Black classroom teachers are paid less than their white colleagues and are still underrepresented at leadership levels, a report has warned.
Analysis by the NEU teaching union also found Black teachers are more likely to leave the profession as a result of workplace discrimination.
Figures obtained from a freedom of information (FOI) request and the School Workforce Census show Black teachers outside of London earned an average of 4.5 per cent less than white teachers last year.
The NEU is now calling on the government to produce a national strategy to address barriers faced by Black teachers and commit to goals for a diverse teaching profession.
Ethnicity pay gap ‘must not go on’
The union has also said that employers should provide details of pay outcomes by equality groups, and have pay policies that set out how pay decisions are made and are compliant with the Equality Act.
“The ethnicity pay gap among England’s teaching workforce has stayed stubborn for a decade, and this must not go on,” said NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede.
He added that as part of the Department for Education’s efforts to solve the recruitment and retention crisis in teaching, it must address the loss of Black teachers at every career stage.
Around 8 to 12 per cent of Black teachers leave the state school system before retirement every year, the analysis found. This compared to around 6 to 8 per cent of white teachers leaving the profession a year.
Almost 60 per cent of Black teachers said discrimination was a cause of stress for them in the workplace. This is compared with 30 per cent of white teachers.
Still need to tackle ‘glass ceiling’ for non-white teachers
The NEU report, published today, also highlights that only 5 per cent of headteachers are from Black backgrounds - compared with 8 per cent of assistant headteachers and 12 per cent of classroom teachers.
NEU’s analysis found no significant ethnicity pay gap outside of London in leadership roles - but did find a gap of around 3.5 per cent on average in London.
The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) found in 2022 that people from Black, Asian, mixed or other ethnic minority backgrounds are less likely to progress to leadership roles than white teachers.
Earlier this year, the NFER urged the previous government to launch an action plan to improve diversity in the teaching profession, warning that non-white teachers face an “invisible glass ceiling”.
“We must, together, tackle the barriers facing Black teachers. There are so many upsides for students from getting the chance to learn from, and be inspired by, teachers with different backgrounds”, said Mr Kebede.
The Department for Education was contacted for comment.
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