by Dr Karan Vickers-Hulse and Dr Sarah Whitehouse
The importance of a diverse teaching workforce has been widely acknowledged, yet representation and inclusion remain serious challenges within teacher education in England. Recent research by Dr Karan Vickers-Hulse (Associate Director: Education) and Dr Sarah Whitehouse (Programme Leader for the International Doctorate in Education and Senior Lecturer: Education and Humanities) explored the lived experiences of pre-service teachers from minoritised groups, specifically those minoritised by race, sexuality, disability, neurodiversity, and gender identity, as they navigated university teacher training and school placements.
The study involved a series of focus groups with seven pre-service teachers over a nine-month period. What emerged were powerful personal accounts revealing how identity, belonging, and representation shape teachers’ professional journeys long before they qualify. Many participants described being the ‘only one’ in their placement schools -the only Black teacher, the only openly LGBTQ+ educator, or the only neurodivergent staff member. This often resulted in a sense of otherness, heightened scrutiny, and pressure to represent their entire community. One participant spoke of feeling ‘stared at’ as they walked down school corridors, while another shared uncertainty about how much of their LGBTQ+ identity to reveal for fear of ‘pushing an agenda’.
The research highlights how pre-service teachers from minoritised groups often experience a disconnect between their personal identity and the dominant professional culture of schools. Social activities built around drinking, assumptions about clothing, and the invisibility of minoritised narratives within curricula all contribute to feelings of exclusion. Crucially, these experiences aren’t isolated. They’re shaped by wider societal power structures and norms which remain embedded in teacher education. The study also showed that attempts at inclusivity, like supportive email signatures or diversity banners, can feel tokenistic if not backed by meaningful change in practice and culture.
Using a model of ‘critical incidents’, the study examined how pre-service teachers respond when faced with moments of exclusion or identity conflict. Some accepted these experiences as ‘just the way it is’, while others quietly challenged the norms or actively pushed back against discrimination. The model helps visualise how people shift between acceptance and challenge depending on context, safety, and professional vulnerability. Our findings call for teacher education providers to move beyond recruitment targets and take responsibility for creating genuinely inclusive environments. Representation alone is not enough – it must be accompanied by policies, practices, and cultures that value and support minoritised pre-service teachers throughout their training. To truly build an inclusive teaching profession, we must listen to and act upon the voices of those historically marginalised within it.
It is not the responsibility of minoritised individuals to ‘fix’ exclusion – change requires collective effort. Teacher educators, schools, mentors, and policymakers must acknowledge discomfort, surface inequalities, and work together to build communities of practice where every teacher feels safe, seen, and valued. As one participant reminded us, it’s not about a ‘tick-box’ exercise. It’s about recognising that who stands at the front of the classroom matters – for the teachers themselves, and for the diverse pupils watching them.
