I am writing this report from the positionality of a white British woman. Although I am now in a position of relative privilege, I grew up in a low socio-economic, single-parent family and experienced prejudice relating to this (see Blog Post 3). My desire is to instigate meaningful change for students from low socio-economic backgrounds and those with intersectional identities by fostering a greater sense of belonging through the collection of meaningful data (K. Crenshaw, 1989 and B.Hooks: 1994). My intention is to help new students feel settled by understanding their needs more acutely and enabling staff to respond proactively to individual and intersectional needs (see Intervention Proposal).
I have written this report through the lens of an Hourly Paid Lecturer (HPL) teaching Year One on the new Cordwainers Footwear and Accessories course launching in September 2026. From my previous experience as a Year One tutor with a pastoral focus, I believe thoughtful data collection can be a powerful mechanism to support student success while empowering staff to understand the needs of their cohorts. I believe this intervention could eventually become part of the onboarding experience at UAL or other universities, provided it supports staff rather than adding to their workload.
The rationale for this intervention stems from the lack of meaningful information currently shared with hourly paid, fractional and teaching staff. During four years at LCF I have rarely been aware of students’ Individual Support Agreements (ISAs) until assessment periods. Although I know students have extended deadlines, I am often unaware of the adjustments they require, making it difficult to adapt lesson planning proactively (see Blog Post 1). My proposed questionnaire gathers information about learning preferences, additional needs, religion, language and wellbeing in a holistic way, enabling tutors to shape learning environments before barriers arise rather than reacting afterwards (Inspired by the Universal Design for Learning)
Students would also have the option to complete the questionnaire anonymously, creating a space in which they can share information without feeling exposed or under pressure. The overall aim is to give students equal opportunity to succeed regardless of disability, race, religion or other intersectional identities (see Blog Post 3)(UDL & Chickering and Gamson: 1987 & B.Hooks:1994)
My proposal was also influenced by noticing that many students miss significant periods of study due to important religious observances, including Ramadan and other key dates outside the Christian calendar upon which university timetables are largely based. Although UAL collects information about religion for equality monitoring (see UAL dashboards), it appears to have little influence on the student experience. If tutors/course leaders understood when significant religious commitments occurred, it might be possible to make reasonable adjustments to timetabling, deadlines or tutorial scheduling, potentially improving engagement and attainment. This also relates to Maslows Theory (1943) ensuring all needs are considered and met for success and well being.
Image Shows Maslows Heirarchy of needs: Accessed: 02.08.2026)
Following discussions with my peer feedback group (see Peer Reflection Notes), further reflections emerged. The most significant concerned tutor workload. My colleagues teach cohorts of over 100 students, whereas the Craft programme on which I teach typically consists of 12–24 students. They felt the intervention, in its original format, would only be practical for small cohorts.
To address this, I reflected on adapting the questionnaire to an online form rather than the graphic physical document as proposed (see Intervention Proposal). Multiple-choice responses could be categorised automatically and presented as graphs, enabling tutors to interpret the data quickly and make simple but meaningful adjustments to lesson planning.
(Image created by Chat GPT – see ai log below: Created 30/07/2026)
Further discussion highlighted that translating the questionnaire and responses into multiple languages could create a significant workload. However, if delivered through Moodle, there may be opportunities to utilise existing accessibility and translation tools. This is an area I would like to explore further.
(Image shows translation tool in Moodle to 134 languages: Accessed 30/07/2026)
My colleagues also suggested simplifying the language used within the questionnaire. For example, replacing phrases such as “Night Owl” and “Early Bird” with straightforward statements including “I work best in the evening” would make the questions clearer for students whose first language is not English.
Finally, we discussed managing student expectations. Whilst tutors can make many reasonable adjustments, they cannot accommodate every individual preference where these conflict. Therefore, the purpose and limitations of the questionnaire would need to be communicated clearly. Small changes, such as providing recordings, handouts or more flexible tutorial scheduling, may often be more achievable than altering timetabled teaching.
Finally, one colleague highlighted that some of this information may already be collected by the university. Therefore, it would be important to understand what information already exists, what tutors have access to, and whether this project could be developed collaboratively with the onboarding team as a university-wide tool. It would also be essential to consider data protection and GDPR implications (see references).
This intervention would support my own lesson planning and FMP Enterprise (Final Major Project) tutorial scheduling by enabling me to better understand my students before teaching begins. It builds upon previous work I have undertaken, including asking first-year Footwear students to complete a learning style questionnaire (see Intervention Proposal) and the planning for my primary aged Summer Clubs (see Blog Post 1). The learning style data enabled me to adapt my teaching materials accordingly. Interestingly, most of that cohort identified as kinaesthetic and visual learners, with some preferring reading. No students identified listening as their preferred learning style.
