What is EDI Week?
EDI (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) Week was a collaborative effort to support trainee teachers’ professional commitment to equality in education. It was an opportunity to enhance their knowledge, understand diversity, and recognise inclusive teaching practices.
Highlights of the week included the primary talks on the Monday in the Robert Hardy Building on campus. Visiting Professor Catherine Lee engaged the students in the topic of inclusion and belonging in schools. She touched upon themes around her book Pretended: Schools and Section 28 and the film Blue Jean, which was inspired by Catherine's personal experience.
Dr Sheine Peart (Associate Professor in Access, Equality and Inclusion and Programme Leader for PhD and EdD) discussed race and ethnic disparities, an insight into employability and educational opportunities.
Revd Dr Peter Green also attended with words of encouragement around professional practice and knowing what support is available for students. Another project was the Padlet platform being used by students to create an EDI 'digital' notepad. These Padlet projects were then presented on the Friday to peers and teachers.
The week was made possible through the efforts of the BRIDgE Team and their indispensable knowledge around EDI elements and helping students actualise EDI-centred projects and learning.
Dr Sheine Peart
Dr Clare Lawrence
Dr Helen Bushell-Thornalley
Dr Lyndsay Muir
Visiting Professor Catherine Lee
EDI Prize 2024
Another exciting element in the week was the announcement of The BRIDgE annual prize for student contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. This £200 prize is awarded to a current BGU student whose work or community activity promotes EDI in an outstanding way.
Below is a downloadable EDI Prize consent form for students taking part in the prize and for their artwork to be used. See also information on submitting - deadline for all submissions is 5pm, Friday 10th May.
BGU EDI Prize 2024 Consent Form
The BRIDgE annual prize for student contribution to EDI 2024
Quotes from the BRIDgE Team
I'm proud to be the lead for our secondary EDI Week, which asks us to address the question: if education is for all, and all life is here - how are we accounting for that in our curriculum and how we adapt our teaching to meet the needs of all our learners? EDI Week offers teachers (ourselves included) some time and resources to sew the seeds of answers, both now and into the future! We had inspirational guest speakers at the start of the week and some brilliant presentations and professional dialogue from our trainees on the Friday. Lyndsay Muir, Senior Lecturer PGCE Secondary Drama
As someone who is involved in teacher education, the work created during the EDI Week on the Secondary ITE training programme is nothing short of transformative. The position of the week between the trainee’s two placements is significant with being held in February which is LGBTQ+ History Month. It allows the voices of these prospective teachers to have confidence, knowledge, and a grounded reality in what they and the pupils grapple with within schools. Dr Helen Bushell-Thornalley, Senior Lecturer - Secondary
I love EDI Week. It is always the best CPD for us too, where we have the opportunity to learn new things, explore different ideas and viewpoints, and to consider the richness that is diversity. Our student teachers are so engaged and interesting, and we get to reflect together on what 'education' means in its widest sense for our young people in schools. I'm looking forward to next year already! Dr Clare (Kate) Lawrence, Senior Lecturer in Teacher Education / Associate Professor of Participatory Autism Research
