Cohesion: Equal Opportunities in School

1. Cohesion: Equal Opportunities in School PEOPLE Policy at Comberton Village College, Cambridge January 2008 Mary Martin

2. History of Equal Opportunities • Racial Harassment : Government Guidelines • EO Policy in school • Engagement with issues & incidents • Monitoring & recording of incidents • Promotion of positive values

3. Implementation • Curriculum Audits – redrafting of SOW • Citizenship lessons – promotion of inclusion • Awareness raising of pupils, teachers, parents, Governors • Drafting of Policies – whole school and for pupils • Creation of procedures for handling/reporting/logging incidents • Use of Assemblies – pupil voice

4. Implementation Issues • Staff & Pupil input into policy • Integration of sanctions with Pastoral System • Consistency of response to incidents • Widening remit to include Gender, Homophobia & Disability • Maintaining balance of perception about issues – keeping tone positive

5. PEOPLE Policy Creation • Pupils’ Equal Opportunities Policy means Learning for Everyone = P.E.O.P.L.E. • Focus on tolerance re individual identity • Rationale for optimum learning • Challenging of Stereotyping • Appreciation of Diversity • Respect for cultural diversity • Clearly understood procedures

6. Experience of Implementation • Policy familiarization required by staff & pupils • Need to continually update implementation staying attuned to cultural/linguistic shifts • Analysis of statistics:logging on National Database & internal records • Response to analysis – adjustments in messages to pupils

7. CVC P.E.O.P.L.E People • Analysis of 2005/6 Data – majority of racist incidents occurring in Year 7 • 2006/7 Focus on Induction of new Year 7 • Recruitment of 2 PEOPLE people from each form • 2 Qualities required in candidates: capacity to LISTEN to fellows & preparedness to act as SPOKESPERSON for wronged individuals • Letters of application • 20 strong group formed

8. 2006/2007 Evidence • Raised awareness of meaning of Equal Opportunities among Year 7s – debating of issues • Pupil Voice heard through “OK Survey”: 3 Questions: OK? (not picked on for difference), OK?(not picked on for wanting to work), OK?(Learning not disrupted in lessons others) • Incidence of Racism and other EO abuses reduced by 75% • Development of role of PEOPLE person within a form – “job spec.” • Lesson Observations improved behaviour of miscreants • Pupil Participation in Assemblies promoting EO ideas

9. CVC PEOPLE Structure – 2007/8 • Spectrum Teams formed: • RED = Year 7 • ORANGE = Year 8, • YELLOW = Year 9, • GREEN = Year 10, • BLUE = Year 11 • INDIGO ACTION GROUPS = Vertical Groups comprising all years – INDIviduals who GO beyond own forms and do a bit more …

10. Indigo Action Groups - Roles • Induction of Year 7 – links to specific forms • “OK Survey” • Lesson Observations • Peer Mediation • Participation in Assemblies • Recruitment of Year 7 Reds • Work with EBD school pupils on joint projects e.g. ‘Peace Talks’ film

11. Future Cohesion and CVC • Develop PEOPLE Spectrum Model further • Continue to engage pupils in the Diversity debate – Globalisation • Joint projects with home/abroad neighbours geared to promote understanding • Use film to document/promote positive views • Continue to evolve …