gab's PgCert journey

A critical race theory framework for education
policy analysis: the case of bilingual learners and
assessment policy in England
Alice Bradbury

I read Alice Bradbury’s research on how educational policies can discriminate against minority students, even when they appear to be “neutral”. This is a very important topic that many people do not pay enough attention to.

Bradbury combines Critical Race Theory with policy analysis to show how policies can “serve to perpetuate white dominance while appearing neutral and meritocratic”. Her example is the baseline assessment policy in England, which required all children to be assessed in English only at the age of 4-5. This seems fair on the surface, but in reality it significantly disadvantaged bilingual students.

The problem is that when EAL (English as an Additional Language) children scored low on these English-only tests, it created low expectations that followed them throughout their school careers. Teachers and the system thought these children were less capable, when in fact they just needed to be assessed in their native language.

This picture is key to understanding how educational inequalities continue to exist. We need to examine policies more closely to see who really benefits and who is harmed, even when discrimination is not obvious or intentional.

The School That Tried to End Racism – Channel 4

I found this video to be a simple but very effective way of communicating the inequalities that are inherent in our society and which those in a position of advantage often do not even notice.
Children are a great example of representing the innocence of thinking that we are all equal.
It would be interesting to understand how, over the years, this sense of equality is lost in some people, the community and the people who form them.

This observation makes me reflect on how children, by nature, do not see race as a barrier until they are taught to do so by society. When we are young, we play with everyone without thinking about skin colour or background. But at some point, this changes.

The problem is that our social systems – schools, workplaces, the media – slowly teach us that some people are “different” or “inferior” to others. This happens so gradually that many people don’t even realise it’s happening to them. Those who benefit from these inequalities become particularly blind to them because recognising the problem would mean admitting that their advantages were not entirely earned on merit.

Research shows that as early as age 5, children begin to show racial biases learned from their environment (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). This is not because children are naturally racist, but because they absorb the messages around them like sponges. They notice when certain groups are absent from their books, their teachers, or positions of power. They learn from adult conversations, even those adults think children are not listening to.

What saddens me the most is that we could maintain that sense of childhood equality if we really wanted to. Instead, our society systematically strips it away from us, replacing natural acceptance with learned prejudice. Understanding this process is the first step to breaking it.

Reference: Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Racism shapes careers: career trajectories and
imagined futures of racialised minority PhDs in UK
higher education
Rhianna Garrett

Rhianna Garrett’s research focuses on how racism affects the career paths of doctoral students from ethnic minorities at UK universities.

Garrett interviewed 22 doctoral students from ethnic minorities to understand how their identity influences their future career plans. What she discovered is quite shocking: many brilliant students choose not to pursue an academic career because of the racism they experience.

The students described academia as an environment that requires them to “give up” part of themselves in order to fit in. One participant said that it is necessary to become like the typical academic, i.e. “middle class, Cambridge graduate” and usually white. Another student said that being in academia was like “being literally kicked around like a football”, i.e. constant pain and struggle.

What makes the situation even sadder is that these students often had mentors from racial minorities who inspired them, but they also saw how these same mentors were treated badly by the system. They witnessed some faculty members leaving academia after only 2-3 years due to pressure and discrimination.

Research shows that universities need to do more than recruit diverse students: they need to change the entire culture to truly value different perspectives and identities. Without this change, we will continue to lose talented researchers who could make an important contribution to knowledge and society.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Learning how to get it right
Asif Sadiq

Everyone is an individual with a unique identity, rather than simply a representative of the groups to which they belong. When universities try to resolve racial inequalities by looking only at simple categories such as “black” or “Asian,” they are not grasping the full picture.
A black student might also be a worker, neurodiverse, or have English as a second language-all of these elements together shape his experience, not just his race.

The research I read on doctoral students clearly demonstrates this. Students did not experience discrimination just because of race, but because of how their race combined with other parts of their identity. Pakistani Muslim women had different experiences from Black Caribbean men, who were different from mixed-race students.

Perhaps the problem with addressing awarding gaps is that we treat people as if they only have one major identity. We put students in a box and then wonder why our solutions don’t work. But real people are complex: they exist at the intersection of many different identities and experiences.

If we want to truly understand and fix educational inequality, we need to see students as whole people with multiple identities, not just numbers on spreadsheet. This takes more work than simple statistics, but maybe it’s what we actually need to do.

