Increasing diversity in ITT: the project is finished, but the work is not

For three decades, KMT has stood as one of the most established SCITT providers in the South East. Our partnership represents well over half of all schools in Kent and Medway, South East London, and Sussex, and our pupil reach, as defined by Mission 44, exceeds 187,600 across primary, secondary, selective, non-selective, independent, and special schools.

We are dedicated to creating a teaching profession that is equitable, diverse, and inclusive, and we have long taken pride in being a widening participation provider. Our success in diversifying cohorts is established: 71% of our cohort are career changers aged over 25 (compared to 53% nationally), and 30.5% of trainees declared a health condition or disability during application and interview (compared to 19% nationally).

However, the persistent, systemic challenge of ethnic diversity in the teaching workforce has remained a critical focus. Nationally, 38% of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds, while only 11.4% of teachers are. Within Kent, the historical gap has been even starker: only 4.6% of teachers identified as Black & Minority Ethnic, dropping to 1.2% at the Headteacher level, an uncomfortable truth in a region where areas like Dartford (44%) and Gravesham (37%) have high proportions of children from global majority backgrounds.

The Diversity in ITT project: Unlearning and transformation

Eighteen months ago, KMT was selected through NASBTT as one of a small group of accredited ITT providers to take part in the Increasing Diversity in ITT Project, a collaborative initiative with the Chartered College of Teaching, Chiltern Learning Trust, and Being Luminary, backed by funding from Mission 44’s Diversity in Education Fund.

As a pilot cohort provider, we embarked on an intensive coaching programme designed to address unconscious bias, dismantle inequitable application processes, and increase both acceptance and completion rates for global majority heritage teacher training applicants. Under the expert coaching of Harroop Sandhu, we began by turning inward. We engaged our central leadership, administrative team, and training leads in creating ‘brave spaces’ to acknowledge bias, ask difficult questions, and confront systemic barriers facing global majority applicants.

This work translated into meaningful, structural changes across our provision:

• Inclusive recruitment & selection: Receiving up to 900 applications annually, we committed to contacting every applicant, including those with queries around eligibility. We introduced tailored pre-interview ‘Insight Sessions’ to offer bespoke guidance on navigating overseas qualifications and visa requirements. All interviews were centralised with staff who had completed unconscious bias training.
• Responsive training curricula: We reshaped our curriculum to train future educators as inclusive leaders who can confidently discuss race, racism, and address discrimination in the classroom. When local contextual events arose, such as flags appearing across our region over the summer, prompting strong pupil reactions, we acted swiftly. Utilising our coach Harroop’s guidance, How to talk about flags, identity, and belonging, we produced podcasts, discussion prompts, and classroom resources to support trainees through difficult conversations.
• Sector-wide contribution: As one of the pilot providers, KMT contributed to the development of the Chartered College of Teaching’s online course for ITT leaders and mentors, designed to embed equity and equip leaders with tools to tackle the unique challenges faced by global majority trainees. As SCITT Director, I wrote to all Head Teachers in our partner schools sharing our work in this area and encouraging engagement in the course.
• Third Space Mentoring: Utilising our KMT alumni, we established a Third Space Mentoring programme, a specialised form of support for trainees from underrepresented or minority backgrounds, providing a neutral, reflective space with mentors who share similar lived experience.

The impact of Phase 1

The data from this project speaks to what is possible when strategy is backed by organisation-wide self-reflection:

• Cohort diversity: Trainees from global majority backgrounds at KMT rose to 22% (up from 7.7% in 2020–21).
• Regional ranking: Data collated by the Diversity in ITT Project placed KMT in the top 10 of regional SCITTs for recruiting trainees from global majority backgrounds.
• Local parity: All our secondary hubs now match or exceed Kent pupil averages for global majority representation.

Beyond percentages, the shift in psychological safety within our cohorts was clear. As trainees shared in evaluations:

“From day 1 I felt heard, that is the most important thing for me.”

“Knowing that my concerns are taken seriously and resolved promptly reinforces the idea that inclusion is not only about classroom practice but also about strong professional relationships and psychological safety.”

