Blog: Our partnership with Carnegie School of Education at Leeds Beckett University part 1 – CRED

Lisa Fathers has been approved as a Professional Associate of the Centre for Race, Education and Decoloniality (CRED), part of Carnegie School of Education at Leeds Beckett University. Here she talks about why this is both a personal and professional highlight.

As a BAME education leader, I am very pleased that Bright Futures Educational Trust and the Alliance for Learning are contributing to this important programme of work. I am very passionate about the issues and positivity that racial and cultural diversity in education brings. The celebration of race and culture needs to heighten its profile alongside other diversity topics and areas.

Bright Futures Educational Trust itself is a very diverse organisation, with a wide range of school populations (including staff as well as students) serving many culturally distinct communities.

The aim of being involved in CRED is also to look beyond my own Trust and through the power of collaboration and the network provided by our teaching school. I want to spread an awareness of the issues around racial and cultural diversity in education and highlight the positives to be gained by addressing it into the leadership of other education organisations and schools.

The Centre for Race, Education and Decoloniality (CRED) was established in 2017. The Centre is led by Vini Lander, Professor of Race and Education. Vini is Professor of Race and Education at Leeds Beckett University. Her research focuses on race, ethnicity and education.  She uses critical race theory as a theoretical framework to examine ‘race’ inequalities in education, specifically in teacher education. And Professor Lander has recently  said to me that she is really looking forward to working closely with us in the future to advance work on race, racism and decolonising the curriculum in schools.

CRED was established to undertake research related to race and racism in education.  In collaboration with academic and educational professionals the Centre aims to challenge everyday racism and structural race inequalities in education through research, evidence-based practice and the professional development of pre-service and in-service teachers nationally and internationally.

The Centre seeks to work in partnership with education professionals in all sectors from early years through to further education to develop teachers and practitioners to become race equality education activists/advocates. We also work with teachers, children and young people to develop teaching resources to tackle racism in schools and society.

To find out more about the work being undertaken at CRED you can take a look at their website – https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/carnegie-school-of-education/research/race-and-education/ and if you would like to become involved then please drop me a line – lfathers@aggs.bfet.uk