NATE is inviting members to take part in its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Survey — an opportunity to share your experiences and help shape the future of inclusive practice across our English teaching community.

We’re really pleased to invite our members to take part in our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Survey. This is an opportunity for you to share your experiences, reflections, and ideas, helping us better understand how we can support you — and the wider English teaching community — more effectively.

Developed by Furzeen Ahmed (NATE’s Diversity Officer and Co-Chair of the Reviewing Literature Working Group) and Anthony Cockerill (Director of NATE), with thoughtful input from the Reviewing Literature Working Group, the survey is designed to open up a meaningful conversation about EDI in our subject.

What is EDI? 

Although there is no universal definition, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion refers to a widely accepted framework which focuses on fairness in representation, access and support for all individuals. Each element of EDI recognises value in differences including but not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability and neurodivergence, socio-economic background, religion or belief, language, and cultural diversity within our society. These components can be further broken down with:

• Equality referring to treating individuals and groups fairly and providing equal opportunities to all, as well as ensure no barriers are created based on individual differences.
• Diversity is about acknowledging, considering and celebrating people’s differences in the form of experiences, knowledge, and beliefs based on characteristics outlined above.
• Inclusion is encouraging differences to be a source of strength between people and groups, and creating settings where people feel comfortable and empowered to share these differences and have their ideas valued. 

As practitioners, how can we approach EDI through the lens of our English subject? 

In English education, this may include centralising how different voices, bodies, experiences, identities, and stories are taught, how language and identity are shared and discussed, and how teaching practices ensure students as well as practitioners feel respected and represented to engage and participate fully. 

What is NATE’s position on EDI?

Over the years, NATE has demonstrated ongoing commitment to EDI through its central approach in promoting diversity in curriculum content and developing inclusive pedagogies. This has included the conception of Working Groups who have led the creation of resources such as the Teacher Education Resource (2024), practitioners publishing articles about teaching texts by authors of colour, LGBTQ+, and marginalised authors, as well as delivering CPD workshops focusing on inclusive teaching. Whilst NATE continues to support teachers on this journey to diversify teaching and learning, the association strives to lead work in this area and wants to hear from you to understand how we can evolve further as a subject community to make English accessible for all. 

Why your input is so important

Whether through curriculum choices, classroom practice, or professional development, your insights will help us build a clearer, richer picture of what’s working well — and where we can grow together.

A few quick details

• The survey takes around 10 minutes to complete
• Your responses are completely confidential
• You’ll have space to share both ratings and personal reflections
• There’s also an opportunity to get more involved in future EDI work if you’d like to
• We’ll close the survey on Friday 22nd May.

Looking ahead, together

NATE is committed to championing inclusive and representative English education — through resources, CPD, and practitioner voices. This survey is a chance for us to pause, listen carefully, and make sure we’re moving forward in ways that genuinely support you and your students.

If you have a few minutes, we’d really value your perspective.

Thank you for being such an important part of the NATE community — your voice helps shape what comes next.