Harry Kutty, Headteacher of Cantell School and Trust Leader of the Aspire Community Trust
On a daily basis Headteacher Harry Kutty sees and celebrates the huge potential of the most disadvantaged young people in his school. “They have often faced challenge in their lives and have, of necessity, become resilient, strong and savvy. They may need drawing out a little more than some of their more advantaged peer group but what they have is hard to teach”. He thinks a lot about their potential in the future workplace.
“I think we need to move away from a world where corporates are presenting the diversity in the workplace issue as a set of quotas. This challenge is profound and not at all about slogans. I believe that creating a diverse workforce can have a dramatic impact on productivity and output. To do that we need to see the potential of students from more disadvantaged backgrounds and we need to fire them up. At their best, their life experiences and their varied cultural, social and religious backgrounds will ensure that they see the world differently. If encouraged they will avoid group think, they will understand and treat people differently, they will offer fresh solutions and think in new ways about productivity and efficiency. True diversity at work challenges the echo chamber”
“But I think there is a significant disconnect between the most disadvantaged students and today’s corporates. I see corporates who sincerely want to increase the diversity of their workforce but they don’t really know how to do that. The gap is big and neither really understands the other. I hope this Diversity into Work project will increase their ability and willingness to engage. It’s reassuring that corporates want to engage in the project, I hope they move the dial on their workforce diversity and indeed that they address diversity at board level and all echelons of the business.”
“When some young people get to university they are delighted. It’s an incredible achievement but they don’t immediately know how to start thinking about ‘what next’. They need to be inspired about the world of work.They need help understanding how they should quickly start to prepare for what happens after university. What are the opportunities, what should they be doing to enhance and increase their employability potential in such a competitive marketplace. They have so much to offer but they will definitely need help in opening up and getting going but it will be worth the effort.”
“One of my pupils is currently studying at Oxford University. As the son of a Bangladeshi chef from the local social housing estate, that wasn’t necessarily where he was expected to be. What I know about him is that his life to date have made him remarkably resilient. He is bright enough to get into Oxford and yet he has lived through real challenge and experienced a range of experiences in such a short time. I think employers should snap him up, what he has to offer is quite extraordinary but put simply they will need to look beyond outdated stereotypes and understand that diversity is part of the new establishment.
Harry is second generation British Indian and his family taught him to find the best in both cultures. “My life has taught me about what diversity can offer. As an educator I work hard to bring different groups together. It is all about the culture you create, be that in a school, a SME or a multi-national corporate. The pupils at my school come from many backgrounds and we run more than 80 extra-curricular clubs to encourage them to socialise and work together. There is always a risk of polarised groups of students hanging out together and not mixing. The clubs break down the barriers and encourage young people to get together towards a common goal. That way they understand and learn from each other. They value the difference. We all need to learn that lesson – it is not unique to schools”
Harry Kutty is the Headteacher of Cantell School in Southampton, a large comprehensive school that represents the diversity of its vibrant local community. He is the Trust Leader of the Aspire Community Trust, a group of 9 schools that work together to shape the life chances of 3000 children aged between 4-16. Harry also holds several non-executive roles focussed on community development including with Hampshire Cricket, Solent LEP and Sport England.
