Anti-racism at Guildhall School: October update

You can read more about the outcomes of recent discussions in our latest update. Three months on, we wanted to give our external community an update on the urgent work we are undertaking to address and dismantle racism in our School, and what actions are still to come.

• In July, the School brought in an external specialist in equality, diversity and inclusion to help steer us through a number of critical first steps. To inform this work, the specialist held a series of ‘listen and learn’ groups with staff and students over the summer. The level of input and attention given to these discussions by students and staff was remarkable, and was particularly aided by the student-led African Caribbean Society who, ahead of their Listen & Learn session, carried out their own consultation with students, leading to some very helpful and informative suggestions which have proved invaluable in the process to date.
   
• The headline findings from these Listen & Learn groups have now been shared with the Senior Management Team. They cover many areas including training and support, the complaints policy and processes, resources, diversifying the curriculum, and student and staff representation. The next step, led by the consultant, is to form an Anti-Racist Task Force to develop these findings into a series of actionable recommendations. This ‘task and finish’ group is meeting three times, during October and November, and includes representatives of the staff, the student body, and the Board of Governors, prioritising those who have experienced racism.
   
• We anticipate that the Task Force will present its recommendations to Senior Management Team at the end of this term, and these will then be developed into a report and action plan which will be shared with the whole School at the start of next term (January 2021). This will coincide with the formation of a permanent and robust new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, who will hold the School to account on the implementation of this action plan, and who will be responsible for addressing all forms of marginalisation and discrimination over the longer term, as part of the School’s overall governance structure.
   
• We anticipate that one of the key recommendations of the Task Force will be to appoint a senior post to lead on Equality & Diversity across the School, and this will be taken forward as part of the implementation of the action plan.
   
• In the meantime, departments will continue their own reflection, discussions and development of actions relevant to their areas, whilst ensuring they remain connected to the work of the wider School. In particular, the action plan issued by the Acting programme has been progressing at speed, and the following actions have been completed:
   
  • We have set up an Acting Advisory Group for change, membership of which aims to be as intersectionally representative as possible and will be reviewed on an ongoing basis
     
  • A complete review of the Acting programme is underway – its curriculum, culture and programming, with a view to decolonising our curricula and diversifying our repertoire
     
  • As part of this review, we have appointed an independent consultant to receive accounts from Acting alumni who experienced racism during their training. The consultant will produce an independent report summarising the culture of the programme and making clear and actionable recommendations
     
  • Training for staff within the Acting programme has taken place in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; Unconscious Bias; Creating Inclusive Environments; Safeguarding and Safe Spaces. In December and January, our Acting staff will undertake specific training in Interpersonal and Systemic Racism. This training is supplemented by regular reflective sessions, led by independent psychotherapists trained in group dynamics and institutional racism, ensuring that training is deeply embedded and that learning is applied to existing culture and processes within the department.
     
  • Furthermore, specific resources for education in anti-racism, allyship and unconscious bias are now available from the School’s Library
     
  • A number of key staff appointments have been made within the Acting programme towards ensuring a more representative staff body. Recognising that there is still a way to go, the department continues to work with HR to ensure that our recruitment processes engage with, and actively encourage applications from, people who are traditionally underrepresented within our sector
     
  • We are working with a number of external experts, including our partners at the Diversity School Initiative

Other School-wide actions that have been taken include:

• We have reviewed the School’s student complaints procedure (when a student makes a complaint against another student) to ensure it is as transparent as possible. Going forward, a summary of the findings will be reported to the original complainant.
   
• We have provided clearer guidance about how to make a complaint about a staff member, and to whom, on the School’s intranet, MyGuildhall.
   
• A process for anonymous reporting of microaggressions is now in place via a portal on MyGuildhall. This log allows us to track patterns of behaviour and disseminate this information to relevant senior staff so that any patterns of discriminatory behaviour can be swiftly addressed and eradicated.
   
• We have increased the provision of mental health support for Black students via the School’s Counselling service.

We know there is much work still to do, and this is only the start of a journey over the coming months and years. Our thanks again to everyone who has committed their time and energy to our progress so far. We will continue to keep you updated.

Lynne Williams, Principal
Sean Gregory, Vice Principal & Director of Innovation and Engagement