So, what do we mean by diversity and why is it important?

Diversity can be defined as the condition or fact of being different or varied. Over recent years, it has taken on a more specific meaning relating to the characteristics of a group of people. When people write and speak about diversity in the media, they are most often talking about difference in terms of the characteristics protected in the Equality Act of 2010: race, religion, sex, sexuality, gender reassignment, pregnancy, disability, marriage and age, but we could go further and include class or financial situation, education or any other aspect of a person's identity. We can all describe our identity through a diversity lens but one person on their own cannot be diverse - we need a group.

As Bryony Landsbert wrote earlier this term, our instinct as humans is often to make connections with people who are most like us and we can end up in a little bubble of people who look like us, think like us and have the same experiences as us.  I'm still close friends with people I met at university who happened to live on the same staircase as me; unsurprisingly, a lot of my friends are teachers. Having obvious things in common is often a way into a conversation or the beginning of a relationship, it can feel safe and comfortable to be with others who are similar to us. But if we only stick to what we know, we are all missing out, and some of us will be missing out more than others, if we are excluded from groups or opportunities because of our gender or race or disability or other aspect of our identity.

So that's why is it important to think about and celebrate and increase the diversity of our Trust community and our schools. Everyone is entitled to a safe place to learn. Everyone should experience a curriculum that reflects their own experiences and teaches them about the wider world. Everyone is entitled to opportunities to develop and lead. Everyone has an experience and story to share that enriches our community.

Everyone belongs here.