Developing Black and Minority Ethnic Leaders: The Case for Customized Programmes

The provision of customized black and minority ethnic (BME) leadership courses and programmes is one of the measures being employed to address the under-representation of teachers and school leaders from minority ethnic backgrounds. This strategy has always attracted controversy as opinions have been divided about its value and benefits. Yet there is paucity of literature on the content and impact of customized BME leadership programmes. This paper examines the perception and reported experiences of participants of Equal Access to Promotion (EAP) and Investing in Diversity (IiD), two BME leadership development programmes, for the benefits and value-added by customized BME leadership development programmes. The paper also draws attention to current statistics on the positioning of BME teachers and school leaders within the school system in England and the perceived impact of customized BME programmes in addressing the barriers faced by BME teachers in their drive for development and progression.