London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 12, 2025

Not enough black headteachers in England, says Nadhim Zahawi

Not enough black headteachers in England, says Nadhim Zahawi

Education secretary says schools must be inclusive and representative and should reflect their communities
There are not enough black headteachers working in schools in England, and more are needed to improve inclusivity and representation, the new education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, has told a conference of school leaders.

In response to a question on diversity and leadership at the National Association of Head Teachers conference on Saturday, Zahawi said: “School leadership is not representative when it comes to race, and as you say, there aren’t enough black headteachers.

“I’d go further and say there aren’t enough black leaders in the civil service and higher echelons of departments across government, and we need to do better there as well.”

Zahawi added: “I really do think that it’s critical that teaching is an inclusive profession. Schools and their leadership teams should reflect their communities and their pupils and I’m absolutely determined to see improvements.

“I think we need inspiring teachers to represent and motivate pupils from all walks of life.”

Frances Akinde, the headteacher of Rivermead community special school in Gillingham, asked Zahawi: “In nearly every room that I enter as a school leader I’m often the only person who looks like me. Even more so when it comes to special education ... I would like to know what you are committed to doing to remove barriers to leadership and to increase diversity.”

Saying that current levels were “not good enough”, Zahawi said: “I want us to make sure that we continue to encourage more black and ethnic minority candidates into the profession.”

In his first speech to the sector since replacing Gavin Williamson as education secretary, Zahawi told the NAHT delegates that he wanted to investigate why some children were still absent from state schools in the wake of the pandemic.

“I want us to put wellbeing at the centre of everything we do in schools, alongside a drive for rigorous standards and high performance.

“But, of course, we can’t do this if children are not at school, so another key priority for me will be getting to the root of what is causing children to be persistently absent and then tackling it head-on,” Zahawi said.

In secondary schools the attendance rate dropped to fewer than 87% of pupils at the end of September, according to Department for Education figures. Pre-pandemic absentee rates were about 6%-7% of school sessions. The figures showed more than 3% of secondary students were absent for Covid-related reasons, leaving the remainder unaccounted for.

But Zahawi refused to reveal any details of the DfE’s bid for increased schools or recovery funding, telling delegates in London that he wouldn’t “provide a running commentary on the spending review” but was “making the case” for investing in education.

Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the NAHT, said: “What we heard from Mr Zahawi was encouraging. The real test is what he is prepared to do immediately to prise more investment from the Treasury in the comprehensive spending review, and then how he chooses to develop policy.”

Earlier, delegates had voted overwhelmingly to oppose any attempts by the government to remove the 1,265-hour annual cap on teachers’ “directed time” workload.

Amy Lassman, the head of Nelson Mandela primary school in Birmingham, said the proposal said to be under consideration “reeks of disrespect” for the profession. “We cannot use teachers to fill a gaping hole in the government’s failing tuition policy,” Lassman said.

The conference also backed a motion calling for next year’s national Sats tests in England to be scrapped because of ongoing disruption caused by the pandemic.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
×