I would also use the information to schedule tutorials more effectively. During the previous academic year, I noticed that some tutorials were timetabled at times that were not appropriate for students due to limitations within my own timetable. Some students were also unable to complete work for tutorials because they were observing periods of fasting and were too tired to undertake practical work. Had I been aware of these commitments in advance, I may have been able to make reasonable adjustments by scheduling tutorials after the fasting period or dividing a one-hour tutorial into two shorter sessions to make the workload more manageable (see blog post 2).
This intervention has reinforced that inclusive practice is not always about making large-scale changes, but about understanding students well enough to make thoughtful, reasonable adjustments that reduce barriers to learning (UDL: 2024) Whilst it would not be possible to accommodate every individual preference, even small changes to lesson planning, tutorial scheduling or the provision of learning materials could improve students’ experiences and foster a greater sense of belonging (Hooks: 1994).
Throughout this process I have also learnt that planning an intervention is more complex than I had initially anticipated. It may not be possible to develop something that fully meets the needs of all students and tutors because of the wide variation in cohort sizes, teaching contexts and intersectional identities. The intervention therefore requires further refinement before implementation.
As a next step, I would like to undertake focus groups with both students and academic staff to gather feedback and continue developing the questionnaire. It would also be valuable to engage with the wider PGCert community, enabling colleagues from different disciplines to evaluate the proposal and identify potential improvements. Their perspectives would strengthen the intervention and ensure it is applicable across a broader range of educational contexts.
The feedback from my peer group has already proved invaluable. It has shifted my thinking from producing a static questionnaire towards developing a practical, digital tool that is accessible, efficient and manageable for tutors with differing workloads. Ultimately, my aim remains the same: to create a mechanism through which students can communicate what will help them to succeed, enabling tutors to make informed, inclusive decisions that foster belonging and reduce barriers to learning from the very beginning of their educational journey (UDL: 2024).
This intervention has reinforced how complex inclusive practice is and how difficult it is to develop something that meets the needs of all students and tutors alike. Throughout this process, I have reflected on my own positionality as a white British woman, an Hourly Paid Lecturer for varying courses and someone who grew up in a low socio-economic, single-parent family. Whilst these experiences shape my perspective, I recognise that I cannot assume to understand the lived experiences of others. Instead, I believe it is my responsibility to create opportunities for students to tell me who they are and what will help them to succeed.
The peer feedback process challenged me to think beyond my own teaching context and consider how this intervention could be implemented sustainably across courses with different cohort sizes and workloads. It also highlighted the importance of balancing inclusivity with practical considerations.
Moving forward, I intend to continue embedding student voice into my practice, enabling me to make informed and reasonable adjustments to lesson planning, tutorials and learning materials. Ultimately, I hope this intervention will contribute to creating learning environments that recognise intersectional identities, reduce barriers to participation and foster a greater sense of belonging from the beginning of a student’s creative educational journey.
References:
Reference 1: IP Unit – Blog Post 3 – From Discomfort to Disruption: Reflecting on Race, Inequality and My Role as an Educator – PGCert – Emily Sunnucks. [online] Available at: https://emsunnucks.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2026/07/16/ip-unit-blog-post-3-race/ [Accessed 30 July 2026].
Reference 2: Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and sex: a Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, [online] 1989(1), pp.139–167
Reference 3: hooks, b. (1994) Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. New York: Routledge.
Reference 4: IP Unit – Blog Post 1 – Beyond Access: Exploring Intersectionality, Disability and Belonging in Creative Education – PGCert – Emily Sunnucks. [online] Available at: https://emsunnucks.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2026/05/06/blog-post-1-disability-intersections/ [Accessed 30 July 2026].
Reference 6: Arts.ac.uk. (2026). Peer Reflection Notes – PGCert – Emily Sunnucks. [online] Available at: https://emsunnucks.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2026/07/30/peer-reflection-notes/ [Accessed 30 July 2026].
Reference 7: Arts.ac.uk. (2026). IP Unit – Blog Post 2 – Beyond the Box: Exploring Religion, Belief and Belonging in Higher Education – PGCert – Emily Sunnucks. [online] Available at: https://emsunnucks.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2026/05/21/ip-blog-post-2-religion/ [Accessed 30 July 2026].
Reference 8: UK Government (2025). Data Protection Act. [online] Gov.uk. www.gov.uk. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/data-protection [Accessed 30 July 2026].
Reference 9: CAST (2024). The UDL Guidelines. [online] CAST. Available at: https://udlguidelines.cast.org/ [Accessed 2 Aug. 2026].