Imagine a Muslim woman who wants to play football. She wears a hijab for her religion, but the sports rules say she cannot wear it during games. She must choose: follow her faith or play the sport she loves. This example shows how different parts of our identity can create difficult situations.
Dr. Haifaa Jawad writes about Muslim women in sports. These women face many problems at the same time. First, they are women in a world where men’s sports get more attention. Second, they are Muslim in Western countries where people sometimes fear Islam. Third, they want to follow their religion’s dress rules, but sports organizations often say no.
Jawad explains that Islam supports women doing physical activities. The problem is not religion itself. The problem is when institutions do not understand or welcome religious needs. For example, many sports do not allow hijabs or modest clothing. They also do not provide separate spaces for men and women, which some Muslim women prefer.

This creates what we call “intersectional discrimination.” This means facing problems because of multiple parts of your identity working together. A Muslim woman athlete does not just face sexism or just face religious discrimination. She faces both at the same time, plus racism if she is from certain countries.

The same patterns happen in education. Students with religious beliefs often must choose between their faith and their studies. For example, important religious holidays might happen during exam periods. Prayer times might conflict with class schedules.
When institutions ignore these needs, they send a message: some students matter more than others. They treat Christian holidays as normal but treat other religious needs as “special requests.” This is not fair.

Religious students, especially those who are visible (like women wearing hijabs), face extra challenges. Other students and teachers might see them as different or assume they have certain beliefs. This affects how people listen to their ideas in class.

At UAL, these problems are visible across the university. Muslim students sometimes miss classes during Ramadan because they need to pray, but there are not enough prayer rooms. With significant numbers of religious students across UAL but only one multi-faith room per college that cannot be booked in advance, access becomes very difficult. While UAL states that “every College has at least 1 Quiet Space available” [1], this means thousands of religious students across all UAL colleges must share very limited spaces for prayer and reflection.

I also see that our academic calendar includes Christmas and Easter holidays automatically. But we do not mark Islamic, Jewish, Hindu, or other religious holidays when planning classes or deadlines. This makes it harder for students from these backgrounds to fully participate.

Some students stay quiet during discussions about topics that touch on religion. I think they worry about being judged or having their views dismissed.
To create inclusive education, we need to do more than just “accommodate” religious students. We need to see religious diversity as normal, not as something extra or difficult.
This means having enough prayer spaces, considering different religious calendars when planning, and training teachers to understand diverse faith backgrounds. Most importantly, we need to listen to students about what they actually need, not what we think they need.
When we understand that students have multiple identities that work together, we can build better learning environments for everyone.

References: [1] UAL Student Stories. “Using Quiet Spaces at UAL.” University of the Arts London, 19 October 2023. https://www.arts.ac.uk/students/stories/using-quiet-spaces-at-ual2

Disability + Race

Ade describes parallels between the BLM movement and the Paralympic movement. He explains how the Paralympics demonstrates that given opportunities and access to sports, disabled people can thrive. Having a disability is not the issue, it is society which creates the discrimination and lack of access around having a disability.

They discuss how disabled people are often segregated in public spaces and transport. They talk about the parallels with this and racial segregation during the 1950’s in America (Montgomery bus boycott). By setting people aside, we are creating an environment that perpetrates discrimination and otherness.

This made me think about how our cities just aren’t built for disabled people. Walk down any street and you’ll see cracked pavements that are impossible to navigate in a wheelchair. Most shops still have steps at the front door, and if there’s a ramp at all, it’s usually round the back by the bins. Bus stops don’t have proper shelters or seating. Traffic lights change too quickly for someone with mobility issues to cross safely. I experienced this myself when I had a leg injury and had to walk with crutches – suddenly every kerb became an obstacle, every set of stairs felt impossible, and I realized how exhausting it was just to get around. Even new buildings seem to tick the legal boxes for accessibility but clearly weren’t designed with disabled people actually in mind. It’s like planners build everything for able-bodied people first, then add disability access as an afterthought when they have to. I find this really frustrating, and it shows how those who need extra support are pushed to the margins while everyone else gets to move around without even thinking about it.

Christine Sun Kim “friends and strangers”

Christine shares her story as an artist who is deaf. She creates art that communicates visually and captures the beauty of sign language.

Moving between different countries has shaped her experience in various ways. When she lived in California, art schools and classes wouldn’t accept her because they said they couldn’t support someone who was deaf. Things changed when she moved to Berlin, where she found it much easier to get studio space, help with childcare, and connect with other people.

