Rebecca Phillips: ‘Empowering future generations’: understanding EDI in primary and secondary schools through our annual MIE initial teacher education inclusion conference.
Abbreviations used in this text:
- ITE – Initial Teachers Education
- ECT – Early Career Teacher
- MIE – Manchester Institute of Education
- UoM – University of Manchester
- PGCE – Postgraduate Certificate in Education
- SCITT – School-Centred Initial Teacher Training
- EDI – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
What are the aims of MIE ITE conference?
The annual UoM Manchester Institute of Education’s (MIE) ITE inclusion and inspiration conference provides opportunities for UoM trainee teachers on our primary and secondary PGCE and SCITT programmes, early career teachers and researchers from the University of Manchester to join together to explore, discuss and debate current practices and recent research relating to EDI in education. We accommodate 350-400 delegates every year, drawn mainly from our PGCE programmes and school partnerships.
The main aim of the conference is to empower our trainee teachers to see themselves as socially responsible professionals with a good understanding of inclusive educational teaching practices.
UoM MIE’s PGCE programmes provide trainee teachers with a balanced and challenging curriculum with EDI at its heart. This is exemplified through this annual education conference entitled ‘Inclusion and inspiration: education for social justice’ and convened by Rebecca Phillips and Sian Morgan.
Year-on-year, our trainee teachers demonstrate a strong sense of commitment to teaching children and young people who live in some of the most socially and economically deprived areas in Greater Manchester. They do this through their teaching placements during the PGCE training year and many continue to teach in the same areas during their early careers. The conference has supported them now for a decade now. In January 2025 the conference will be celebrating its 10th anniversary!
Conference history
Throughout its ten-year history, the MIE ITE inclusion conference has established a strong legacy of carefully designed keynotes and breakout sessions which all deliver strong messages to influence the inclusive education practices of the new generation of teachers.
We have been privileged to include keynotes addressing personal EDI accounts from both the former and current UoM chancellors: in 2016, Lemn Sissay OBE gave a heartfelt account of life for young people growing up in the care system and in 2023 Nazir Afzal OBE, in conversation with PGCE geography leader Narinder Man, discussed his childhood experiences and career journey.
Several of the impactful keynotes and sessions over the years have been delivered by UoM researchers with national and international profiles. The wide-ranging EDI themes have included mental health, loneliness, poverty and disability among others.
Keynotes and performances which have included children and young people have also featured consistently on the conference programme. For example, when the conference was an in-person event the Bridge College choir, consisting of young people with complex needs, performed their favourite songs to delegates and children’s author SF Said delivered a fascinating keynote about what inclusion means to him, enhanced by interpretations of his novels Varjak Paw and Phoenix from children from a local primary and secondary school.
We’ve also heard personal views of what the term inclusion means from members of a primary school debating club and a guide to the importance of sustainability and green education from members of a secondary school eco club.
Implications for future generations of teachers
Last year’s conference programme was a further testament to the wealth of EDI focused research in MIE and to the existing EDI practices in our UoM partnership of primary and secondary schools.
In 2024, keynotes from Jeffrey Boakye and Sarah Pearce focused on the transformative power of music in the classroom and anti-racism in teacher education respectively. The 28 different breakout sessions addressed a variety of EDI themes and issues affecting children, young people and their teachers. The content of each demonstrated the vital importance of developing and enhancing the knowledge and understanding of EDI in education for our new generation of teachers and invited direct, immediate action in the classroom.
The implications of the conference on the future inclusive education practices of new primary and secondary school teachers are far reaching. For example, some of our current conference contributors are UoM PGCE alumni who have returned to share their practices and experiences of EDI from the classroom.
Feedback from delegates over the years has indicated that the conference has had a significant impact on how a new generation of teachers intend to place EDI at the heart of their teaching. The positivity of delegates shines through in these feedback comments:
“It was a brilliant day, totally thrilling!”
“…I learnt so much and found it very interesting. It has had an impact on how I intend to help pupils and for me in becoming the best inclusive educator I aim to be.”
“… it challenged my views and expanded my knowledge in ways that I had not previously considered.”
“….really made me think and question my own teacher identity, and what type of teacher I want to be.”
“…grateful to be exposed to all these kind of issues and learning how to manage them as a trainee teacher.”
“I really enjoyed today. It was so insightful and thought provoking!”
The high level of engagement and enthusiasm for advancing EDI issues in primary and secondary schools demonstrated by our PGCE cohorts over the years is very encouraging. We are confident that this conference will continue thrive and maintain its positive impact on the practices of all future primary and secondary PGCE cohorts and on our ever-expanding alumni of early career teachers.
Next steps for conference 2025 and a date for your diary
Are you interested in helping us to celebrate our 10th anniversary?! Please contact me if you would like to attend this conference or if your research/work relates to EDI for primary and secondary schools and you would like to deliver a session at our 10th conference (online) on Friday 17th January 2025. I look forward to hearing from you!
Dr Rebecca Phillips, Primary PGCE co-director, conference co-convenor
Contact Us
+44 (0) 161 306 6000
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