‘We need to do more’: Preparing teachers for diverse classrooms in England

This research investigated teacher educators’ perspectives and practices related to preparing primary teachers for diverse classrooms in a 1-year initial teacher education (ITE) programme in an urban context in England. The research consisted of semi-structured interviews and document analysis within a complex inter-personal, social and policy context. A conceptual framework drawn from the literature was used to analyse the data in terms of teaching about, teaching to and teaching for diversity. An additional theme was uncovered on the role of autobiography in shaping teacher educators’ perspectives. Findings indicate that teacher educators employed six distinct practices related to preparing new teachers to teach in diverse classrooms, which were contextualised by national regulations and university-school partnerships. Key findings are that teacher educators themselves believed that ‘more should be done’ and that building dialogue around diversity within the teacher education community is a crucial step towards addressing inequities and diversity in ITE.