Letters to a Young Generation: Aspiring School Leaders

By Amanda Wilson

The number of Black teachers moving into middle and senior leadership roles in schools within the United Kingdom is still considerably low when compared to teachers from other ethnic backgrounds. The reasons for this are varied, but one key message that comes up time and again relates to the adage, 'you cannot be what you cannot see.' In this th

• Language: English
• Publisher: 9:10 Publishing
• Release date: Sep 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9780957136786

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INTRODUCTION

It’s always hard to know what to write when you’re tasked with introducing a book...even when it’s your own. You question the angle you should come from: clever and witty; serious and academic? Not saying that one person can’t be all four at the same time, but you get what I mean.

I concluded that what was most important was being honest, which is what the Letters to a Young Generation series has always been about: honest, heartfelt and to the point.

When I became a headteacher in 2019 it wasn’t part of any grand plan. My decision to apply for headship was one which was very much made ‘in the moment’. On Friday 1st February 2019 I went to visit the school of an ex-colleague in Canning Town, East London. Violet had been the headteacher at the school for about three years. At the time I was the Head of School at a two-form entry primary school in Woolwich, South London and to be honest I was quite content to remain in such a role. I liked the idea of having executive headteachers who had the final say for the big decisions. Someone else’s name was above the door, and I was more than happy with that.

But by the end of the visit to Violet’s school I thought, ‘You know what? Why not?’ The following Monday, I met with my executive headteachers and told them I was going to apply for a headship – a decision they wholeheartedly supported.

Violet had been an assistant headteacher at the school where I’d begun my teaching career and she is Black. I had watched her progress through the ranks. I had been supported by her as a new teacher – I even shared a class with her at one point. She was always someone I had admired.

Then there was Chinye, the headteacher of the secondary school my daughter attended. I got to know Chinye when my husband and I visited the school to let her know we weren’t too keen on the fact that our daughter had been assigned the school for her Year 7 place. At the time, the school did not have a particularly good reputation. Chinye encouraged me to become a governor so that I could create accountability from the inside. I duly applied and was a governor at the school for the next four years.

When I applied for my first senior leadership role it was Chinye that took the time to read through my supporting statement and provide constructive feedback. She made time to help me prepare and gave me a mock interview, taking me through the possible questions that I could be asked about attainment data. She was one of the first people I shared my news with when I secured the position.

I was fortunate to have met two wonderful Black women in education who supported me on my journey. Don’t get me wrong. I have also been encouraged on my journey by supportive white women – my previous executive headteachers – but there is a difference.

That difference can be found within the pages of this book. Eighteen Black headteachers – male and female – have taken the time to share their experiences, their journeys and their words of wisdom, in a bid to encourage the next generation of Black school leaders. As authors of these letters, they understand that being a leader when you’re Black is not the same as being a leader when you are of another ethnicity. The challenges are different, the expectations are different and ultimately the cost incurred is different.

I compiled this book of letters because I felt it was needed. Professor Paul Miller attests to this in his foreword. At the time of publication, the number of Black leaders – assistant headteachers, deputy headteachers, headteachers and CEOs – is far smaller than for our white counterparts. You only need to interrogate the School Teacher Workforce Census (Department for Education (2020) School teacher workforce. Available at: https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/workforce-and-business/workforce-diversity/school-teacher-workforce/latest (Accessed: 29th January 2023). to find the evidence. It therefore begs the question: why would any Black teacher want to enter the heady world of senior leadership? These letters will tell you why.

These letters will show why being a Black leader in a UK school is so pivotal, not only because of the impact it can have on the wider community but also on the education system as a whole.

It is important to note at this point that being a Black headteacher does not mean we adopt the role of spokesperson for the entire Black education community, nor are we a homogenous group of people who all think the same and make the same decisions. We are individuals with our own lived experiences. The experiences we have had growing up, both positive and negative, will have made an impact on the type of teachers we became, and it is those same experiences and the ones we had in our roles as teachers that will ultimately shape the type of leader we have become.

I hope that by the time you have read all the letters in this book you are inspired to apply for that role you have been wondering about; that role where you questioned your suitability or hesitated to apply not because the role didn’t suit you, but in case others felt your face ‘didn’t fit’. Find yourself a mentor, a coach, an ally, a Chinye or a Violet who will walk beside you as you progress in your career and encourage you not to doubt your abilities.

I hope that in years to come, you too will be in a position to write a letter to the next generation of aspiring school leaders, knowing the journey you have been on is one worth sharing.

I wish you well.

Amanda Wilson

Headteacher, Coach and Director of Crux Leadership Development Ltd

FOREWORD

It is my pleasure to write this foreword for this book of letters to aspiring and future school leaders. This is the second book written in the UK in two years, by school leaders who are not white, offering guidance and love to members of the community. This is important for two reasons. First, a community of recent and current school leaders who are not white are, through their experiences, offering insights and wisdom that cannot be bought. Second, it confirms that the leaders who share their stories in this book are keen to see the success of the next generation of school leaders from the community, and their letters represent an aide memoire that will be available to current and future aspirants for decades to come. 

I have read each of the letters in this book and there is wealth of care and wisdom in all of them. Each speaks of unique experiences with people, context and systems, and each shines more light on what it takes not only to survive, but also to thrive as a school leader in England, especially a school leader who is not white. This is important in the context of recent research by the Institute for Educational & Social Equity and Fig Tree International which found six factors, ‘Quality of life, Conflict, Racism, Clash of values, Disillusionment, Bullying and Toxic Culture’ (Miller, P. & Lashley, R. (2022). Factors responsible for and/ or contribute to BAME school leaders exiting the profession or accepting a junior role. Research Report. London: Institute for Educational & Social Equity and Fig Tree International. https://instituteforequity.files.wordpress.com/2023/01/bme-leaders-exit-report.pdf ) which contribute to decisions by school leaders who are not white to leave the profession and/or to accept a junior role. In addition, the report also identified ‘an active process of liabilitisation – a situation where they are characterised as incompetent, incapable and lacking good judgment’ – against school leaders who are not white. The experiences of recent and current school leaders in the recent report, and in these letters, are powerful and should provide aspiring school leaders with depths of insights on their journey to Headship.

From reading the letters, eight themes are clear. I will comment on each theme below.

You can

The letters are replete with encouragement and affirmations of, ‘You can do it’, ‘You are deserving’ and similar sentiments. Such sentiments are important in that they acknowledge the worth of aspiring school leaders, whilst also acknowledging that the community is with them. Implicit within these affirmations