Reference 10: Abraham Maslow’s original 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation” or his 1954 book Motivation and Personality
Ai Log:
Prompt 1: Hi Chat gpt please could you slim the following essay down to 1500 words by removing repetition but keeping my words/voice (pasted original format)
Prompt 2: “Hi chat GPT, please could you produce a graphic to illustrate this information: Therefore, instead of producing the questionnaire as proposed in a graphic and manual format (see intervention proposal blog) it would be important to deliver this in the format of an online form and to make the data able to be categorised easily, along with offering multiple choices where possible, enabling collected data to be instantly formatted into graphs so tutors could read and digest the data quickly, to make positive but simple changes to their lesson planning.”
Prompt 3: Hi Chat GPT: Please write a good title for my report (report pasted)
As my peer group had varying personal commitments and deadlines – we met via teams on 02.07/2026 and gave each other live feedback to help with our work. The feedback I was given is as follows:
My peer group suggested that the questionnaire could be introduced as part of the student onboarding process rather than at the beginning of an individual module. This would enable information to be gathered once and potentially shared with relevant teaching staff throughout the student’s journey.
They also highlighted the work already undertaken by services such as the Chaplaincy, suggesting that some information regarding students’ religious practices and support needs may already be collected. This presents an opportunity to consider how existing information could be used more effectively, rather than duplicating data collection.
A key barrier identified was the practical implementation of the intervention. My peers felt it would be important to establish clear parameters around what information is collected, how it is used and what students can realistically expect tutors to act upon. This would help manage expectations whilst protecting staff from committing to adjustments that may not be possible.
The group also suggested removing the question asking students to describe their ‘perfect learning environment’, as this may encourage expectations that cannot always be met. Instead, questions should focus on simple, realistic adjustments that tutors could reasonably implement.
As I currently teach relatively small cohorts, my proposal may be easier to implement than on larger courses where staff teach over 100 students. Therefore, scalability will need to be considered if the intervention is to be adopted more widely.
My peers acknowledged that the new London College of Fashion building already provides an inclusive physical environment. However, they felt that this proposal would complement those facilities by improving understanding of students’ individual learning needs.
Suggestions were also made around collaborative learning. Where appropriate, seminar groups could be organised to encourage students with different working preferences, such as those who work best during the day or evening, to share ideas and support one another.
Further discussion considered the recording of lectures. Whilst recording all sessions may reduce attendance, selective recording or providing alternative resources could support students with visa issues, caring responsibilities or other circumstances that occasionally prevent attendance.
The group also highlighted the accessibility tools already available through Moodle. These include automatic translation into multiple languages, translated teaching materials and weekly language support sessions. Incorporating the questionnaire into Moodle could improve accessibility for students whose first language is not English.
Finally, my peers advised that the questionnaire should use friendly, non-committal language, avoiding jargon and keeping questions as short and clear as possible. They also suggested encouraging students to complete the questionnaire in their primary language where appropriate. As students’ needs may change throughout their studies, the questionnaire could be introduced in Year 1 and revisited in Years 2 and 3, allowing students to update information following new diagnoses or changing circumstances.
Ai log: Prompt 1: Hi Chat GPT please write these notes into full sentances (Original notes: Tab appearance
Header/ menu
Option to add posts on menu
On boarding forms – as part of onboarding process
Chaplaincy – support prayers Friday – gathering evidence and information that students could share
Barrier – implementation
Caviat – clear peramiters
Perfect learning environment – remove
Managing students expectations
I teach very small students – large groups difficult
LCF – acknowledgement that the building is new and good environment
Seminar groups –
-Group work – some of you good work day – night – pass on
Clear perimeters to protect me.
recording lectures – only first one – want people to come in.
Visas issue etc
Put in place without loosing students etc…
Moodle – instantly translated into all languages
Accessibility tools – briefs etc on Moodle – instantly translated.
Weekly language support sessions
Not a clear way for us to have access to information
Friendly – not commital, plain language – shortest sentences possible.
If English isn’t first your first language, please use your primary language.
Most basic English
Nice proposal and document for them.
Introduce in year 1 and touch in year 2, then year 3, as diagnosis chance)
I have been working as a HPL (Hourly Paid Lecturer) for LCF (London College of Fashion) for 5 years. During that time my role has changed considerably. However, in every role that I’ve had I have experienced a frustration around lack of information provided about students with regards to additional learning needs and other things that may effect their ability to study such as religious/cultural holidays (Chinese New Year and Ramadan – periods of fasting along with other significant times within their calendar). This has led to challenges with regards to lesson planning and guess work around understanding if students have ISA’s and what barriers they may have to learning.
My proposed intervention is to create a form that the students will be requested to fill in regarding learning styles, needs and preferences, religion and/or philosophical beliefs and language (Inspired by my findings in Blog 2). This would help the students to feel seen and enhance their sense of belonging within the university. I would also use the data to make reasonable adjustments to lesson plans (Inspired by my findings in Blog 1). I acknowledge that this would only really be possible for smaller cohorts and within reason (due to time limitations as a non-salaried staff member).
