![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/science-lesson.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nBias can be negative or positive<\/strong>. It can make you favour someone or be prejudiced against them. For example, if you were at a social event and were introduced to someone who was wearing a T-shirt with the logo of your favourite band, you may view them more favourably than someone wearing a badge of a political party that does not align with your own views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Biases can be based on many things, from someone\u2019s external, physical appearance to the way they express themselves or the people that they are associated with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These two terms both essentially mean the same thing. They refer to biases that we all hold that we are not even aware of. Our brains are designed to process information about people quickly and efficiently. This means that we often make snap judgements about people – informed by our own background, experiences and expectations, alongside cultural and social influences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These \u2018first impressions\u2019 can have a lasting impact on how we treat others, so it is very important that we understand unconscious bias – both as individuals and as educators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Educational bias <\/strong>is when biases are at play in educational settings. This can be at an whole-setting organisational level or at an individual level in terms of staff members’ own biases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Education bias can take the form of a variety of different biases (some of which we will look at later in this article). The bias could, for example, be based on assumptions and preconceptions relating to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Educational bias, like all biases, can lead to stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Schools have a legal duty to protect children from discrimination, under the Equality Act 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Act makes it unlawful for a school to discriminate against<\/strong>, harass<\/strong> or victimise<\/strong> a pupil or potential pupil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Equality Act also protects those discriminated against through association or perception \u2013 for example, a pupil discriminated against due to a parent\u2019s sexual orientation or due being perceived as following a particular religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, the Teachers\u2019 standards<\/a> state that teachers must: <\/p>\n\n\n\n If educational bias goes unchecked or unchallenged, then schools and teachers will not be able to properly fulfil their professional duties and obligations. We need to actively promote equality, diversity and inclusion in the classroom<\/a> and so therefore need to be aware of, and actively avoid, any educational bias – both conscious and unconscious.<\/p>\n\n\n Educational bias can lead to certain children or groups of children:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this section, we are going to look at some of the key types of education bias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, when considering any kind of bias, it is important to acknowledge that most children\u2019s experience will be an intersectional <\/strong>one. So, for example, both a Black girl eligible for free school meals and a Gypsy Roma boy with SEND may be experiencing educational bias, but in different ways and with different biases as its root.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gender bias can cause teachers and schools to treat genders differently, apply rules inconsistently and can cloud expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because gendered expectations are prevalent in society, we may not notice inconsistencies and inequalities that might be present in our practice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples of gender bias might include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Statistics show a disparity in the academic performance<\/strong> of boys and girls, with girls consistently outperforming boys. For example, in the 2020\/2021 academic year, 55.8% of girls achieved a grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths compared to 48.2% of boys. However in 2022, the ONS<\/a> reported that the gender pay gap was 8.3% for full time employees, indicating that girls\u2019 academic advantage is not translating to the employment market.<\/p>\n\n\n Education bias can also be based on assumptions and preconceived ideas (both conscious and unconscious) regarding a person\u2019s race or ethnicity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Department for Education (DfE) publishes data relating to education outcomes<\/a>, broken down into ethnic groups. Amongst others, this shows the following disparities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the ways in which racial or ethnic bias in education might manifest include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A 2022 study<\/a>, published in the British Journal of Educational Psychology, gave teachers identical pieces of work to mark but attributed it to either a child of a lower socio-economic status or a higher socio-economic status. The results found that teachers gave lower marks to the work they believed came from a pupil of lower socio-economic status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This suggests that to some extent educational bias could be in part responsible for those children achieving lower academic outcomes. DfE data shows that in 2020\/2021, pupils eligible for free school meals were less likely to get a grade 5 or above at GCSE than those who were not eligible<\/strong>. This was across all ethnic groups and genders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples of socio-economic bias in the classroom might include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A single practitioner will not be able to eradicate educational bias, but you can take some positive steps to avoid educational bias in your own practice and in your own setting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The first step to being able to avoid bias impacting our thoughts and actions is to honestly acknowledge the biases that we carry. This can be uncomfortable. As educators, we are committed to providing a high quality education for all students. In order to do so, it is essential to reflect on where we might be falling prey to educational bias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a first step, think about the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reflective practice is essential to good teaching and can be a powerful tool in avoiding any unintentional educational bias. <\/p>\n\n\n Being able to see elements of your own identity positively reflected in the school setting can be powerful in terms of creating a culture of inclusion. The more truly inclusive<\/strong> the culture, the less educational bias is likely to be present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to maximise representation, you could:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whenever conducting regular reviews of school policies and procedures, make sure that you try to view them through a bias-checking lens. By asking if a particular policy would disadvantage anyone, you can potentially uncover issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pupil voice<\/a> can be utilised to provide a learners\u2019 view on policy. By making sure that you engage pupil voice in a way that is representative of the diversity of the student body, you can get a diverse range of perspectives. That way, you can see if the learners\u2019 perceive something to be unfairly advantageous or disadvantageous to particular groups or individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are some steps you can take to try to ensure that your marking and assessment is not influenced by bias. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When setting pieces of work, it can be useful to provide a clear marking structure to students, detailing what you are looking for when you mark the piece of work. This not only helps them structure their work but you can then use this during marking, meaning every piece is considered against the same clear criteria. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also try to anonymise work before you mark it, so you do not attach that work to a particular student. This does have its disadvantages. Firstly, it is only practical if handwriting or presentation cannot be recognised. Also, formative marking should be personalised<\/strong> to the students’ learning journey – building on what has gone before and giving feedback on how to develop further. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, although you would not want to mark every piece this way, it can be a useful reflective exercise. If, at the end of the exercise, you have graded the work and are surprised at what certain children have achieved, it might be worth considering if bias is influencing your marking usually. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Educational bias is something that all education professionals should be aware of. It can be uncomfortable to acknowledge bias, as it goes against the aims of educational practice, but it is essential that you do so. By being reflective and considering how educational bias can be avoided, the negative effects can be reduced. We hope you have found this article useful.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you work in a school setting, you should understand how educational bias affects children. Find the steps you can take to avoid bias in the classroom here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":67807,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[81,75,80],"class_list":["post-67754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-education","tag-safeguarding-children","tag-teachers-and-parents"],"acf":{"schema_disabled":false,"schema_properties_FAQPage_question_answer":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_tools":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_supplies":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_steps":null,"schema_properties_WebPage_cssSelector":null,"schema_sameAs_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_override":false},"yoast_head":"\nUnconscious or Implicit Bias<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Negative Effects of Educational Bias<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Students](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/student-discussion.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nEducational Bias Examples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Gender Bias in Education<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Students](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/hands-up-in-class.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nRacial and Ethnic Bias in Education<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Child](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/A-child-thinking-in-class.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nSocio-Economic Bias in Education<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nHow to Reduce Bias in the Classroom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Reflective Practice<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Representation](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/A-teacher-reading-a-story.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nRepresentation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Policy and Procedure<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Transparent Marking<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nFurther Resources:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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