are currently supporting work on modern studies resources, and a new group will be formed in January. They also noted that there are ongoing connections with local authorities, specifically an established network of local authority leads managed by Education Scotland, as well as a range of interactions providing support to individual local authorities. The subgroup chair stated that the children and young people principles may be delayed due to absences, but the work is ongoing.

The subgroup has also confirmed two new Co-Chairs, Graeme Wallace, Senior Education Officer for Curriculum Innovation, Education Scotland and Sadia Hussain-Savuk, biology teacher and anti-racism education consultant.

Racism and Racist Incidents (RRI)

The subgroup Chair noted that the subgroup last met just before the previous Board meeting in October, and the current focus is developing an interim resource on responding to racist incidents experienced by learners, in anticipation of continued work towards a wider Whole School Approach. The first draft was considered at the most recent meeting, feedback has since been provided and the next version will be considered at the upcoming meeting in December.

After the upcoming meeting, the next version will be provided to the Board for feedback.. The subgroup’s current focus is to seek views from those with experience who have noted interest in the work and have practical experience, and to ensure language is accurate. Additionally, moving forward the subgroup will also be focusing on the larger piece of work, i.e. the Whole School Approach (including parents, carers, and staff).

The subgroup Chair also noted the subgroup is currently reconsidering chairing arrangements due to the prior Co-Chair changing roles. For now, the subgroup Chair will attend the Board meetings to ensure consistency.

Members discussed helpful resources and stakeholders to reach out to when creating the RRI resources to ensure it’s as far-reaching and representative as possible. The DiTPEW and RRI subgroup Chairs agreed to meet to discuss further once chairing arrangements have been confirmed.

Anti-racism in education event- next steps for AREP Board

The Chair asked Members to look at papers 2 and 3, containing Professor Rowena Arshad’s recent paper for the British Educational Research Association, and a summary of recommendations, respectively.

The Chair noted that Professor Arshad’s recent paper is a thought piece rather than a formal report, though the recommendations could be provide a helpful basis for noting progress the AREP has made in its first three years, as well as future directions  and research. The Chair asked Members to discuss their thoughts on the paper, particularly which next steps and recommendations stood out to them.

Members discussed Professor Arshad’s recent paper and that they were pleased that clear progress has been made. Members discussed Professor Arshad’s recommendation for further research examining anti-racist practices in education, and the emerging research they are aware of in this area. Members also discussed other upcoming proposed research they are aware of regarding the implications of racism on ITE and experiences of minority ethnic teachers and probationers.

Members discussed the importance of being aware of emerging research related to the AREP work and that it would be helpful to collate this information into an accessible format for families and communities.

Anti-racism in education event- subgroup activity

The Chair noted that the upcoming AREP event provides an opportunity to highlight subgroups’ individual inputs and that it would be helpful to scope out some of the intended activity subgroups have planned and the timelines for delivering these, so the Board can build a more comprehensive approach and have oversight of these activities.

The DiPTEW subgroup Chair noted that Hakim Din will attend the ADES Personnel Network on 24 January  discuss the Action Guide with those who will use it on a day-to-day basis. There is also plans for a workshop style event to discuss both the Action Guide and potentially engagement with the GTCS’ Sponsoring Report, but that this has been postponed until after the main AREP event.

The ELPL subgroup Chair noted that there are no planned events to specifically highlight the subgroup’s outputs, but that BRL summits and anti-racism showcases have had a similar function, and these events are ongoing, including anti-racism showcase in January as a BRL+ event.

The Curriculum Reform subgroup Chair noted that recently they had launched resources during their Black History Month webinar in October, and have hosted events for specific audiences, such as the BRL alumni network and anti-racism clubs network. They noted that the subgroup will consider upcoming events and their intended audiences.

Members discussed the importance of the Board taking a strategic and cohesive approach to planning events, so that it is clear for audiences to know which events they should attend. Members discussed creating an ‘AREP calendar’ with planned events for the next 6-12 months.

Action: Subgroup Chairs will send a summary of their planned events for the next year to the Secretariat before the next AREP Board meeting.

Any other business (AOB)

The Secretariat will circulate the minutes of today’s meeting by 6 December. The next formal meeting of the Board will take place on 29 January, 3.30pm.