New plan to recruit more Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic teachers
The Welsh Government (@WG_Education) has today (22 Oct) announced its intention to introduce financial incentives to help recruit more ethnic minority teachers.
This comes as part of a wider plan being published today that will focus on increasing diversity among applicants into Initial Teacher Education courses.
The latest Annual Education Workforce Statistics found that only 1.3% of school teachers in Wales identified as being from an ethnic minority background, compared to 12% of learners.
The Plan will include targeting promotion of teaching as a career to more people from ethnic minority communities. There will also be a requirement for Initial Teacher Education courses to work towards the recruitment of a percentage of students from ethnic minority backgrounds.
For the first time, additional financial incentives will also be introduced to attract more ethnic minority student teachers, from 2022. Incentives currently exist for subjects where there is a high demand for teachers, such as Mathematics and sciences, as well as the Iaith Athrawon Yfory scheme to attract more Welsh-medium teachers.
The work is part of the Welsh Government’s response to the recommendations from the working group which has advised on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities, Contributions and Cynefin in the new school Curriculum.
Jeremy Miles, the Minister for Education and Welsh Language, said:
“It is vital that we increase the diversity of our teaching workforce to better support our learners. To do this, we must understand the barriers which are preventing more people from ethnic minority backgrounds from going into teaching, and take action to ensure those barriers are removed.
“It is simply not good enough that fewer than 2% of teachers are from an ethnic minority background. That is why we are launching this much needed plan, so that we have a workforce that better reflects the population of Wales.
“Importantly, increasing diversity in schools should not only apply to areas where there is a higher proportion of people from ethnic minority backgrounds, but across the whole of Wales.
“This work is the first phase in the important work to increase diversity in our education workforce.”
The Betty Campbell MBE Award
The Minister also announced a new award in this year’s Professional Teaching Awards Cymru. The Betty Campbell Award, for promoting the contributions and perspectives of Black, Asian and Minority ethnic communities, will be awarded to an individual, team or school that has demonstrated an outstanding awareness of the importance of diversity and inclusion in the classroom.
The award honours the late Betty Campbell MBE, the former head teacher at Mount Stuart Primary School and the first black head teacher in Wales.
Elaine Clarke, Mrs Campbell’s daughter, said:
“The family is extremely proud and privileged to have this new Professional Teaching Awards Cymru category named after our mother, who will be remembered in such a wonderful and iconic way.
“Our mum was very passionate about education and pioneering a curriculum that ensured children had the opportunity to access and embrace a rich experience, reflecting their multi-ethnic identities and inspired them to achieve their dreams. To Betty, the impossible was always possible.
“The Award is a wonderful way to promote inclusion of all Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups and we are sure the recipients will continue to inspire future generations in the footsteps of our mother.”
Professor Charlotte Williams, who chairs the working group on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities, Contributions and Cynefin in the school Curriculum, said:
“I am delighted to see the launch of this new award. I hope it will stimulate schools into thinking of innovative and imaginative ways to represent these themes within the new curriculum.
“Diversity is a central and cross-cutting theme of the new curriculum. This award will encourage schools to think strategically about how they can embed this important dimension within all that they do.
“The launch of this award is a sure sign that the Welsh Government is responding swiftly to the recommendations of the Ministerial report on diversity in the new curriculum.”
The amount of the incentive referred to in the statement above will be determined at a later date.
Professional Teaching Awards Cymru
The Professional Teaching Awards Cymru honour the achievements of teachers in Wales who are championing success in education and demonstrating the utmost dedication and commitment in the process.
The Professional Teaching Awards Cymru 2021 categories:
- Headteacher of the Year
- Inspirational Use of the Welsh Langauge
- Outstanding New Teacher
- Pupil (or Pupils’) Award for Best Teacher
- School Business Manager/Bursar
- Supporting Teachers and Learners
- Teacher of the Year in a Primary school
- Teacher of the Year in a Secondary school
- Youth Work in Schools
- The Betty Campbell (MBE) award for promoting the contributions and perspectives of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities
Cynllun newydd i recriwtio mwy o athrawon Duon, Asiaidd ac Ethnig Lleiafrifol
Heddiw mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cyhoeddi ei bwriad i gyflwyno cymhellion ariannol i helpu i recriwtio mwy o athrawon ethnig lleiafrifol.
Daw hyn fel rhan o gynllun ehangach sy’n cael ei gyhoeddi heddiw a fydd yn canolbwyntio ar gynyddu amrywiaeth ymhlith ymgeiswyr i gyrsiau Addysg Gychwynnol i Athrawon.
Canfu Ystadegau Blynyddol y Gweithlu Addysg mai dim ond 1.3% o athrawon ysgol yng Nghymru a nododd eu bod o gefndir ethnig lleiafrifol, o gymharu â 12% o ddysgwyr.
Bydd y Cynllun yn cynnwys targedu hyrwyddo addysgu fel gyrfa i fwy o bobl o gymunedau ethnig lleiafrifol. Bydd hefyd yn ofynnol i gyrsiau Addysg Gychwynnol i Athrawon weithio tuag at recriwtio canran o fyfyrwyr o gefndiroedd ethnig lleiafrifol.