The form can be completed anonymously, and I believe (although would need to test) that if it was delivered through Moodle, that it could be transcribed into different languages, making it more accessible to students for whom English is not their first language.
Suggested questions (1st Iteration, note – please see my reflective report for feedback and adjustments to these after meeting with my peer feedback group – Link here):
Figure 1: Shows suggested questions positioned in an illustrated form to make it more welcoming. However, I acknowledge that it may not be possible to deliver this in such a way in reality – this is reflected upon in my reflective report.
During the Inclusive Practices unit, I critically examined how UAL collects and presents student data through its institutional dashboards (see reference 2). When considered alongside my own experiences as an Hourly Paid Lecturer (HPL) and experiences of prejudice, along with the learning following the explored references for blog post 3 this exposed a key limitation: I often have little or no insight into students’ individual learning needs, disabilities or circumstances unless they choose to disclose them. This lack of information can make it challenging to anticipate and respond proactively to diverse learner needs and intersectional identities (K. Crenshaw). I am hoping that this form will help me to foster a more inclusive environment within my classroom (B.Hooks: 1994). It is building upon an initiative that I started when I was the first-year Footwear design tutor, and during the first ‘Intro 2’ unit I would ask my new cohort to take a learning style quiz, this was really interesting as I enabled me to understand their learning preference and adjust my teaching materials according (please see references for link to quiz). Utilising my learnings from this unit, I have been exploring ways in which I can set up teaching spaces to accommodate varying needs and intersectional identities (see blog post 3).
Finally, I believe that even if only a small percentage of the students undertook the quiz any subsequent changes (big or small) that were made, would benefit others as well.
Reference 4: hooks, b. (1994) Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. New York: Routledge.
Reference 5: IP Unit – Blog Post 1 – Beyond Access: Exploring Intersectionality, Disability and Belonging in Creative Education – PGCert – Emily Sunnucks. [online] Available at: https://emsunnucks.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2026/05/06/blog-post-1-disability-intersections/ [Accessed 30 July 2026].
Reference 6: IP Unit – Blog Post 2 – Beyond the Box: Exploring Religion, Belief and Belonging in Higher Education – PGCert – Emily Sunnucks. [online] Available at: https://emsunnucks.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2026/05/21/ip-blog-post-2-religion/ [Accessed 30 July 2026].
Reference 7: IP Unit – Blog Post 3 – From Discomfort to Disruption: Reflecting on Race, Inequality and My Role as an Educator – PGCert – Emily Sunnucks. [online] Available at: https://emsunnucks.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2026/07/16/ip-unit-blog-post-3-race/ [Accessed 30 July 2026].
Transparent use of ai log: Chat GPT Prompt 1: for making the initial form questions more visual: hi chat GPT – I am working on a form in which my level 4 (1st year UAL university students) fill in to foster a sense of belonging and to enable me as a lecturer to understand and meet their needs better. Please could you formulate the following questions into an easy to digest graphic): Suggested questions (1st Iteration, note – please see my reflective report for feedback and adjistments to these after meeting with my peer feedback group – Link here): This form is an opportunity for you to communicate any needs and preferences that you may have in relation to your learning, with the aim of ensuring that all learning styles and additional needs are met. You may include your name, or you may also fill it in anonymously. If English isn’t your first language – you many fill this in in your primary language. Name (optional): Cultural heritage/ culture most identify with: Primary language: Are you (select box which fits you best): • A night owl (you like to work into the evening) • Something in the middle (you work best throughout the day) • An early bird (you like to work in the morning) Religion / philosophical beliefs (can be any recognised or unrecognised religion of philosophical belief): Additional needs relating to religion / philosophical beliefs (moments of fasting, times when you may not be able to be as present in the classroom): Additional educational needs (if known and willing to disclose): How I like to learn? (visual, doing, listening, reading): You are invited to undertake this learning style quiz, should you find it helpful to fully understand your needs [Insert link to learning style quiz] Any barriers to learning that you are aware of (mental/physical) (e.g my learning environment must be quiet) In a few words, please describe your perfect learning environment: Any other ways in which we can best support your learning journey on this course:
Prompt 2: hi chat GPT – please could this be made into an image based file/ chart etc: Include the emojis and stick to the wording:
Prompt 3: please help me to structure the following sentance better: After exploring the ways in which UAL collects data (UAL dashboards) during the Inclusive Practices unit and identifying the limitations around this along with my learned experience of working with students the lack of information about additional student needs that I am given as a HPL.
