Haringey Racial Equity Conference 2025

The message was loud and clear: Racial inequalities persist for many students in Haringey, and it’s on all of us to step up and close the gap.

The largest racial equity conference in Haringey to date, hosted at the London Academy of Excellence Tottenham, was a day of powerful conversations, honest reflections, and a collective call to action.

Keynote speakers Dr Stella Louis and Hannah Betteridge delivered a clear and powerful message: “Change starts with you”.

They challenged the educators in the room to actively dismantle racial stereotypes in the classroom, highlighting the responsibility they have in shaping a more equitable future for their students.

“Children are in the springtime of their life, we need to do better, we have a pedagogical obligation to do better. How we perceive children really does matter,” Dr Stella said.

Hannah followed up with a quote from Professor Nathan Holder, “It is one thing to think and talk about representation and diversity. It’s another thing to consider how pedagogy can help humanise those who are currently being dehumanised”.

Patrick Cozier, headteacher at Highgate Wood School, member of the Haringey Racial Equity Steering Group and host of the conference, opened the day with a resounding welcome.

He was joined by Ann Graham, Director for Children’s Services at Haringey Council and James Page, Haringey Education Partnership Chief Executive, who co-chair the Haringey Racial Equity Steering Group. They urged attendees to embrace openness, engage in honest dialogue, and commit to meaningful action.

“It’s about making sure that we approach the day in a way that we’re trying to do things that are sustainable,” Patrick said.

“One of the concerns I always have about days like this is that we get really fired up and when we leave at the end of the day, we are ready to go and actually that diminishes quickly. When you’re thinking today about strategies and different actions, think about the things that we can do that are going to make the difference consistently.”

James thanked all the attendees for their commitment and being ready to challenge themselves each year to go further with closing racial inequality gaps for Haringey students.

“Looking across the Atlantic there are massive challenges and threats to everything that is about diversity, inclusion, equality, everything that we are collectively standing for.

“It is not a small thing to be able to stand up and reaffirm our commitment to closing the gaps.”

Despite ongoing inequality in results between Black Caribbean and White British students in Haringey, there were still “massive positives,” James said.

Since the pandemic – “which massively and unequally affected young people” – SATs results for Black Caribbean children in Haringey have increased reading, writing and maths combined by over 11 percentage points in the last two years.

“We’ve been working on this since 2016 and it has only started to show through tangibly in data six years later – it is time, it is consistency,” he said.

There have also been positives for the Turkish and Kurdish communities with an increase of nearly six percentage points compared to an average of three across all students in the borough.

However, this work began in Haringey due to the disparities at GCSE and the gaps remain stubbornly wide.

Progress 8 is a measure of how much a pupil progresses between the end of Key Stage 2 (KS2) and the end of Key Stage 4 (KS4), comparing their GCSE results to those of pupils with similar prior attainment. Whilst Haringey students do extremely well with Progress 8 of +0.3 (ie making nearly a third of a grade more progress than national comparators), Black Caribbean students were making three quarters of a grade less progress at -0.43.

“In Secondary we’re basically where we were at in 2016, I think it’s fair to say, it was what kicked off the whole piece was the disparity in GCSE results and we are still in the same place, and that’s not a criticism because it’s really tough and we need to keep working until we see the benefits really coming through,” James said.

Their words set the stage for a day of hard-hitting discussions, beginning with the keynote speakers.

Dr Stella Louis and Hannah Betteridge, authors of Let’s Talk about Race in the Early Years, took the floor, delivering a thought-provoking keynote on systemic racial inequities.

“I really want you to push past the bits that make you feel uncomfortable, but be aware of them, I’ll be honest with you, it is one thing to be sat here listening to discussions about race and racism, but it’s something completely different to experiencing it,” Dr Stella said.

She challenged the room to be honest with themselves and to think back to the last time they had an honest conversation about race.

“When was the last time you had a real, honest conversation about race? One where you actively listened to somebody else’s point of view, asked or answered the hard questions, and reflected on or changed your own behaviour as a result … because ultimately that’s what we’re talking about today.”

Their message was clear: change starts with us. Hannah challenged the educators to actively dismantle racial stereotypes in their classroom practice, highlighting the responsibility they have in shaping a more equitable future for their students.