Am y tro cyntaf, bydd cymhellion ariannol ychwanegol yn cael eu cyflwyno hefyd i ddenu mwy o athrawon dan hyfforddiant o leiafrifoedd ethnig, o 2022 ymlaen. Ar hyn o bryd mae cymhellion yn bodoli ar gyfer pynciau lle mae galw mawr am athrawon, fel Mathemateg a’r gwyddorau, yn ogystal â’r cynllun Iaith Athrawon Yfory i ddenu mwy o athrawon cyfrwng Cymraeg.
Mae’r gwaith yn rhan o ymateb Llywodraeth Cymru i’r argymhellion gan y gweithgor sydd wedi cynghori ar Gymunedau Duon, Asiaidd ac Ethnig Lleiafrifol, Cyfraniadau a Chynefin yn y Cwricwlwm newydd i ysgolion.
Dywedodd Jeremy Miles, Gweinidog y Gymraeg ac Addysg:
“Mae’n hanfodol ein bod ni’n cynyddu amrywiaeth ein gweithlu addysgu i gefnogi ein dysgwyr yn well. I wneud hyn, mae’n rhaid i ni ddeall y rhwystrau sy’n atal mwy o bobl o gefndiroedd ethnig lleiafrifol rhag mynd i addysgu, a gweithredu i sicrhau bod y rhwystrau hynny’n cael eu dileu.
“Yn syml, nid yw’n ddigon da bod llai na 2% o athrawon o gefndir ethnig lleiafrifol. Dyma pam rydyn ni’n lansio’r cynllun yma y mae ei wir angen, fel bod gennym ni weithlu sy’n adlewyrchu poblogaeth Cymru yn well.
“Yn bwysig, dylai cynyddu amrywiaeth mewn ysgolion fod yn berthnasol nid yn unig i ardaloedd lle mae cyfran uwch o bobl o gefndiroedd ethnig lleiafrifoedd, ond ledled Cymru gyfan.
“Y gwaith hwn yw’r cam cyntaf yn y gwaith pwysig i gynyddu amrywiaeth yn ein gweithlu addysg.”
Gwobr Betty Campbell MBE
Cyhoeddodd y Gweinidog wobr newydd hefyd yng Ngwobrau Addysgu Proffesiynol Cymru eleni. Bydd Gwobr Betty Campbell, am hyrwyddo cyfraniadau a safbwyntiau cymunedau Duon, Asiaidd ac ethnig lleiafrifol, yn cael ei dyfarnu i unigolyn, tîm neu ysgol sydd wedi dangos ymwybyddiaeth ragorol o bwysigrwydd amrywiaeth a chynhwysiant yn yr ystafell ddosbarth.
Mae’r wobr yn anrhydeddu’r ddiweddar Betty Campbell MBE, cyn bennaeth yn Ysgol Gynradd Mount Stuart a’r pennaeth du cyntaf yng Nghymru.
Dywedodd Elaine Clarke, merch Mrs Campbell:
“Mae’r teulu’n hynod falch a breintiedig o gael y categori newydd yma yng Ngwobrau Addysgu Proffesiynol Cymru, wedi’i enwi ar ôl ein mam, a fydd yn cael ei chofio mewn ffordd mor hyfryd ac eiconig.
“Roedd ein mam yn angerddol iawn am addysg ac arloesi yn y cwricwlwm, a oedd yn sicrhau bod plant yn cael cyfle i fwynhau a chofleidio profiadau cyfoethog, gan adlewyrchu eu hunaniaeth aml-ethnig a’u hysbrydoli i gyflawni eu breuddwydion. I Betty, roedd yr amhosibl bob amser yn bosibl.
“Mae’r Wobr yn ffordd hyfryd o hyrwyddo cynhwysiant yr holl grwpiau Duon, Asiaidd a lleiafrifol ac rydym yn siŵr y bydd y rhai fydd yn ei derbyn yn parhau i gael eu hysbrydoli, ac yn ysbrydoli cenedlaethau’r dyfodol, yn ôl troed ein mam.”
Dywedodd yr Athro Charlotte Williams, sy’n cadeirio’r gweithgor ar Gymunedau Duon, Asiaidd ac Ethnig Lleiafrifol, Cyfraniadau a Chynefin yn y Cwricwlwm i ysgolion:
“Rwy’n falch iawn o weld lansiad y wobr newydd hon. Rwy’n gobeithio y bydd yn ysgogi ysgolion i feddwl am ffyrdd arloesol a dychmygus o gynrychioli’r themâu hyn yn y cwricwlwm newydd.
“Mae amrywiaeth yn thema ganolog a thrawsbynciol yn y cwricwlwm newydd. Bydd y wobr hon yn annog ysgolion i feddwl yn strategol am sut gallant ymgorffori’r dimensiwn pwysig hwn ym mhopeth maent yn ei wneud.
“Mae lansiad y wobr hon yn arwydd clir bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn ymateb yn gyflym i argymhellion yr adroddiad Gweinidogol ar amrywiaeth yn y cwricwlwm newydd.”
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