Breaking the Bias with Frances Akinde, Mind the Gap, Ep. 36 (S2E11)

For this episode, Tom and Emma chat with Frances Akinde, a headteacher for the special school in Riverdmeade Inclusive Trust. The conversation begins with a discussion on Francis’ article, The Year Getting Into ‘Good Trouble’ Became Necessary. This led to the topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the professional education space. Francis explores how there is not enough representation in leadership positions, discussing her time in school and as a teacher. Visit edCircuit.com to watch this episode.

In the second part of the discussion, Tom, Emma, and Francis discuss special schools and their importance to the education system. Francis has been a headteacher in a special school for three years and in that time she has garnered a wealth of knowledge and experience. Frances discusses the importance of understanding students individually and how a special school environment stops students from falling through the cracks. A particular point of emphasis for Frances is understanding the nuanced circumstances of her students and ensuring she connects with them individually to address their needs. Frances primarily works with students on the autism spectrum and her work has broadened her understanding of education and training for teachers.

About the participants:

Frances Akinde is the headteacher of the special school for Rivermeade Inclusive Trust in Kent. Frances started her career as an LEA specialist advisory teacher (SEN/SLCN) and AP Assessment center manager and has been in leadership roles since 2017. Outside of her work as headteacher, Francis is an advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion particularly focused on seeing more representation in education leadership.

Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specializing in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. His books include Teaching WalkThrus, Rosenshine’s Principles in Action, and The Learning Rainforest Fieldbook. He regularly contributes to conferences and CPD sessions locally and nationally and is busy working in schools and colleges across the UK and around the world. Follow Tom on Twitter @teacherhead

Emma Turner joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust as the Research and CPD lead after 20 years in primary teaching. She is the founder of ‘NewEd – Joyful CPD for early-career teachers’, a not-for-profit approach to CPD to encourage positivity amongst the profession and help to retain teachers in post. Turner is the author of Be More Toddler: A Leadership Education From Our Little Learners and Let’s Talk About Flex: Flipping the flexible working narrative for education. Follow Emma on Twitter @emma_turner75