A Commitment to Opportunity and Inclusion
Rachel Nicholls, Principal & CEO, Inspire Education Group
IWD 2026
At Inspire Education Group, we believe education is one of the most powerful drivers of opportunity and social mobility. It shapes confidence, ambition and the pathways people take in life.
International Women’s Day provides an important moment to reflect on progress made towards greater equality, while recognising that sustained action is still needed to ensure fair access to opportunity for women and girls.
As a large education provider serving diverse communities across Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, we recognise the responsibility we have to shape aspiration and access.
We are committed to ensuring that gender does not define ambition — whether in the classroom, the workplace or positions of leadership.
Through our Gender Special Interest Group and oversight from our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion governance structures, we actively listen to the lived experiences of our students and staff.
Our peer-led ‘Evolve’ research project continues to explore gendered experiences across our campuses, helping us identify barriers and respond with practical action.
We are working to widen participation in sectors where representation remains uneven, including engineering and digital industries, while also investing in inclusive workplace wellbeing.
Our commitment as an Endometriosis Friendly Employer and our work towards White Ribbon Accreditation reinforce our intention to expand on respectful, safe and supportive environments for all.
We are encouraged by the progress we are seeing, including rising achievement rates among our young female learners. However, equality is not achieved through celebration alone. It requires continued attention, accountability and collaboration.
This International Women’s Day, we reaffirm our commitment to creating an organisation where talent is recognised, opportunity is shared, and every individual - regardless of gender - feels empowered to be bold, be brave and be exceptional.