Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Commitment Statement

We are committed to ensuring that every member of the SWIFT community has a strong sense of belonging. It is important to us that everyone has the opportunity to thrive, feel valued and fulfil their unique potential as part of our community.
 
For us, Diversity means ensuring that diverse representation is built into everything we do, Equity means we remove barriers to access and Inclusion means we embrace and respect the full range of human identities.
 
We do this by collective powerful action around:

  • Connecting people across all our communities of practice such as the Early Career Teachers we support and our leadership programme members to create shared understanding.
  • Listening to feedback from a diverse range of stakeholders to ensure that it purposefully and intentionally serves our community and meets everybody’s individual needs.
  • Learning about our own identities and the lived experiences of others in order to create an open dialogue about the barriers that people face and how to remove them.
  • Celebrating the diversity of our region while also reflecting on the diversity of the wider society that our pupils and staff are part of to ensure that we are co-creating inclusive workplaces.
  • Collaborating with organisations beyond our network to provide critical friendship and mutual support and expertise to challenge ourselves to commit to action.
  • Training all our stakeholders so that they are conscious, confident and competent in relation to our DEI work and so that everybody shares the vision and responsibility.
  • Partnering with organisations that share our values and commitment for this work, such as Teach First, NASBTT and Diverse Educators.
 
Through our DEI work, all members of our community can feel psychological safety and be their authentic selves in all settings. As a result, the children in our schools are led, taught, supported and governed  by people who can embody the values and model the behaviours of a modern inclusive society.
SWIFT Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Partnership Group 
Earlier this year responding to a call to action, a handful of interested teachers, school leaders and other representatives from our SWIFT community came together.

Their combined intention was to be part of a new collaborative initiative with a shared interest, curiosity and desire to learn more about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) as our SWIFT Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Partnership Group.

Initial thinking for the Group was broadly around:

  • Advice and support.
  • Strategy.
  • Accountability and challenge.
  • Advocacy.
  • Connecting.

The Group welcome connections with colleagues to share stories of working in education and the positive ways in which employers are improving DEI and where you think this experience could be even better.

Through a shared sense of purpose and discovery, the Group's work has evolved to focus on the following five areas of action across the Nine Protected Characteristics:

  1. Policy Holders
  2. Networks & Partnerships
  3. CEOs &School Leaders
  4. ITT/ECF
  5. Schools and Wider Community

You can read more detail in the Group's Theory of Change below.

Stories from our Communities

Read more here about the work of our SWIFT Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) Professional Community led by Ruhaina Alford, Executive Headteacher, The Carey Federation (Halwill and Ashwater Primary Schools). 

“We allowed ourselves to feel uncomfortable with some of the conversations and recognising that we all hold onto prejudice.”