This framework sets out guidance for UK medical and dental schools to decolonise curricula and create more inclusive educational environments. It emphasises the need for proactive, intersectional approaches to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and outlines practical steps to support students and staff from marginalised backgrounds. The guidance is designed to be adaptable, recognising that institutions are at different stages in their decolonisation journeys.
Summary
This publication presents recommendations and areas for action across six key themes:
- Curriculum development: Co-creation with diverse staff and students, inclusive training, and recognition of contributions.
- Curriculum content: Diversifying reading lists, addressing historical bias, and embedding global and marginalised perspectives.
- Curriculum delivery: Inclusive teaching aids, accessible environments, diverse representation in teaching and assessment, and cultural humility.
- Assessment: Fair and inclusive assessments, diverse scenarios and actors, and integration of EDI into marking criteria.
- The hidden curriculum: Addressing implicit norms, professionalism, physical spaces, and institutional structures.
- Clinical placements: Ensuring inclusive experiences, clear reporting pathways, and proactive engagement with placement providers.
Key findings
- Curricula often reflect Eurocentric and white male perspectives, limiting students’ preparedness to serve diverse populations.
- Students from minoritised backgrounds report exclusion, stereotyping, and lack of representation in teaching materials and assessments.
- Inclusive and decolonised curricula improve student engagement, academic outcomes, and patient care.
- The hidden curriculum and clinical placements are key areas where discrimination and exclusion persist.
- Co-creation, cultural humility, and institutional accountability are essential to meaningful change.
Recommendations
- Develop inclusive curriculum toolkits and embed co-creation with students and staff from diverse backgrounds.
- Audit reading lists and teaching materials to ensure representation of global and marginalised voices.
- Provide training on cultural humility, unconscious bias, and inclusive teaching practices.
- Ensure assessments reflect diverse patient experiences and avoid reinforcing stereotypes.
- Establish clear, accessible reporting systems for discrimination and support mechanisms for affected students.
- Review institutional structures, leadership diversity, and physical spaces to ensure inclusivity.
- Promote inclusive practices in clinical placements and ensure alignment with EDI values across all learning environments.
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