Prompt 4: Hi chat GPT: Please think of a good title for the following article
In approaching the reading and writing for this blog post, and during the supporting workshop relating to this subject matter, I felt enormously uncomfortable. Having read a little into race, inequality, white fragility etc, and being aware of my ‘white privilege’. I find it uncomfortable to sit in this space knowing that our world and our educational space is so unequal. In feeling this, I know that I need to do more inner work and challenge myself to learn more, so I can become more active in disrupting.
Three of the supporting reading and video’s spoke to me are listed below in the bibliography (reference 1, 2 and 3) although all of the resources shared emoted feelings of sadness, discomfort and sometimes shock.
What has been most striking is how obvious it is that our systems are set up to dis-privilege people from ethnic-minority groups, with the implementation of policy to determine that children from these ‘bilingual’ groups, labelled a ‘difficult intake’ (Bradbury: 2020) are ‘inevitably low-attaining’. It was even more shocking to read that,’ if teachers in inner city schools score their ‘difficult intake’ above the national average, they are encouraged to alter results (Bradbury 2013). This signifies to me that labelling children at the age of 5 and expecting them to achieve ‘lower than national average’, because of their cultural, ethnic and language backgrounds, we are setting them up to ‘fail’ or to achieve significantly less than white – British peers.
This feeling was further emphasised to me when I watched the video regarding the school children. The children had to step forward to backwards to a start position of a running race in answering questions relating to incidences in which they have experienced personal and family prejudices due to their heritage. This visually indicated the implicit bias within our societal systems. Thinking about one of the seven core principles higher education (A.Chickering and Z.Gamson; 1987), ‘Communicate high expectations’. This policy and evaluation of ethnic minority children seems to completely counter this, actively expecting them to achieve ‘below average’ results . Although not because of my race, I have experienced prejudice relating to my background as a ‘benefits’ kid from a single parent family. Upon entering FE* I could not afford my book fees and the member of staff assisting me asked me if my straight A ‘grades were mine’ because of the association. These thoughts are further confirmed in reference 1, in which PHD students of different ethnic backgrounds and intersectional neurodiversity’s discuss their view points and lived experiences of being a student along with perceptions of career progression in academia.
[Image showing school children at the start point of their race after being questioned relating to lived experiences of setbacks caused by inequality and racism.]
As an academic, with white privilege, I believe it is important for me to be aware of this disparity between groups and how early it begins. To ensure that I make all my resources available for use beyond the classroom and that any resources I produce are made mindfully to support the intake of information of all students, regardless of colour, language, disabilities, gender etc. However, the most important thing of all is that I believe in all my students (chickering and Gamson 1987), give them equal opportunity to have voice in the room (Hooks: 1993).
References:
Reference 1: Garrett, R. (2024). Racism shapes careers: career trajectories and imagined futures of racialised minority PhDs in UK higher education. Globalisation, Societies and Education, pp.1–15. doi:10.1080/14767724.2024.2307886.
Reference 2: Bradbury, A. (2019). A critical race theory framework for education policy analysis: the case of bilingual learners and assessment policy in England. Race Ethnicity and Education, 23(2), pp.1–20. doi:10.1080/13613324.2019.1599338.
Reference 3: The school that tried to end racism: www.youtube.com. (n.d.). – YouTube. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i3wj7pjujg [Accessed 16 July 2026].
Reference 4: Chickering, A.W. and Gamson, Z.F. (1991). Appendix A: Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 1991(47), pp.63–69. doi:10.1002/tl.37219914708.
Reference 5: Hooks, B. (1994). Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom. [online] Routledge & CRC Press. Available at: https://www.routledge.com/Teaching-to-Transgress-Education-as-the-Practice-of-Freedom/hooks/p/book/9780415908085 [Accessed 16 July 2026].
Reference 6: Drew, C. and PhD (2022). 19 Everyday Examples of White Privilege (2022). [online] helpfulprofessor.com. Available at: https://helpfulprofessor.com/white-privilege-examples/ [Accessed 16 July 2026].