A pivotal moment: a reminder of the distance left to travel

As the formal project drew to a close, we rightly celebrated these achievements with partner schools and sector colleagues. Yet, in the middle of sharing these successes, a single conversation served as a stark reminder of how far we still have to go.

Shortly before we made our recommendations for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) to our 2025–26 cohort, a trainee of global majority heritage asked to speak with me privately. They were placed in an area with a low proportion of pupils of global majority heritage and were one of only two adults of colour in the school. They had deliberately requested this setting; they wanted to provide representation to inspire the next generation.

Before sharing their experience, their first question to me was: “Can anything I say today prevent me from being awarded QTS?”

Once reassured, what they recounted was devastating. Throughout their placement, they had experienced overt racism from pupils. They had repeatedly reported these incidents, only to be told to log them as standard behaviour incidents. In one meeting, a senior leader asked them to explain why a specific incident was racist.

Feeling isolated and fearful that speaking out would jeopardise their assessment, they remained silent until the end of the course.

In that moment, beyond offering personal support and kindness, I acknowledged that our internal systems and sector frameworks must go even further to protect and advocate for trainees when they step into external placements. Celebrating recruitment metrics means nothing if some of the environments we place trainees into do not keep them safe.

Phase 2: Beyond the Increasing Diversity in ITT project

The Diversity in ITT project is formally finished, but our work is far from complete. As a provider working with over 350 partner schools across Kent, Medway, South East London, and Sussex, KMT holds significant regional influence. It is our clear responsibility to be brave, set explicit expectations, and invite our partner schools to walk this next path alongside us.

This imperative aligns with updated Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE, 2026) guidance on Prejudice-Based Harm (Paragraph 17), which sets an explicit duty for all school staff to recognise racism, faith-based prejudice, and identity discrimination as harm in its own right.

We have now launched the next phase of this work, continuing to be supported and challenged by our Diversity Coach, Harroop:

1. Mentorship & trainee advocacy training

We are delivering targeted training for all colleagues working directly with trainees to ensure they have clear, actionable frameworks to support those facing racism on placement, alongside the confidence to intervene directly with school leaders.

2. Dedicated coaching for the Mentor Leadership team

We are redesigning our mentor training curriculum in collaboration with colleagues leading on mentoring. This training focuses specifically on trainee safety, racial literacy, power dynamics, building trust, and establishing standardised protocols for responding when trainees raise concerns regarding racism or discrimination.

3. Clear demarcation of power and assessment

To eliminate the fear that reporting discrimination might negatively impact a trainee’s success, we are holding explicit conversations with all trainees prior to assessment points. We are making it unequivocally clear that no single individual or placement venue holds absolute power over the award of QTS, ensuring trainees feel safe to speak up without fear of professional penalty.

4. Establishing a regional Racial Literacy working party

We are convening a Racial Literacy working party comprising KMT trainees, Early Career Teachers (ECTs), mentors, and school leaders from across our partnership. This group will share lived experiences, celebrate effective practice, and publish a unified set of expectations and best-practice guidelines for all partner schools.

An invitation to our partners

At KMT, our journey toward complete racial literacy and educational equity is ongoing. We do not claim to have every answer, but we have built the confidence to name discomfort, confront racism, and drive systemic change.

As one colleague shared following a training session at the start of this academic year:

“I came away feeling even more proud to be associated with KMT, and I also felt a sense of hope.”

Increasing diversity in ITT and the teacher workforce is not a checklist item or a project with an end date. It requires an enduring commitment to creating a profession where every trainee, regardless of background, is safe, valued, and empowered to thrive. We are ever grateful for the confidence the Increasing Diversity in ITT project has given us to continue this work independently, and we invite all of our partner schools and colleagues across the sector to join us in this next crucial phase of the work.

Polly Butterfield-Tracey FCCT, SCITT Director of KMT

Polly is SCITT Director of KMT, a leading provider of Initial Teacher Training in the South East. Previously, she served as Project Director for CESET, a DfE innovation pilot featured in the 2019 Recruitment & Retention Strategy.