Reflections from the BAMEedWales Festival

On Friday 20th June, I had the pleasure of speaking on a panel at the BAMEedWales Festival - a gathering of educators committed to equity, justice, and real change in Welsh education. Sitting alongside people who are doing the work-and doing it with integrity-was a reminder of why this matters. Why it still matters. Why it always has.

One theme echoed throughout the day: anti-racism cannot be treated as an optional extra in Initial Teacher Education (ITE). If we’re serious about building an inclusive education system, every new teacher must step into the profession with the understanding, language, and confidence to challenge racism; structural and interpersonal. This work can’t wait until they’re “settled into the job.” It needs to start from the beginning.

We also spoke honestly about the discomfort that still surrounds these conversations. Many teachers still feel unsure, or afraid, to talk about racism. That discomfort is real. But avoiding the conversation doesn’t protect anyone. It just protects the status quo. Silence sustains the very systems we claim to want to dismantle.

That’s where leadership comes in. And that’s the part that stayed with me most.

Anti-racism is leadership work. It’s not the responsibility of the diversity lead or the person with lived experience. If you lead a school—you lead this. That means looking at your curriculum. Your safeguarding policies. Your staffroom culture. And asking the hard questions. The ones that won’t always have easy answers.

I shared what I keep learning from the schools I work with: that we don’t just need new policies—we need new thinking. The old ways won’t get us where we need to go. Business as usual won’t build the future our students deserve. It will take imagination, care, discomfort, and community.

The festival was a reminder that this work doesn’t have to be done in isolation. There’s a growing movement of educators across Wales-and beyond-who are choosing to lead with courage, not convenience.

I’m proud to be among them. Let’s keep going.

P.S. If you or your school is ready to move beyond one-off training and take this work deeper, the Virtual Action Research Programme is now open for applications. Our next cohort begins in September 2025—click here to apply and get the programme details sent to you.