Equality & Diversity
At Alderwood we are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for all pupils, staff, parents and carers irrespective of race, gender, disability, belief, sexual orientation, age or socio-economic background.
In light of the events that have taken place in America and the insightful and impassioned discussions happening currently in our own country, we are reminded of the need to make it clear that we categorically will not tolerate racism and that we will acknowledge our role in dismantling systematic racism.
This is not a matter that we have suddenly begun to address but we do recognise that there is still more to be done.
In terms of the curriculum, by necessity we largely follow the National Curriculum, and so any large scale reform will have to emanate from the government. We do however have some flexibility in choosing and forming our curriculum topics. With this in mind, we have already started looking through each of our curriculum units to ensure that what we are teaching represents the diversity of our community. After seeking recommendation from a range of websites, activist groups and the Local Authority, we have begun to carefully select a range of books that will become a part of our regular teaching and will also be available in the library.
The celebration of differences is also embedded as part of our SMSC/RE/RSE curriculum and we spend time through explicit lessons and assemblies celebrating the lives and experiences of those who have struggled through and conquered discrimination. As a team we will continue to look at the range of different lives that we share and ensure that they are not just ‘tokenistic’. We will also ensure further discussions take place around equality, standing up for others, stereotyping and the different forms racism takes in order to challenge discriminatory behaviours inside and outside of the school environment.
As a school, our continued aim is to better educate our pupils with the knowledge they need to understand and address complex social issues and to be aware of and combat racism. Our aim is for our pupils to be aware of inequality, to understand its causes and effects and to be committed to doing something about it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/52813673
