The UofG’s Headteacher in Residence, Alison Mitchell, has won the Outstanding Contribution to Anti-Racist Practice in the Classroom Award at the 2025 Scottish Association of Minority Ethnic Educators (SAMEE) Recognition and Appreciation Awards.

The Headteacher in Residence role, a partnership between the UofG's School of Education and Glasgow City Council Education Services, has enabled a range of innovative initiatives, including formal mentoring training for Headteachers and Early Learning Centre leaders, the creation of the Leadership, Scholarship and Praxis in Education journal, and professional learning programmes such as Enhanced Political Awareness and Leading Anti-Racism (LAR).

This recognition highlights Alison’s outstanding leadership and the impact of the University of Glasgow’s partnership with Glasgow City Council in advancing anti-racist education across Scotland.

Alison has held Headteacher in Residence role since November 2020, focusing on educational leadership development through teaching on programmes such as Into Headship and Ethical Leadership, as well as research with the Future of Headship team on critical leadership praxis for social change.

A key contributor to Alison’s award is the LAR programme, which she co-leads with Professor Dennis Francis. The programme brings together leaders from teacher education, schools, and Early Years Centres in a shared learning space to tackle complex themes of inequality, oppression, and social justice. Using participatory, arts-based pedagogies, LAR fosters collaborative leadership, mutual accountability, and advocacy across education sectors.

Reflecting on the award, Alison said: "The SAMEE Annual Awards ceremony was a beautiful evening of community, strength, celebration, hope, and solidarity. I was honoured to receive the award for 'Outstanding Contribution to Anti-Racist Practice in the Classroom,' and I’m privileged to teach such outstanding leaders committed to anti-racism in their own contexts, alongside Professor Dennis Francis, from whom I have learned so much. This award is a real testament to the power of partnership between a university and a local education authority, and we look forward to continuing to develop critically conscious educators committed to challenging racism and intersecting oppressions in all forms."

The SAMEE award ceremony took place at Glasgow's Marriott Hotel. 

This news story was cross posted by the University news website.

First published: 1 September 2025

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