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Meaningful and Authentic Representation in Schools with Bukky Yusuf

25 Sep 2024

How can schools promote diversity and inclusion to foster an environment where students see themselves represented?

Thought Leader and educator, Bukky Yusuf, brings insightful commentary on the existing challenges which are present in current, multicultural schools.

She offers potential solutions to create a welcoming environment for all students.

Through a candid conversation, she explores the importance of authenticity, vulnerability and humility in fostering an inclusive school culture.

Bukky also uncovers how unconscious bias can affect decision-making processes and perpetuate systemic inequalities.

Following this, she imagines a brighter future for education, where every individual feels valued, welcomed and included, and offers actionable steps for educators to start making a difference within their own schools.

I genuinely believe that there's more similarity between all of us than there are differences.

Bukky Yusuf

Key takeaways

  • Embrace authenticity, vulnerability and humility to foster an inclusive school culture.
  • Unpack and address unconscious biases that can affect decision-making processes and perpetuate systemic inequalities.
  • Envision and strive for a future where every individual feels valued, welcomed and included in the educational environment.
  • Listen to other voices and educate yourself to become a better ally in promoting diversity and inclusion.

Belonging, being valued, being accepted for who you are. I think that's really important, not just for the young people, but for staff as well.

Bukky Yusuf

About our guest

Bukky Yusuf is an author, leadership coach, public speaker, trustee and Thought Leader with over twenty years of teaching experience. She has undertaken several leadership roles within mainstream and special school settings, centering around professional development programmes, quality first teaching and learning and effective implementations of Educational Technology.

Beyond the classroom, Bukky has a variety of Education Technology experiences, which includes participating as a judge for The EdTech50 Schools, BETT Awards and serving as an Education Board Member for Innovate My School. She was appointed by the Department of Education as co-chair for the EdTech Leadership Group. Bukky is passionate about leadership development and the need for diversity within education. 

Follow Bukky on twitter: @rondelle10_b

Resource recommendations

  • LYFTA: Media rich stories that you can use to bring diverse narratives into your classes

    Read more →
  • Radical Candor: Blog, podcast and a book about a communication framework that you can use in your work

    Read more →
  • BAMED: Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Educators

    Read more →
  • Black Men Teach: Community network for Black Male Educators

    Read more →
  • Post by Omena O. on Hamilton Brookes blog

    Read more →
  • Teach, Lead, Coach: Bukky Yusuf’s website

    Read more →
  • UK government statistics - Agarwal, P. (2020) Sway: Unraveling Unconscious Bias. (Bloomsbury Sigma)

    Read more →

What will you take away?

Download the Hamilton Brookes' Primary Pledge card to continue the conversation with your teaching community. Share your pledge card by tagging Hamilton Brookes on your preferred social platform.

Production team

Primary Futures podcast is supported by funding from Oxford Brookes’ Small Knowledge Exchange Awards.