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Introducing the GTC Networks.
Good teaching needs good networks and good networks need good teachers.
The GTC Networks provide support by linking teachers nationally and putting them in touch with the latest research and evidence. They let teachers have a voice at national debates on changes to education.
Teachers’ views on equality issues
Every year since 2004, the GTC has commissioned a survey of the views and experiences of the teaching profession. In the 2006 survey, we asked teachers for their views on several aspects of their professional experience, including:
- teaching and learning
- continuing professional development (CPD)
- equality
- assessment
- developments in their own careers and in education more widely.
This year’s survey asked for more detailed information about teachers from minority ethnic backgrounds. The Institute for Policy Studies in Education (IPSE) also put together a minority ethnic segmentation report. This was based on a ‘booster sample’ of teachers known to come from visible minority ethnic backgrounds.
The equality-related findings of the GTC’s research are summarised below.
What should the GTC focus on?
Teachers responding to the survey were asked to select up to three aspects of equality that they felt the GTC should focus on. They chose from the following list: race/ethnicity; social class; gender; disability; religion; age; sexual orientation.
- The priorities selected by teachers in the main sample were social class, race/ethnicity and gender.
- The priorities selected by teachers with up to five years’ experience were race/ethnicity, social class and gender, in that order.
- A significantly higher number of teachers from visible ethnic minority groups selected race/ethnicity than did teachers from majority ethnic (white) backgrounds.
Have you received training in equality issues?
- 50% of teachers indicated that they had not received training in any aspect of equality.
- 30% had received training relating to disability, 30% had received training relating to relating to gender and 28% had received training relating to relating to race and ethnicity.
What is your understanding of equality legislation?
- Over 70% of teachers indicated that they understood the implications for classroom practice of each of the elements of equality, either fully or 'to some extent'.
- The IPSE report showed that teachers from visible minority ethnic groups were more likely to understand the implications of race/ethnicity and religion/belief for classroom practice, compared with those from majority ethnic (white) backgrounds.
- A higher proportion of teachers who have received training on each aspect of equality perceived that they understood the implications of equality for classroom practice.
Does your school have an equality policy?
- 64% of teachers said that their school had a policy on race/ethnicity in relation to pupils and adult-pupil interactions.
- 63% said it had one on disability.
- 58% said it had one on gender.
- At least a quarter of the teachers did not know whether each aspect of equality listed was addressed in school policies and this included 6% of head teachers.
- The IPSE report showed that teachers from visible minority ethnic groups were less likely to select that they were 'unsure' of the existence of equality policies. This was true of policies on race/ethnicity, gender, disability and religion/belief.
Other differences between the responses from the BME booster sample and the ethnic white majority
A higher proportion of BME teachers indicated that:
- they were not satisfied with their CPD
- equality of race/ethnicity should be given priority in schools
- they understood the implications of race/ethnicity and religion/belief for classroom practice
- the need for minority ethnic pupils to achieve as well as others was an important factor in addressing pupil underachievement
- the need to raise parents’ expectations was also a factor
- it was important to recruit teachers who reflect the diversity in the local community.
Overall, regarding issues of professional practice, the differences between majority and minority ethnic teachers were smaller and less significant than the differences between teachers with different professional roles or in different types of school.
