Code of Professional Practice at Stake? Race, Representation and Professionalism in British Education

Abstract

Sizeable studies have been conducted on the work and experiences of teachers and headteachers in general. Most of these studies do not examine black teachers' professional lives. However, recently, a body of literature which addresses the invisibility of black teachers' professional lives seems to be growing. Studying teachers' experiences from the race-'social race' perspective is particularly important in the context of concerns raised by the Macpherson report on the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, incited by the new Labour Government's deracialised educational policy initiatives such as Performance Related Pay (PRP) and caused by the current serious shortage of teachers in Britain. This article critically scrutinises the credibility of professionalism in the teaching profession by drawing on evidence from the existing literature. Substantiated arguments have been put forward on what effect an individual's race can have on black teachers' career aspirations and progression regardless of their high level of professionalism in teaching. While the article primarily deals with black teachers' experiences, it also includes some experiences of ethnic minority teachers. Some ethnic and race data on ethnic minority people are aggregated in official statistics. The potential implications of these statistics for the teaching profession and race relations are presented. A possible way forward has been also proposed.