Ai Log:
Prompt 1: hi chat GPT, please think of a title for this post about race:
These research-backed principles focus on optimizing the educational experience through the following areas:
1. Encourages Student-Faculty Contact
Building rapport and maintaining regular communication with professors increases student motivation and intellectual commitment. [1, 2]
Examples: Faculty holding office hours, being accessible via email or messaging, and acting as mentors. [1]
2. Develops Reciprocity and Cooperation Among Students
Learning is enhanced when it is collaborative and social, rather than competitive. [1, 2, 3]
Examples: Group projects, peer reviews, study groups, and collaborative problem-solving. [1, 2, 3]
3. Encourages Active Learning
Students learn best when they are mentally and physically engaged in the material, rather than just passively listening. [1, 2, 3]
Examples: Class discussions, hands-on labs, debates, and applying concepts to real-world scenarios. [1, 2]
4. Gives Prompt Feedback
Feedback is most effective when provided quickly after an assignment, allowing students to assess their performance and adjust their learning methods. [1, 2, 3]
Effective learning requires adequate time, focus, and realistic expectations regarding workload and pacing. [1, 2, 3]
Examples: Clear deadlines, time-management strategies, and structured, incremental milestones for large projects. [1, 2, 3]
6. Communicates High Expectations
Setting high but attainable expectations motivates students to push their boundaries and perform at their highest capabilities. [1, 2]
Examples: Providing detailed grading rubrics, recognizing exceptional work, and encouraging students to set ambitious personal goals. [1, 2]
7. Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning
Instruction should accommodate different learning styles, backgrounds, and abilities to ensure all students have equal opportunities to succeed. [1, 2]
Examples: Using a variety of teaching methods (visual, auditory, tactile), offering alternative assignment formats, and using inclusive curriculum designs. [1, 2]
‘if teachers in inner city schools score their ‘difficult intake’ above
the national average, they are encouraged to alter results (Bradbury 2013). This system
244 A. BRADBURY
operates to systematically disadvantage children from minoritised and lower income
backgrounds, who are constituted as inevitably low-attaining.’
‘Policy can be co-opted by the unintended beneficiaries, to prove a point’.
The CRT principle of interest convergence (Bell 1992), which describes how progress
for minoritised groups only occurs when it is also in the interest of white elites,
provokes an analysis of policy based on a recognition that policy is always
a compromise between competing interests.’
‘In this work concepts and
presentational tools from CRT are used to explore how assessment operates as a selfreinforcing
mechanism for maintaining disparities in attainment at age five. This
research suggested that it is a public knowledge that ‘disadvantaged’ groups receive
lower results, and thus these lower results become the only intelligible results possible
for teachers to record; if teachers in inner city schools score their ‘difficult intake’ above
the national average, they are encouraged to alter results (Bradbury 2013).’
‘This system operates to systematically disadvantage children from minoritised and lower income backgrounds, who are constituted as inevitably low-attaining.’
‘Policy matters for those interested in inequalities because it ‘shapes who benefits,
for what purposes and who pays’ (Bell and Stevenson 2006, 9).’
Chat GPT Prompt (Question asked to help me to understand CRT): hi chat gpt please explain this exerpt from text,’A critical race theory framework for education policy analysis: the case of bilingual learners and assessment policy in England’…. The question of who is prioritised within policy can be framed as ‘How is white dominance prioritised?’; if we take on board the concept of interest convergence (Bell 1992), then we recognise that even legislation which appears to prioritise minoritised groups does so in a way which somehow benefits whites.
Of course. This excerpt is drawing on two key ideas from Critical Race Theory (CRT): white dominance and interest convergence.
Let’s unpack it sentence by sentence.
“The question of who is prioritised within policy can be framed as ‘How is white dominance prioritised?’”
The authors are suggesting that when we examine an education policy, we shouldn’t simply ask “Who benefits?” Instead, CRT encourages us to ask:
“How does this policy maintain or reinforce advantages for white people?”
This stems from the CRT view that racism is not just about individual prejudice, but is often embedded within social institutions and policies.
For example, a school assessment policy might appear neutral, but if it systematically disadvantages bilingual learners (who are often from minoritised ethnic groups), CRT would ask whether the policy is effectively preserving a system that works best for the white majority.
“if we take on board the concept of interest convergence (Bell 1992)…”
This refers to a famous CRT concept developed by legal scholar Derrick Bell.
Interest convergence argues that advances for racial minorities tend to occur only when they also serve the interests of the dominant white group.
In other words:
Progress for minoritised groups happens when it benefits those already in power.
Bell argued that racial justice reforms are often adopted not purely because they are morally right, but because they also produce advantages for the dominant group.
“then we recognise that even legislation which appears to prioritise minoritised groups does so in a way which somehow benefits whites.”
This is the key claim.
The authors are saying that even policies that seem designed to help ethnic minority groups may still be structured in ways that ultimately serve white interests.
For example, a hypothetical policy supporting bilingual learners might:
Improve educational outcomes for those learners.
But also help the national economy by creating a more skilled workforce.
Or improve a school’s performance statistics.
Or reduce social tensions.
From an interest convergence perspective, the policy may have been adopted not solely because policymakers wanted to support bilingual learners, but because doing so also delivered benefits valued by the dominant majority.
A simpler translation
The passage is essentially saying:
When analysing education policy through Critical Race Theory, we should ask not only who appears to benefit, but how policies may continue to protect white interests. Even policies that seem to help ethnic minority groups may only gain support because they also provide advantages to the white majority.
