The Equality Committee and Education and Training Panel: Busting Education Stereotypes
3rd October 2024 from 2:00pm — 5:00pm • Information Technologists' Hall
The Equality Committee and Education and Training Committee invite you to their joint Event: Busting Education Stereotypes on Thursday 3 October, beginning at 2pm at the Information Technologists’ Hall. We would like to encourage all members to join us and invite colleagues to this EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) event with a view to expanding WCIT membership in a more diverse way.
Building on the International Women’s Day theme in March 2024 of “Inspiring Inclusion”, this event, which is the next in the Busting Stereotypes series, will give the floor to a wide range of Education and Training voices.
Dame Stephanie Shirley, our generous benefactor and part of our Founding Court, will share her views on Education and Equality via a video recording. Come and hear what she has to say and also hear from an inspirational panel, brought together to express their views on stereotypes in Education and what we can do to change this. Listen to their personal journeys as they share the highs and lows of their careers and what motivates them to strive to improve the field of education. Be part of the discussion and the solution.
Is it really true that boys are better than girls at sciences, or is this just a myth?
Did you know:
• The number of girls taking computing GCSE plummeted this year and has halved in 8 years from 43% to 21%. This follows the scrapping of the Information Communication Technology GCSE with the new Computer Science GCSE.
• 40.6% of female entrants for Computer Science GCSE in England gained grade 7 or above compared with 32.2% of male entrants
• Pupils who used foodbanks in the pandemic fared worse at GCSEs
Chaired by Maggie Berry, who will tease out the questions you have often considered, come and be a part of making a change for good as we tackle perceptions and inequalities in education.
Schedule
14:00 Arrival/Refreshments
15:00 Introduction
15:15 Panel talk and Q&A 16:30 Master’s closing speech over drinks and buffet snacks
Maggie Berry OBE
Maggie leads Heart of the City, a charity that supports SMEs to develop responsible business practices ranging from implementing net zero programmes, supporting their local community to promoting inclusion and wellbeing in the workplace.
Dame Stephanie Shirley CH
A child refugee who at five years old came to England without her parents. She went on to found an all-woman software company. It was ultimately valued at almost $3 billion and made 70 of her staff millionaires. Since ‘retiring’ her work has been in philanthropy, with a particular focus on autism and IT.
Dr Mary Mihovilovic
Mary is Associate Professor and Subject Lead for the postgraduate taught programmes in Education. She is an experienced teacher, diocesan inspector and educational consultant.
Josie Garnham
Josie Garnham has dedicated 31 years to primary education.
Her success led to an invitation to co-head a failing school, which Requires Improvement. Following on from this the Governors at both schools appointed her as the executive headteacher of both schools, now part of a formal federation ‘The Green Shoots Partnership’.
David Lakin BEng, MIET, MBA
David is the IET Head of Education & Safeguarding.
A prestigious career in Engineering, David was part of pilot project ‘London Engineering Project’, aimed at inspiring young people in hard-to-reach areas. He is now responsible for the IET’s policy work to raise the profile of engineering in the curriculum.
Temi Obisesan
Temi moved from Nigeria to England aged 8, and attended the Lilian Baylis Technology School for Sixth Form.
She partook in the WCIT mentoring scheme, stating it gave her the confidence to believe in herself. She is now fulfilling her dream of training in midwifery and is delighted to join this panel.
Cost £20 (inc vat) to include refreshments.