"Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future, and renders the present inaccessible.”
Maya Angelou
At Loughborough Primary we are proud to be part of a diverse community. We understand the importance of celebrating our similarities and our differences, our cultural heritage and the heritage of others. We also appreciate the strength that we gain from including one another and joining together as a community. We are dedicated to demonstrating our commitment to the Equalities Act 2010 and developing pupils’ cultural capital. We understand the urgent need to teach our children how to develop critical thinking and how to become ‘global citizens’ so that they may have agency and autonomy over their own lives and the capacity to be agents of change. To facilitate this, we are aspiring to become a culturally proficient organisation. At Loughborough this means:
- We value diversity (name the differences)
- Assess one’s culture (claim our identity)
- Manage the dynamics of differences (frame conflict)
- Institutionalise cultural knowledge (train about diversity)+
- Adapt to diversity (change for diversity)
- Require staff to develop a set of skills and awareness that allow us to be adaptable and respectful of persons of any culture that we interact with or provide services to
- Evaluate the organisation’s cultural competence on a regular basis
- Allocate resources for leadership and staff development in cultural awareness sensitivity and understanding
In 2020/21 we are committed to taking the following steps to achieve this goal:
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Action:
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Impact:
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Leadership at all levels
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- Establish a task force of governors (to sit under the Teaching and Learning committee) to evaluate and monitor the school’s approach to Diversity and Inclusion (D&I).
- The appointment of a link governor for D&I – Dr. Mullings
- Review and evaluate key systems policies and procedures to ensure they reflect the Equalities Act 2010 and the school’s approach to D&I . (E.g Behaviour policy, equalities policy, CP, Attendance)
- To review performance management processes for all teaching and support staff (i) to allow for greater equity and equality of opportunity for staff (ii) to include targets relating the performance of key groups inc. Black African, Black Caribbean, Somali pupils.
- To engage the services of SIP (Hackney LA) and System Lead Young Black Men Project Orlene Badu to deliver training on unconscious bias and diversity and inclusion within the curriculum.
- Establish a working party of staff members to contribute to driving the D&I vision.
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- Leadership at all levels is representative of the community we serve.
- Internal systems support the growth, professional development, equity and equality of opportunity for staff.
- Staff are able to regularly communicate their views and have the opportunity to express themselves freely. We are a ‘listening’ community’ and this is modelled by leaders at all levels.
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Pupil voice and outcomes
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- Carry out a curriculum review to further develop opportunities for pupils to celebrate their heritage, cultural similarities and differences and British values.
- Capture pupil voice on teaching learning and the impact of a D&I curriculum through pupil conferencing.
- Establish a Pupil Parliament and task pupils with exploring the student body’s views on D&I in school and the wider community.
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- Pupils have access to a broad and balanced curriculum which represents their cultural heritage.
- Pupils celebrate their cultural heritage and the heritage of others.
- Pupils’ experience of D&I is captured and this informs teaching and learning at Loughborough Primary School.
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Community engagement
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- Improve external communication with parents to support all groups wishing to contact the school during the pandemic (new website, access to parent mail, virtual appointments, face to face - by appointment).
- Establish a parent forum for families to express their views on D&I in school and the wider community and to contribute to driving the D&I vision.
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- All families within the community have the opportunity to communicate with staff (using the method they feel most comfortable).
- Family views on D&I are captured and this informs teaching and learning at Loughborough Primary School.
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