Dawn Ferdinand, Headteacher at The Willow Primary School & Children’s Centre, shared insights into the transformative impact of the Roots to Excellence programme, which is changing the trajectory of life for young Caribbean heritage students in Haringey.

Her presentation provided a shining example of what excellence in practice looks like for Black Caribbean students in Haringey, helping them to excel academically, embrace their heritage, build strong character and achieve their highest aspirations.

In the spirit of collaboration, leaders from the London Borough of Ealing shared their ongoing work in closing the attainment gap for Black Caribbean pupils.

They emphasised the importance of embedding racial equity into school culture, fostering strong partnerships with parents, and making sustainable, systemic changes.

They spoke about how racial equity work within schools “must be integrated into a long-term, school-wide commitment to ensure a lasting impact”.

They stressed the importance of “actively listening to and valuing parent’s experiences and perspectives” as this is a “powerful catalyst for school improvement, creating positive change that benefits all students”.

They reiterated the need for actionable commitment to change.

“The true impact comes from the school’s determination not only to listen, but to take bold, concrete actions that drive real and lasting transformation”.

The conference also featured a series of workshops, each tackling critical issues across all educational settings. There were laughs, some tears, and a lot of vulnerable, honest and open conversations.

Haringey’s Educational Psychology Service team explored the psychological perspectives of racism and its impact on Black Caribbean pupils, shedding light on the lasting effects of racial bias in education.

Gerry Robinson, Executive Headteacher at Haringey Learning Partnership, shared lessons learned from supporting students excluded from mainstream education, offering insights into alternative pathways and the importance of early intervention. She was also joined by pupils from the provision who spoke honestly and openly about their experiences of exclusion.

Yasmina Koné, Deputy Lead at Hemisphere Education, and Elen Roberts, Headteacher at Heartlands, led a session on building racial literacy, changing outcomes, and driving student engagement, highlighting the transformative power of understanding race and identity in schools.

Sian McDermott, Rowland Hill Nursery School & Children’s Centre Executive Headteacher, and Ruth Doak, Pembury House Nursery School & Children’s Centre Headteacher, provided an Early Years perspective, stressing the need for equity from the very start of a child’s educational journey.

Orlene Badu tackled the crucial issue of avoiding the adultification of Black children, challenging educators to reconsider biases and ensure that Black pupils are given the care, protection, and opportunities they deserve.

These sessions sparked deep reflection, emotional discussions, and a renewed commitment to embedding racial equity into the fabric of school communities.

Phillipa Weekes, chair of governors at St Vincent’s Catholic School, said she found the conference to be “totally inspiring and very enlightening”.

“Every aspect from the first speaker right up [to] speaking to the students who have been excluded, and listening to their stories, one it was heartbreaking, but two it shows the impact that exclusions and decision makers have on their lives is quite profound.”

She said it “spoke to my heart as a parent, as a governor, as a teacher, all of my hats. It was just everything that I needed to hear today.”

In a compelling panel discussion, students from The John La Rose Bursary Scheme were joined by Orlene Badu and Nofer Fari, Assistant Headteacher at Fortismere School, to share their perspectives on race, education, and leadership. Their insights reinforced the need for tangible actions and a genuine commitment to long-term change.

The conference concluded with a passionate appeal from three Haringey Headteachers – Patrick Cozier, Elen Roberts, and Gerry Robinson – who urged attendees to move beyond tokenistic gestures and implement real, measurable change in their schools.

The call for action reverberated throughout the room. While support and empathy are vital, sustained and strategic action is what will drive lasting change.

As we reflect on the day’s conversations, the challenge remains: how will we shatter ceilings and push for racial equity, not just in our discussions but in our daily actions to create sustained change.

Bola Soneye-Thomas, Rokesly Junior School Headteacher and Racial Equity Steering Group member, said it was important that all attendees recognise that there is still a “glass ceiling” for many of Haringey’s Black Caribbean students.

“Last time it was about changing the narrative, this time it’s about people understanding those barriers are still very much there and we have a responsibility to do something about them.

“I found it particularly impactful listening to the students, their perspective on things and just understanding that every action that we take is impacting on them.”

Jonathan is the interim Lead for Digital and Communications at HEP. He has a passion for storytelling and has previously worked as a journalist and communications advisor in New Zealand.