Adult Nursing lecturer designs race and identity curriculum for secondary schools

The curriculum, developed and delivered by Victory as a representative of The Brilliant Club, draws on her expertise in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), and doctoral research on race and marginality. 

The curriculum also aims to be grounded in principles of inclusion, representation and lived experience, and hopes to contribute to a widening participation by introducing pupils, many from ethnically minoritised and socially disadvantaged backgrounds, to university-style learning, while providing visible academic role modelling and exposure to higher education options.

The Brilliant Club is a UK-wide social mobility and university access charity that works with schools across the United Kingdom and the PhD community, to help less advantaged students aged 8 to 18 to access the most competitive universities and support them when they get there.

The Brilliant Club’s Scholars programme places PhD researchers in non-selective state schools and colleges to share their subject knowledge and passion for learning with small groups of pupils.

Victory said, “What has been particularly powerful is not just pupil engagement, but the depth of intellectual interaction. Pupils did not simply find the concept interesting, they actively engaged with complex theoretical frameworks, as well as broader African-centred perspectives.”

Feedback from the curriculum included pupils speaking about futures that include university, leadership and broader possibilities, with Black and Asian pupils in particular sharing how meaningful it is to see themselves represented both within the curriculum and in the academics leading the teaching. 

Reflecting on the pupils’ feedback, Victory said: “Through creative and analytical outputs, including poetry, storytelling, and case-based reflections, they demonstrated thoughtful and critical understandings of race, identity and belonging. Pupils also spoke about their interest in universities such as the University of Salford.

“Importantly, the programme is shaping aspiration.”

Following the success of the curriculum, the programme has been rolled out further in all schools supported by The Brilliant Club.