Critical evaluation
One thing to note for your studies is that this is a theoretical interpretation, not an established fact. Critics of CRT argue that it can sometimes assume white interests are present even when policymakers are genuinely motivated by equality concerns. Supporters would respond that examining power and hidden interests helps reveal inequalities that more traditional policy analysis might miss.
So the passage is not saying:
“All policies helping minorities are secretly racist.”
Rather, it is saying:
“We should critically examine whether policies that appear progressive still operate in ways that preserve existing racial power structures or serve dominant-group interests.”
That distinction is important when reading CRT literature.
Response:
Idea for blog post
Could cross examine and answer the questions in table 1 of ‘RACE ETHNICITY AND EDUCATION’ Bradbury 2020) against the video in which the children learn about race inequality.
Performative ^^^?
Racism shapes careers: career trajectories and imagined futures of racialised minority PhDs in UK higher education
‘The report found that the number of white students progressing up to professor increased every year, but the number of BAME students and academics decreased every year.’
‘From an intersectional lens, Bhopal and Pitkin (2020) found that racialised minority women were disadvantaged in their academic experiences in comparison to their white counterparts, facing a ‘triple burden’ of ‘oppression resulting from their classed, gendered, and ethnic identities’ (p.709). The ‘triple burden’ can extend to other protected characteristics, represented through what Lewis and Arday (2023) describe as the ‘whitening of neurodiversity’, highlighting how Black scholars often must negotiate both race and neurotypical hegemonic practices of UK higher education.’
Chat GPT prompt: meritocracy and underachievement – meaning
Meritocracy is a social or political system where individuals advance, gain power, or earn rewards based strictly on their own abilities, talents, and effort, rather than wealth or family background. Underachievement refers to performing below the level of one’s tested potential or established expectations. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The Core Concepts
Meritocracy: Originates from the Latin mereō (to earn) and the Greek kratos (power). In a true meritocracy, everyone has equal opportunities, and hard work guarantees success. [1, 2, 3]
Underachievement: Typically used in educational and workplace contexts to describe individuals who do not meet academic, professional, or cognitive expectations despite possessing high native intelligence or capability. [1]
Intersection of the Two Terms
When these two ideas are discussed together, they form a highly debated topic in modern sociology and education:
1. The Myth of Meritocracy Sociologists frequently critique meritocracy as a “legitimating myth”. They argue that it functions to justify social inequalities by making individuals believe that if they “underachieve,” it is solely due to their own lack of ability or effort. [1, 2]
2. Unequal Starting Points In practice, meritocracy is often viewed as flawed because people do not start on equal footing. Factors like socioeconomic background, systemic disadvantages, and unequal access to quality education or resources profoundly shape a student’s or employee’s ability to demonstrate “merit”. [1, 2, 3, 4]
3. The Psychosocial Burden Because society pushes the ideology that success is entirely a matter of talent and effort, those who “underachieve” often internalize the failure, experiencing self-blame, psychological distress, and lowered self-esteem, while overlooking structural barriers. [1, 2]
‘Whiteness must be seen as more than an optical privilege in the workplace, but as an ecology of hostile structures and practices that shape what we consider to be daily norms.’
‘highlight the damaging norms whiteness creates, such as defensiveness to quell new ideas, conflating open conflict with being impolite, desire for individual competitive credit, and believing that those in power have a right to emotional and psychological comfort.’
‘As a ‘Black’ researcher in areas of racial identity, she had a positive reception when speaking about race from her department, but when she was ‘bringing up issues of neurodiversity or ablism in academia’ she was told to ‘let other people talk about it’ from individuals in influential ‘decision making positions’. Her experience with being ‘Black’ and ‘neurodivergent’ meant she was seen as a ‘race expert’, but her intersectional identity was erased. This was also reflected in her experience getting reasonable adjustments in her PhD, arguing that if the university ‘can’t even follow my reasonable adjustments as a student, I doubt [they’d] be able to if I was a lecturer’. Ekam shared a similar sentiment who said their neurodivergence was ‘underplayed’ because they were seen as an ‘organised’ person and felt tensions with ‘the racialised part of [their] identity. when discussing neurodivergent matters. Ekam felt the university was not going to take their neurodivergence seriously as they were able to ‘mask’ or assimilate to their environment, but it ‘takes a lot for [them] to be this way’’
‘Other visibly marginalised participants such as Maya and Jasmine expressed how the university used them as a ‘poster child’ for diversity, taking their racial identity but not valuing them as researchers.’
‘As a PhD with very international experiences, she described UK academia as a ‘crumbling infrastructure’ and questioned ‘you motherfuckers conquered half the world how?’, questioning the colonial structures that have shaped the individualistic practices PhDs endure (Jones and Okun 2001).’
‘Jaden summarised how Blackness can be experienced in research when giving advice to future Black PhD researchers, as whiteness ‘needs 100 reasons to give you [an opportunity] but only one to take it away … you need to make sure you’re excellent’.’
