Investigating the implementation of a community of practice (CoP) in the advancement of antiracist education in contemporary Wales

This paper investigates the implementation of a Community of Practice (CoP) in advancing antiracist education in contemporary Wales. Against the backdrop of the Welsh Government’s Antiracist Wales Action Plan and the introduction of the new curriculum, the study examines the work of DARPL (Diversity and Antiracist Professional Learning), a national initiative tasked with embedding antiracist practice across the education sector. Drawing on ten research conversations with educators, leaders, and policymakers, we identify how participation in the CoP fostered personal growth, enhanced professional competence, and supported the enactment of antiracist pedagogy and leadership. Participants described developing race literacy, negotiating discomfort, and translating learning into tangible changes in policy, curriculum, and community engagement. While highlighting the promise of CoPs as vehicles for systemic change, the paper also underscores persistent structural challenges, particularly the underrepresentation of racially minoritised educators. The findings provide an illustrative model for embedding antiracism in educational practice.