Tackling unconscious bias at personal and staff level is an essential ingredient of ethical leadership

DAN ALLERTON, YEASMIN MORTUZA, HELEN ANDREWS, REBECCA KNOWLES AND VICKI PARRY, ASSOCIATION FOR SCIENCE EDUCATION (ASE), UK Introduction A strong awareness of unconscious bias is one of six signature traits of ethical leadership (Bourke and Titus, 2020). In this article, we explore how a continuous drive to identify, challenge and mitigate for bias at leadership level is an essential ingredient of ethical leadership. Few leaders would consider themselves to be ‘unethical’, yet the data shows persistent inequalities in student outcomes, staff recruitment, progression and pay (Lee et al., 2023; Worth et al., 2022). These disparities exist where biases are not challenged, and unintentional poor practice happens when ethics are assumed. Ethical leadership cannot happen by accident but must be proactively nurtured, driven and rigorously checked for.  We unpick four common types of bias that can affect the work culture in schools, as well as affecting how teachers are recruited and