As both a mother and an artist who is deaf, she needs reliable childcare to be able to work. She also needs affordable studio rent and people who can interpret for her.

She makes a thought-provoking point about keeping her sense of self when society forces her to depend on others to speak for her. Since she can’t communicate directly in the hearing world, other people have to represent what she’s saying. This creates opportunities for her message to get lost or changed. It raises the question: how do you stay true to yourself when you can’t speak directly for yourself?

Having a community around her means everything. It shows her she’s not the only one facing these challenges. People in her community appreciate her art because it tells their stories and helps the wider world understand what their lives are like.

Disability + Gender

Chay talks about being a trans, gay, white man and how this affects his life in different communities.

He says he has some advantages because he looks like a man who was born male, and people can’t see his disabilities. This shows that our identities are not the problem – it’s how other people see us that makes things difficult.

He found it hard to understand the ways gay men communicate without words.

He explains that LGBTQ+ places are difficult for disabled people because:

• Buildings are not accessible and bathrooms are hard to use
• Places are noisy with alcohol which is stressful for people with anxiety, autism, or who don’t like loud sounds
• No subtitles and no quiet spaces
• People who organize events don’t ask what disabled people need and don’t plan or pay for these things

The video itself has bad subtitles that don’t show his words correctly. This shows that technology that should help disabled people is often not made well.

He thinks feeling strong and confident is very important. This happens when you meet people with similar experiences, when people can see you, and when you feel accepted.

Looking at everything together, some things happen again and again. Society creates problems for people because of their race, disability and gender. These problems cause unfair treatment. It’s very important for people to be seen, to have community, and to have their voices heard.

When I think about design education, there are many problems. Students must do hands-on building work, but not everyone can do this, but it’s still required. How classes are taught also creates barriers – there are no subtitles, too many people in rooms, and screens are too small to see well. Even the studio spaces are not good for everyone. They are big open spaces with no quiet places to go when you need a break, and the sound is bad, so it’s hard to hear or focus.

As the last blog entry, I decided to reflect on this first unit.
I knew what to expect but at the same time I did not have a clear idea of what was involved in undertaking this certification.
Initially, if I look back, I felt very lost. The first reading, about Mozambique, reading the first few lines I was wondering why. Then the why came, as in all phases of this first unit the why, why I was doing a specific activity came right on time.
So I started to stop wondering why I was doing an activity, but simply observing and waiting.

If I had to define it with one word, I would define it with “growth.” It was a gradual growth in awareness of what I was doing, growth in the means of teaching, and personal growth also in being able to become a student again.
Coming back as a student somehow you also empathize with your students, you empathize much more with certain situations, you understand what may be obstacles that you hadn’t calculated before. For example, even just how Moodle is structured and how to use it, you think it’s all clear to you but it is because you did it. However, when you have to use the material provided by others you understand that we don’t all think the same way.

So the result of the first unit is positive, I feel I’m learning and I feel I have more tools with which to do my work the right way, improve parts I knew I wanted to improve and give attention to other details I didn’t even know existed.
Also, I realized how much it takes me to focus on writing, to find the right flow, to get into my bubble where thoughts follow each other and you know what you want to say. I hadn’t written in a long time, maybe too long.
Also Seeing and analyzing what other colleagues are doing is very interesting and insightful.
The activities I enjoyed most were microteaching and observing a peer teaching.
Both activities gave me an eye-opening look at personal and colleague practices that I had never stopped to observe, for better or worse, and gave me a Greater awareness in attending to all aspects of teaching. Or at least trying to do so.

As a blog post I decided to talk about a case study I did but will not deliver because it was developed incorrectly.
The research I did though remains valid and I think it makes sense to integrate it into my PgCert journey.

Below is the case study as I had written it, then I will put my thoughts on it.

The main reason I included it in the process of this blog is because I actually already implemented some of what I researched for this case study.
Rather than starting from a student problem and need, I started from a problem of the university, the students, and also my own: the lack of teaching space.
To have done research to solve a work problem and find a solution is something I was passionate about.
I have always been a person who wants to do things to the best of my ability, but at the same time also a person who if things are not the way he wants sometimes struggles to have a method to find a solution.
Looking for teaching examples, which have already been put into practice and contribute to change and improvement in education, is something I hadn’t even considered yet.
Instead so now I feel that I can have a base to start from and also contribute new pieces and new theories that can help other colleagues in the world in the future.