‘didn’t realise how different having an Asian supervisor would be until I had one’. This also made her reflect that her‘other supervisors are really white’, showing how whiteness is only exposed when it is not normalised. Because of this, she had ‘never really thought that having an Asian supervisor would mean anything to me or make a difference, but I was like this is actually quite powerful’ to have what she described as ‘ethnic solidarity’.’
It was important for the participants to not only have a mentor, but a mentor who could understand their marginalised, racialised experiences.
Developing as a teacher: changing conceptions of teaching and the challenges of applying theory to practice Gwyneth Hughes, David Baume, Ayona Silva-Fletcher & Linda AmraneCooper
Framework mentioned in text —
Peter Kugel’s framework describes how university professors and college instructors develop as teachers over time, rather than classifying student degrees. First proposed in his seminal 1993 article, How Professors Develop as Teachers, this model outlines 5 stages of pedagogical growth. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Kugel’s 5 Stages of Teacher Development
Instructors typically move from focusing heavily on themselves to focusing entirely on student learning. [1]
Stage 1: Focus on Self
The teacher focuses on their role, classroom management, and presenting information accurately. [1]
Stage 2: Focus on Subject
The teacher masters the discipline and emphasizes their understanding of the material. [1]
Stage 3: Focus on Student as Receptive
The teacher shifts to considering how well students absorb the provided content.
Stage 4: Focus on Student as Active
The teacher creates methods to help students actively apply what they have learned.
Stage 5: Focus on Student as Independent
The teacher’s ultimate goal shifts to helping students learn and explore on their own. [1]
I was particularly drawn to the Ted Talk by Kwame Anthony Appiah in which he discusses generalisations around religion and whether they are true, such as ‘Religion is bad’ or ‘religion is good’. He also discusses the ways in which religion is categorised, often through the idea that it involves belief in spiritual beings. The discussion explores the religions we commonly list: Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and Christianity, and questions how this list was originally formed.
Appiah explains that European travellers, generally from Christian cultures, travelled around the world and arrived in places where Christianity did not exist leading them to ask: what do these people have instead? They looked for rituals or practices similar to Christianity and declared these to be the religion of that country. From this video, I learnt that Christianity is a creedal religion, people believe it provides guidance on how to do the right things and when people were not following these ‘right’ things, this sometimes resulted in war and violence.
However, during the 19th Century, science began to establish itself more firmly and people started finding ways to intertwine scientific thinking with Christian beliefs. Before this period, many natural events would have been attributed directly to religion or God. From the 19th Century onwards, ways of thinking were no longer singularly linked to religion and people began to think philosophically as well.
Appiah then discusses spiritual practices within the Ghanaian village he comes from and how these were interpreted as religion by European observers. He describes how these still exist in modern life, e.g. pouring part of a drink onto the floor to ‘share with the ancestors’. He explains that these are not people ‘stuck in the past’, but modern individuals working in banking, technology and other professions, who still strongly believe in spirits and actively participate in these practices.
This prompted thought about the way we ask people to tick a box to ‘describe their religion’ and the limitations within this process, surely impossible when there are thousands of spiritual practices around the world. This connects closely to Reference 2 (see reference list). The authors state that: “Ethical and environmental vegans ‘make their choices in line with their core values. They want to live in alignment with their beliefs.’”
Image shows ‘Religion’ data sets in the EDI report from across UAL: Accessed 21/05/26: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/561434/EDI-Report-2025.pdf:
Following this video and the article, it seems impossible to fully categorise religion. Religious framing itself appears to be a construct heavily shaped by Christian values and belief systems. Philosophical and spiritual practices may be infinite, and by enforcing a box-ticking exercise we risk alienating students and staff whose beliefs do not fit neatly within predefined categories. A more inclusive approach may be to provide an open response box (if a box is needed at all) allowing individuals to describe their own religion, philosophical belief or spiritual practice in their own terms. My intention is to explore this more thoroughly in my own practice by allowing students to determine their own religion/philosphical belief and to frame their needs around this, I wish to explore ways in which this can foster a sense of belonging when entering HE (see Intervention Proposal blog and Intervention Plan Report).
Reference 2: McKeown, P., & Dunn, R. A. (2021). A ‘Life-Style Choice’ or a Philosophical Belief?: The Argument for Veganism and Vegetarianism to be a Protected Philosophical Belief and the Position in England and Wales. Liverpool Law Review, 42(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10991-020-09273-w
Reference 3: UAL. (2022, March 8). Equality objectives and reports. UAL. https://www.arts.ac.uk/about-ual/public-information/equality-objectives-and-reports
Ai Log:
Prompt 1: Hi chat gpt – please think of a good title for the following article about religion:
