The Underrepresentation of Black and Minority Ethnic
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THE UNDERREPRESENTATION OF BLACK AND MINORITY ETHNIC PEOPLE IN THE LEADERSHIP OF CHILDREN’S LEARNING: CHANCE, COINCIDENCE OR DESIGN? By Christopher Guy Vieler-Porter A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Education and Social Justice School of Education University of Birmingham June 2019 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT My research thesis reports on the under-representation of Black and minority ethnic (BAME) people in the leadership of children’s learning. The research utilises Critical Race Theory and a mixed method approach. The mixed methods involved 22 semi- structured intervieWs; a survey of 152 Local Authorities (LA) with responsibility for education in their area; documentary web-based research of 50 sampled LA’s Workforce Monitoring (WFM) Reports; and the use of current neWspaper reports to highlight and broaden the links to inequality more generally. The purpose of the research is to ansWer the question of whether the under-representation of BAME people in the leadership of children’s learning, initially identified as far back as 1985, remains because of chance, coincidence or by design? The research identifies over 40 separate codes emerging from interviews with BAME leaders in children’s learning. These codes include low expectations, aWareness of their position, the need to be better, monitoring, the complexity of racism and the difficulties of talking about racism. These codes analysed with data from the LA survey and WFM reports have been grouped into nine themes presented in four empirical chapters. Each theme, for example Surveillance, Professional Development, Leadership and Policy draW on the data derived from the different methods of data gathering and analysis. My research data evidences that discrimination on an individual, institutional and structural level is still experienced in the leadership of children’s learning. The extent of this discrimination can only be explained in that it is designed. Policies that further deregulate and fragment the provision of education through schools and ii allied support structures only exacerbate this situation and therefore maintain White male supremacy in the leadership of children’s learning. iii DEDICATION To Jayne, Alex, Abi and Alice. You have each made all this possible iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It has been a long journey to be sitting here and thinking about all those people who I want to thank. Primarily my family, Jayne and the children Alex, Abi and Alice (Who are now all grown up and wonderful). The start of my journey was due to the teaching of Basil Davies, Peter Firth, Diane Garston and Bob Slaughter at Nonington . They were the first to treat me as an academic. Bob Ferguson, Manuel Alvarado and Phillip Drummond of the Media Studies Department at the Institute of Education supported me to achieve an MA. Alan O’Shea and Bill Schwarz at what was East London Polytechnic’s Department of Cultural Studies who encouraged me in my first efforts at post-graduate research. I also want to thank colleagues in the Education Department of the British Film Institute: Cary Bazalgette, David Lusted, Peter Cook and Tana Wollen. I also had a feW very informative and helpful conversations with Stuart Hall and Raymond Williams noted academics and for me sensitive sharers of their knowledge. With John Akomfrah, Lina Gopaul, Avril Johnson, Reece Auguiste and Trevor Mathison of Black Audio and Film Collective as well as With Isaac Julian, Martina Attille, Maureen Blackwood, Nadine Marsh-EdWards and Robert Crusz of Sankofa Film and Video Collective all of whom engaged With me in debate and provided support as we sought a voice during a BFI Summer School and in work around our representation in media. I have also worked with Advisors and Headteachers who have contributed to my thinking around leadership and school improvement. To Christine Barry, Robert Bush, Paul Griffiths, Jan Hardy, Jackie Harrop, Pam Holland, Laurence Kershook, John King, Ann LeWin, Robin Richardson, v Ron Wallace, and Silvaine Wiles. I also have been supported professionally through ALAOME (Association of LEA Advisory Officers for Multicultural Education) and in particular Ros Garside, Jennifer James, James Morrison, Prue Reynolds, Yvonne Wilkin, and ARTEN (Anti-Racist Teacher Education Network) and in particular Robert Clay, Samidha Garg, Jane Lane, Ian Mentor. Thanks to Dr Claire E CraWford who joined my supervision team at Birmingham and added to my support. To Professor David Gillborn, I do not have enough words of thanks and gratitude. I first met David in the early 1990s, shortly before the research he undertook with Caroline Gipps for Ofsted resulting in the publication “Recent Research into the Achievements of Ethnic Minority Pupils” (Gillborn & Gipps 1996). This publication lead to the DfEE/DfES Advisory Group on Raising the Achievement of Ethnic Minority Pupils. I am for ever grateful that in 2009 he agreed to be my Supervisor. I have benefitted immensely from the guidance, challenge and support that he has provided. Finally my thanks go to all my intervieWees. I am grateful to them for giving me their time and their thoughts. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ix List of Illustrations x List of Scrapbooks xi Abbreviations xii Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Chapter 2 Literature Review 29 Chapter 3 Methodology 75 Chapter 4 Surveillance, isolation, microaggressions and ways of seeing 136 Chapter 5 Perseverance, Promotion and Professional Development 183 Chapter 6 Leadership 231 Chapter 7 Policy 286 Chapter 8 Conclusion: Chance, Coincidence or Design? 346 Appendix 1: A reproduction of the Equal Opportunities Monitoring Information form cited in Chapter 1 and 3. 371 Appendix 2: Major education leadership and school improvement texts. 375 Appendix 3 Interview Schedule. 382 Appendix 4 The Freedom of Information request form used in the survey of 152 local authorities. 384 vii viii Appendix 5 A summary of the areas of and extent of WFM from myanalysis over a three year period May June 2015 to November 2018. 390 Appendix 6 Survey Summary Form: Extract from the Microsoft Excel spread sheet used to collect local authority survey returns. 392 Appendix 7 Table A to H Survey responses all Questions. 393 Appendix 8 Summary of workforce monitoring data from sampled Authorities (Tables 8.1 to 8.7). 401 Appendix 9 Statement of intent on the diversity of the teaching Workforce – setting the case for a diverse teaching workforce 405 Appendix 10 The Scope of the National Strategies: 407 Appendix 11 Nationality, Immigration and Race Relations Acts of Parliament since 1945: 408 Bibliography 410 ix LIST OF TABLES Table Content Chapter Page 1 Categories and labels used to communicate the models of 2 43 Management 2 Categories and labels used to communicate the models of Leadership 2 44 3 Frequency in Which Key Terms appear in the Index of Texts in the 2 53 Leadership Development Programme reading list 4 A summary of the intervieWees 3 95 5 Local authority survey summarised returns for protected 3 110 characteristics of all existing staff 6 An extract of elementary information for each local authority 3 111 7 Workforce Monitoring Sampling Survey Summary 3 118 8 The coding of data identified in local authority Workforce monitoring 3 120 reports 9 Research Chronology 3 132 10 Local Authority Survey summarised returns for Questions 1 & 2 4 170 11 Local Authority Survey summarised returns for Question 3 4 170 12 Local Authority Survey summarised returns for Question 4 4 171 13 Local Authority Survey summarised returns for Question 7 4 173 14 Local Authority Survey summarised returns for Question 8 4 174 15 WFM data for all 50 sampled councils 4 179 16 The dates for reporting to Council. Summary of returns 5 218 17 The Competency modules of NPQH 6 237 18 DfE 2012 & 2017 School teacher Workforce by ethnicity and grade 6 254 19 Summary from Education Data Surveys 18th Annual Survey of senior 6 257 staff appointments in schools across England & Wales 2011/2012 20 Local Authority Survey summarised return for Headteacher 6 265 appointments in maintained schools x LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Illustrations Chapter page Content 1 1 20 UKIP Poster to leave the EU 2 1 22 Infographic from the Birmingham City Council Plan 2018 – 2022 WWW.birmingham.gov.uk/birmingham city council plan 2018 - 2022 3 3 122 Illustration of Data presented in a basic table format 4 3 123 Illustration of Data presented as vertical and stacked bar charts 5 3 124 Data presented as a pie chart 6 6 238 New and Improved: analogy of the 2008 iteration of NPQH curriculum materials 7 6 242 Collage of soap adverts 8 6 276 Men dominate star salaries 9 8 357 Global Change Institute Report 2019 Webpage xi LIST OF SCRAPBOOKS Chapter Page Title Reference 3 128 Government's rogue https://WWW.theguardian.com/business/2018/oct/23/ landlord list empty after governments-rogue-landlord-list-empty-after-six- six months: months 4 152 Black applicants ‘face https://WWW.bbc.co.uk/news/education-44311355 more university fraud claims’ 4 155 Hounding https://WWW.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr CommonWealth citizens /13/commonWealth-citizens-harassment-british- is no accident. It’s immigration-policy cruelty by design 5 201 Most UK police forces https://WWW.theguardian.com/uk- have disproportionate news/2016/jan/01/most-uk-police-forces-have- number of White officers disproportionate-number-of-white-officers 5 202 Straw sets new ethnic https://WWW.theguardian.com/politics/1999/apr/14/just minority recruitment ice.race targets for police 6 250 St Olave’s is not alone.