When Beliefs Meet the Classroom: A Practical Guide for School Leaders

At the start of another academic year, it seems never a week goes by when discrimination and harassment don’t feature in the news on a social level and this also impacts all types of school settings from various stakeholder perspectives.  Our HR helpline has received an increase in calls asking advice on how to best handle these issues for all those concerned, especially given the complexity of the current legislation; schools’ public equality duties, the magnitude of the equality act and implications of cases law, whilst being aware of the forthcoming employment rights bill. What is abundantly clear is managing equality issues must be high on every school’s strategic agenda.

Here at One Education, we understand that ongoing global conflicts and sensitive events in the news can impact individuals in many differing ways. As adults, with access to many channels of information, it can be difficult to know what information is accurate, what is misinformation and what is disinformation so it is understandable why young learners may have big questions and want to explore these in the classroom. Schools are a safe place in which students can express their thoughts and opinions but it is important that staff maintain professional boundaries and refrain from sharing personal opinion and/or belief when discussing such sensitive issues and that balanced factual information is offered.

Schools are wonderfully diverse places, staff bring different cultures, faiths and opinions into the workplace, and that richness is a huge asset. But diversity also means leaders need to be thoughtful about how personal views are expressed so the school remains a safe, respectful environment for everyone. Here we provide some practical steps to help you manage beliefs and opinions in a multicultural workforce without losing focus on what matters most: students.

When staff understand professional boundaries, everyone benefits: classrooms stay safe spaces, colleagues feel respected, and the school’s reputation remains strong. Teachers, for example, must remain politically impartial in their teaching; more broadly, it’s not what staff believe that counts so much as how they behave and communicate those beliefs at work.

With such a multicultural workforce, how do you make sure that staff understand their professional boundaries and the expectations school have of them?  Start by making your expectations plain and repeating them often. Practical actions include:

• Revisiting policies such as your Code of Conduct and check that it covers political impartiality ensure staff are aware of this and explore professional boundaries in staff meetings and briefings.
• Giving training on facilitating sensitive conversations, steer discussions toward critical thinking and respect rather than personal opinion.
• Reinforcing that boundaries protect both staff and students from misunderstandings and conflict.

Whilst it can be easy to manage matters inside of school, how do you manage messages that staff may be sharing outside of working hours? Staff have a right to private views, but online activity or behaviour outside of school can affect how parents, pupils and colleagues see the school. Help staff navigate that line by:

• Check your social media policy is up to date and you have confirmation that staff have received and read this.
• Communicate expectations about how staff represent themselves online, especially when profiles identify them with the school as well as in public outside of working hours.
• Remind staff that posts seen as derogatory towards the school or its community, discriminatory, inflammatory or demonstrating a lack of political impartiality can erode trust and result in disciplinary action.
• Encourage staff to separate personal and professional accounts, think before posting, and avoid content likely to inflame tensions.
• Staff should be aware that their behaviour outside of the workplace can affect their role especially if it is considered that this behaviour could potentially damage the reputation of the school.
• Offer guidance rather than censorship, explain likely consequences so staff can make informed choices.

Some staff may find that they are particularly affected by press articles or public protests, make sure they know where to turn:

• Promote your Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and other wellbeing resources regularly.
• Show empathy: acknowledge that some staff may be deeply affected by events in their community and offer flexible, confidential support.
• Normalise seeking help and make it easy to access.

As school leaders you set the tone, you should do this by modelling political impartiality and compassionate leadership in conversations with staff, acknowledging the emotional impact of events without assigning blame and most importantly demonstrating how to disagree respectfully, language, calmness and clarity count.

Bring conversations back to student wellbeing and learning. Simple moves:

• Ask how actions, online or in school, support students’ safety and development.
• Promote joint projects that build relationships across staff teams.
• Celebrate staff who model inclusive behaviour and positive engagement with the community.

What steps can you take to protect your school from any problems?

• Review and update conduct-related policies (Code of Conduct, Equality, Sexual Harassment, Grievance).
• Ensure all staff have read the policies and confirmed that they understand expectations.
• Provide Equality and Harassment training to clarify what appropriate workplace conversations look like.
• Share clear social media guidance that explains professional risks without policing private life.
• Promote EAP and wellbeing support proactively.
• Raise and address concerns quickly and fairly, consistent handling signals that breaches won’t be tolerated.
• Remind staff regularly of your safeguarding reporting procedures and expectations.
• Provide all staff training on Whistleblowing and remind staff how they can raise concerns in a professional way.

A multicultural workforce is a huge strength, it teaches students by example how to live and work with difference. With clear rules, thoughtful leadership and a focus on student wellbeing you can keep that strength while preventing division. Start by reviewing one policy or scheduling a short briefing this term, small, steady steps will pay off. One Education can support in ensuring your policies are up to date and can provide training on Equality, Sexual Harassment in the Workplace and Whistleblowing for both school leaders and all staff please email info@oneeducation.co.uk