Anti-racist school leadership in Wales: from theory to practice

Wales’s 2030 ambition of becoming an Anti-Racist nation has resulted in a multi-disciplinary mission for change. The education sector is making significant strides towards this goal through specific resourcing and focus. The revised Curriculum for Wales (2022) supports the aims of the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan (ARWAP); however, upper tier system/policy leaders and school leaders so far hold varied levels of understanding about how to put this ambition into practice. This small-scale research project sketches professional learning journeys of school leaders and the implementation of anti-racist professional practice. This work evaluates the effectiveness a tailor-made programme which promotes anti-racist leadership and organisational whole-school change to foster an inclusive school environment, and thus, address systemic inequalities. This journal presents evidence from six schools (one secondary school and five primary schools) and one Local Authority representative. This reflective account charts actions the leaders carried out and the demonstrable impact made to systemic change taking place as an example of work within the nationwide professional learning and development in Wales. Educating leaders and practitioners is a fundamental step within schools contributing to the ambition of Wales becoming an anti-racist nation and ensuring racial equity is experienced by all.