A Nottingham woman has spoken out about the importance of making sure that schools reflect the children that attend them, especially through books and the curriculum. Azuraye Williams made it her mission to encourage diversity after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020.
Azuraye, 36, went to Djanogly Academy and is now diversity lead for multiple academy trusts as well as an assistant head teacher at Breadsall Hill Top Primary School in Derbyshire. She has been shortlisted for a Rising Stars 2022 award for her work in campaigning for diversity in education.
Azuraye said: “I never saw myself in the curriculum, when you see yourself, it adds to the aspirations of the children and it’s important for children to understand the people that don’t look like them.
“The diversity work I’m doing is a really important passion of mine, it’s a lived experience of mine to see what can happen when you’re noticed and feel like you belong. I’ve always known in school that lessons did not represent me and in school I never connected to history, as I got older, I realised it was because there was nothing for me to connect to, I got it all at home.
“At school I couldn’t share my culture and be my authentic self but I want to make sure that children feel like they’re themselves at school, a happy child is a happy learner.”
Azuraye works for the Transform Trust which oversees 19 schools across Nottingham and Derby. She also works with Early Careers teachers to spread awareness about diversity.
Azuraye continued: “One saying I go by is ‘you can’t be what you can’t see.’ The work that we’re doing will ensure that when children are seen more, they’ll feel like they can be more. I always say, ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’, the first thing is for staff to understand anti-racism and diversity."
It has also been a trust wide objective for schools to report how they’re helping diversifying schools, individually. Azuraye spoke more about the other campaign works she has done.
Azuraye said: “I was never given this role, it just happened with the support of the Trust when I told them what I wanted to do and it’s evolved ever since.”
“I’m the diversity lead for multiple academy trusts. It’s my job to ensure and provide that there’s training in diversity, a diverse curriculum in schools, resources and anything else that’s needed for a diverse environment.”
She said: “Nottingham Citizens charity really wanted to promote diversity in schools so I got in touch to say ‘what can I do to help?’ Now, all primary schools in Nottingham have diverse books which is amazing. The Nottingham Equality Action team are also creating resources for schools to have access to diverse resources.”
Speaking more of the Rising Stars Award, Azuraye explained why she wants people to vote for her and said: “I really want the award so it can open doors to keep on pushing for diversity wider and to spread the word.
"I want children to have a more diverse experience in education and this is also to show children that when you put your mind to something, great things can happen."
CEO of Transform Trust Rebecca Meredith has said: "I met Azuraye in 2011 as a trainee teacher where I was the headteacher, she showed great potential from the start. Now, as an assistant head at one of our Trust schools, she continues to impress.
"Azuraye has taken our thinking around Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) to a new level. It’s easy to pay lip service to policies and curriculums, but to truly embed DEIB within our Trust we have to understand its importance and relevance, think differently and take meaningful action across our schools, our communities and our Trust."
Rebecca Williamson – Lead Associate Head Teacher and co lead on DEIB also told Nottinghamshire Live: “Azuraye has kickstarted a powerful journey here at Transform over the past two years. Ignited as a response to Black Lives Matter, she wanted to use her own experiences as a black woman in education to inform a better understanding across all protected characteristics within our schools.
"She is a great listener and a shining inspiration to our staff teams and children at her school, across the Trust and within the wider community. Our DEIB motto is Every Voice Counts and we are making strides every day to ensure our schools are safe places where everyone can be their authentic self, celebrating the uniqueness of themselves and the differences of others. Azuraye is the epitome of this and a wonderful role model for us all. “
You can vote for Azuraye Williams on the We are the City website for Rising Stars 2022 here: https://wearethecity-risingstars.com/rising-stars-shortlist-2022/diversity-2022/ The winner will be announced on May 10th.
