Diversity & Inclusion at Arbor

Diversity & Inclusion at Arbor Education

Our goal is for Arbor to be a workplace which represents, celebrates and supports people from all backgrounds, and which gives them the tools they need to thrive - whatever their ambitions may be.

Arbor Diversity and Inclusion Statement

At Arbor, our mission is to transform the ways schools work. That means we serve a broad and diverse professional community - from teachers to SLT to Support Staff - and an equally diverse student and parent community. We want to make sure we build the best products for our schools, and we passionately believe that starts with building a workforce as diverse as the communities we serve.

As of today we know we’re not there yet, but we’re committed to doing the work to improve. We want Arbor to be a workplace which represents, celebrates and supports people from all backgrounds, and which gives them the tools they need to thrive.

Our focus over the past few months has been on understanding where we need to improve, and on making sure that everyone at Arbor has had the chance to share their views. So far, we’ve established a Diversity and Inclusion Committee, surveyed our team, hosted training and workshops, and reviewed our recruitment process. We know we’ve still got big work to do, but we’re actively working on it. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on how we’re doing.

The next step on our journey is to publish the findings of our inaugural Diversity and Inclusion report publicly. We have included (where available) the industry benchmarks for each category surveyed. These do not necessarily provide a target, but do provide a good measure of where we sit compared to our wider industry for context. We believe that diversity and inclusion is a key issue for society as a whole, and we will be playing our part in driving change that hopefully will reach wider than us to our customers, partners and our industry as a whole.

You can find that report here.

Why did you join Arbor's Diversity & Inclusion Guild?

Having built teams across multiple companies I’ve seen first hand the importance, and massive benefit, of diversity in the workplace. We are in an industry that is known for its lack of diversity and I want to be a part of changing this. We can lead that change. The best ideas always come from working with people with different viewpoints and experiences to our own. It’s how we learn and grow. We’re on a mission to improve education and it’s vital that we are able to represent the needs of all of our users. By creating an environment where everyone is included and diversity is not just accepted, but welcomed with open arms is how we can achieve this. It is also what motivates me and why I love what I do. We’ve got plenty to do and I’m proud to be a part of the diversity and inclusion committee making this change happen.

Santino Boffa

Head of People
I joined the Diversity and Inclusion committee because I believe wholeheartedly in the importance of the work we’ve got to do. It’s critical that we’re proactive and intentional in building a diverse workforce across our teams and offices. We know that the majority of people working in tech are white, and identify as male - and, as a fast-growing edtech company, I think we have a responsibility to improve access to everyone. It’s not just the right thing to do, it means we’ll have better decision making, better internal challenge, and become stronger for it. Plus, it’s crucial that our team reflects the diversity of the audience we serve across our school community. I’m passionate about helping us get there, and about making sure we build inclusive working into everything we do along the way.

Harriet Cheng

Head of Marketing
For me, I have always been passionate about a fair, consistent and unbiased recruitment process, no matter the role, seniority or department. Recruitment is not just an interview, it is a chance for employers to show their true values and what we stand for and for a candidate, it is a chance to see what you are doing as a company to create a fair, diverse and inclusive environment. Being able to advertise to, network with and promote our brand to a diverse workforce is truly important for a business. As we work in SaaS, we need innovation and as a growing business we need people to help us on our journey with all backgrounds and life experiences!

Sophie Elms

Office, Culture & Recruitment Manager
Having worked for 10 years in inner city London schools, I have experienced the wealth of varied perspectives, opinions and experiences that come with working as part of a diverse team. I have experienced first hand how much richer this makes your working life. I also feel as someone who benefits from various privileges, I want to take on some responsibility for making sure Arbor attracts, retains and includes people from all types of background. I am also really passionate about employee wellbeing, and a big part of that is ensuring that Arbor is the most inclusive workplace it can possibly be.

Danielle Arkwright

HR & Office Manager

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At Arbor, we’re on a mission to transform the way schools work for the better.

You’ve probably seen the headlines. Heavy workloads, constant change, admin pressure on teachers and staff at every level… sometimes it feels like this is just part and parcel of school life today. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

We passionately believe that there’s a better way to work. And it starts by giving everyone the right tools and technology for the job.

We’re building a platform and products we believe in - as well as a strong, diverse team of experienced specialists, ex-teachers and Edtech engineers passionate about making a difference to the sector.

Ultimately, we’re here to help make our schools and trusts stress a little less, and focus on what matters most - improving the lives of teachers and outcomes of students everywhere.