The racism still inbuilt to our educator role models

So there are currently two stories making the rounds. The first was that St Edmunds College at Cambrige was planning a Gone With the Wind ball and the second, equally disturbing, that teacher training courses have accepted far less African and black Caribbean students to train on their courses. Not only are their lower number of applicants but their success rate is lower.

For all the education reforms that are being pushed through at the moment, Michael Gove has not really tackled the issue of who is doing the teaching. Of course, part of the problem is encouraging more applications from African and Caribbean individuals but then to accept, in some cases, ten per cent while accepting a quarter of white applicants does not send out the right message. 

Teachers are powerful role models for students. Other than parents or guardians they are the key example of a working adult. We really should see a greater diversity of teachers. I recently visited a special needs primary school and was overwhelmed that all the teachers were female. Encouraging a greater variety of applications should be a key aim in broadening the experiences of our children. It is more important than questions of exam performance. This kind of inbuilt prejudice in selection does nothing to help such diversity.