The Welsh Government has today announced its intention to
introduce financial incentives to help recruit more ethnic
minority teachers.
This comes as part of a wider plan being published today that
will focus on increasing diversity among applicants into Initial
Teacher Education courses.
The latest Annual Education Workforce
Statistics found that only 1.3% of school teachers in Wales
identified as being from an ethnic minority background, compared
to 12% of learners.
The Plan will include targeting promotion of teaching as a career
to more people from ethnic minority communities. There will also
be a requirement for Initial Teacher Education courses to work
towards the recruitment of a percentage of students from ethnic
minority backgrounds.
For the first time, additional financial incentives will also be
introduced to attract more ethnic minority student teachers, from
2022. Incentives currently exist for subjects where there is a
high demand for teachers, such as Mathematics and sciences, as
well as the Iaith Athrawon Yfory scheme to attract more
Welsh-medium teachers.
The work is part of the Welsh Government’s response to the
recommendations from the working group which
has advised on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities,
Contributions and Cynefin in the new school Curriculum.
, the Minister for Education
and Welsh Language, said:
“It is vital that we increase the diversity of our teaching
workforce to better support our learners. To do this, we must
understand the barriers which are preventing more people from
ethnic minority backgrounds from going into teaching, and take
action to ensure those barriers are removed.
“It is simply not good enough that fewer than 2% of teachers are
from an ethnic minority background. That is why we are launching
this much needed plan, so that we have a workforce that better
reflects the population of Wales.
“Importantly, increasing diversity in schools should not only
apply to areas where there is a higher proportion of people from
ethnic minority backgrounds, but across the whole of Wales.
“This work is the first phase in the important work to increase
diversity in our education workforce.”
The Betty Campbell MBE Award
The Minister also announced a new award in this year’s
Professional Teaching Awards Cymru. The Betty Campbell Award, for
promoting the contributions and perspectives of Black, Asian and
Minority ethnic communities, will be awarded to an individual,
team or school that has demonstrated an outstanding awareness of
the importance of diversity and inclusion in the classroom.
The award honours the late Betty Campbell MBE, the former head
teacher at Mount Stuart Primary School and the first black head
teacher in Wales.
Elaine Clarke, Mrs Campbell’s daughter, said:
“The family is extremely proud and privileged to have this new
Professional Teaching Awards Cymru category named after our
mother, who will be remembered in such a wonderful and iconic
way.
“Our mum was very passionate about education and pioneering a
curriculum that ensured children had the opportunity to access
and embrace a rich experience, reflecting their multi-ethnic
identities and inspired them to achieve their dreams. To Betty,
the impossible was always possible.
“The Award is a wonderful way to promote inclusion of all Black,
Asian and Minority Ethnic groups and we are sure the recipients
will continue to inspire future generations in the footsteps of
our mother.”
Professor Charlotte Williams, who chairs the working group on
Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities, Contributions and
Cynefin in the school Curriculum, said:
“I am delighted to see the launch of this new award. I hope it
will stimulate schools into thinking of innovative and
imaginative ways to represent these themes within the new
curriculum.
“Diversity is a central and cross-cutting theme of the new
curriculum. This award will encourage schools to think
strategically about how they can embed this important dimension
within all that they do.
“The launch of this award is a sure sign that the Welsh
Government is responding swiftly to the recommendations of the
Ministerial report on diversity in the new curriculum.”
Notes to editors
Draft version of the plan attached below.
The amount of the incentive referred to in the statement above
will be determined at a later date.
Professional Teaching Awards Cymru
The Professional Teaching Awards Cymru honour the achievements of
teachers in Wales who are championing success in education and
demonstrating the utmost dedication and commitment in the
process.
To nominate a teaching professional, visit:
www.gov.wales/teachingawards
The Professional Teaching Awards Cymru 2021 categories:
- Headteacher of the Year
- Inspirational Use of the Welsh Langauge
- Outstanding New Teacher
- Pupil (or Pupils’) Award for Best Teacher
- School Business Manager/Bursar
- Supporting Teachers and Learners
- Teacher of the Year in a Primary school
- Teacher of the Year in a Secondary school
- Youth Work in Schools
- The Betty Campbell (MBE) award for promoting the
contributions and perspectives of Black, Asian and Minority
Ethnic communities
