Lead By Example

The GEC Platform is now 2 years old, and although our initial mission of making ordinary classrooms extraordinarily inclusive remains our driving force, we exist in a continually moving landscape and we ourselves, are always looking to evolve and adapt to current (and future) needs in education.

Over the summer break, the team and I spent time taking stock of our achievements, refreshing the Platform to ensure it remains innovative and insightful, and defining our aims for the new academic year. One phrase that cropped up repeatedly was ‘leading by example’.

As education leaders, you are no strangers to this concept. It's not just about talking the talk but walking the walk. Being exemplary role models for your staff and students through kindness, respect, flexibility, understanding, and inclusivity is part of your daily journey. However, I'd like to introduce another perspective on leading by example.

At the GEC, we believe that you can lead by the examples provided by data - that you start with a benchmark, a needs analysis, or a survey, so you know where your efforts should be focused. All our work has been based around giving school and trust leaders that deep insight into their own organisations and communities which will drive action for equitable education.

We believe that you don’t need consultants to do this - you know your schools best, but you do need clear evidence, clear examples, and robust data. That is why we have spent three years completely obsessed and focused on developing and upgrading our edtech solution - through rigorous academic research with the universities of Kent, Surrey, UCL and Goldsmiths, plus hundreds of hours of meetings with our award-winning Global Equality Collective (GEC) of subject experts - all so you can effectively address diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) challenges and create extraordinarily inclusive learning environments.

Why do we place such emphasis on data? Essentially, because:

When you lead by example, inclusion revolutions happen.

Not only is this my new favourite quote by one of my favourite writers, but it is so incredibly true for us all. The GEC knows that through reportage and providing you with real examples of what is happening in your organisation, you are able to tackle inequality and create inclusive settings. Focus groups do not work - you just don’t get the truth from people when safe space and anonymity aren’t built in. Line manager meetings cannot work if your superior is biased and has no idea of what you go through just being you. Through authentically and ethically ‘capturing’ the voices and lived experiences of your staff and students we provide leaders with truthful examples, with the robust data and learnings you need to improve things - to help you educate yourself and others on how to take purposeful action and also celebrate what you are getting right too. This is when real change happens at scale, as we have seen first hand with our schools, now almost 300 settings from around the world! When you lead by example, inclusion revolutions happen.

The daily attitudes your people bring with them as they walk through your school gates and the decisions they make will impact on everyone - every day - and this is what makes the reality of knowing your people, knowing the examples you set and the examples they give when they talk about being part of your setting, your organisation, your culture. The GEC Platform serves as a knowledge-based benchmarking tool, giving you access to the voices of your staff and students so you can better serve them in return. It offers insights into their backgrounds, cultures, and experiences, painting a comprehensive picture of life within your school.

Our team is fuelled by ‘what next?’ As a result, our unique surveys go far beyond the Department of Education's guidelines, delving deep into critical factors like socio-economic status, neuro-diversity, safety, and more. This summer we have also added in ‘care experience’, refuge, and migrant identification meaning that we include where others exclude. This holistic perspective equips you with a profound understanding of your DEI landscape, instilling confidence in your decision-making. By offering specific, intersectional examples from your own data, our Platform empowers you to take targeted actions, directing resources where they will have the most impact, saving you valuable time, energy, and money.

This isn’t just a fluffy upgrade

In the last 18 months, we've taken our commitment to student involvement to the next stage with Level 2 of our Platform. Student voice was always going to be part of our DEI solution, so this isn’t just a fluffy upgrade, but in order to create fully inclusive organisations you need to get the DEI ecosystem right first. The practice and policies have to be embedded with the leaders, educators and facilitators, from the Head Teacher to the Site Team first, and then you can bring in the students! Otherwise, one wrong phrase, look or decision to a marginalised student can mean that student’s confidence is knocked down and all the work to help them feel a sense of belonging, of being wanted and welcomed has to start all over again. I know this as a student from a council estate and chaotic childhood myself - and also as a teacher, SLT member and national ‘Achievement’ coach. Your staff need educating first - auditing first - then we can truly, authentically support all of our students to access and achieve in our classrooms, regardless of their needs, abilities and backgrounds.

The new student survey was co-designed by our digital agency Pixie Labs and the GEC in partnership with a host of stakeholders - DEI experts, academics from Goldsmiths University including the awesome Dr Betty Liebovich, and most importantly, actual REAL students (and staff) from over 50 different schools from around the world. I wanted to make sure that our surveys for children were the best out there - and this meant they had to design them! Just as our staff surveys were co-designed with school leaders, the students needed to tell us what how they wanted to be heard. The young people led us by their examples, offering direct and invaluable feedback through in-school workshop sessions, virtual meetings with our digital product team and whole Trust Student Council days (thanks Flying High Trust!). Through this collaborative effort, we have created an environment that feels safe and engaging for students, but is also legally compliant and respectful of their rights.

Level 2 has been developed and extensively tested over the last year by pilot schools and Trusts, and it was officially launched to all as part of our innovative edtech solution yesterday! (Monday 4 September 2023)

The GEC Platform is 2023/24 ready, with new features for the new term!

Student Module: Our academically tested survey, designed by students, for students, offers a unique opportunity to capture individual student voices, catering to ages 3 to post-16, and adhering to the ICO's Age-Appropriate Design guidelines.

Updated Staff Surveys: Going beyond the Equality Act, our staff surveys now provide inclusive support for those impacted by menopause, care experiences, refuge/migrants, and neurodiversity in the workplace. This is what makes the GEC Platform stand out from all of the competition!

Enhanced Data Analysis: Our state-of-the-art data analysis via our enterprise dashboard, designed for scalability, provides deeper insights for Trusts.

DEI Student Resources: Access new GEC-approved DEI student resources, including animations, videos, and webinars for your lessons and assemblies.

Expanded GEC Library Content: Our library now includes content covering topics educators have requested, from webinars on teacher retention to safeguarding, attendance tips, behaviour management, and student well-being e-learning resources.

Our aim remains the same: to make ordinary classrooms extraordinarily inclusive.

I know things are tough out there so we are leading by example here too by committing to freezing our rates for the Autumn Term. International and independent schools will pay the same membership rate as July 2023, and we are co-funding membership for state schools meaning 50% off. It's our way of supporting you in creating positive work environments and nurturing empathetic and understanding leaders of tomorrow.

As you welcome your young people back into the classrooms, and get stuck into the work of the new academic year, know that you don’t have to do it alone. We have your back! Join the GEC and be part of a community of educators committed to creating a positive environment to work in, as well as shaping the leaders of tomorrow, with the power of empathy and understanding. Your actions will talk louder and when you lead by example, and together, we can start an inclusion revolution!

Nic Ponsford

CEO and Founder of the Global Equality Collective.

Want to learn more?

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Discover how we did it? The Digital Product journey

How we do it? Embedding equity in schools