Head claims 'institutional racism' holding back potential

David Hermitt, executive principal of Congleton High School in Cheshire and chief executive of Congleton Multi-Academy Trust, has referred to data that reveals that 97 per cent of head teachers at state schools in England are white. Hermitt found the lack of BME teachers in senior positions in schools 'appalling'.

The data revealed that only 0.7 per cent of head teachers at state schools were from an Indian background and 0.6 per cent are from black Caribbean origin.

Hermitt commented: "Institutional racism is where the structures and the systems and everything around how an institution works make it more difficult for people from certain ethnic backgrounds to succeed. The statistics suggest it is more widespread than we’d like."

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