DEVELOPING AWARENESS OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY

1. DEVELOPING AWARENESS OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY Some whole school approaches

2. First essentials • A positive school ethos on respecting difference and valuing diversity • Clear commitment to this vision offered by head teacher and senior staff

3. Key themes • These themes should be developed throughout the curriculum and through special activities: • Shared humanity: similarity, sameness and universality • Difference and diversity: contrasting stories and interpretations • Interdependence: borrowing, mingling and mutual influence • Excellence is to be found in all cultures • Identity and belonging • Race, ethnicity and justice

4. Within the taught curriculum • Opportunities and requirements to tackle these issues are to be found across all key stages, in every national curriculum subject, the PSE framework and the agreed syllabus for RE

5. Some whole-school approaches and special activities • Stories, subjects and situations explored in art, dance, drama and music • Displays, exhibitions, signs and visual materials in classrooms and public areas • Use of visiting speakers, artists, musicians and storytellers • Assemblies and collective worship

6. Some whole-school approaches and special activities • Visits to places of cultural and religious interest • Involvement in national projects • Links with schools in other countries or other parts of Britain

7. Some specific school examples • Welsh-medium Primary School working with India Dance Wales • Outreach workers worked with pupils to prepare special show on Diwali • Half performance done in Welsh • Develops pupils’ artistic and performance skills • Develops awareness of another faith and culture in active, positive way

8. Some specific school examples • Freddy the Frog visits Pakistan • Using reception class circle time toy • ‘Freddy’ sent postcards and photos of places he visited • Pupils replied with letters to Freddy in Pakistan • Produced Big Book on project • Raised esteem of ethnic minority pupils by giving status to their culture and country of origin

9. Some specific school examples • Using RE to explore diversity in KS1 • Work on the story of Elmer the elephant • Led to discussion on human differences and how these are positive • Member of Sikh community invited to classroom to talk about her religion • Led to discussion about equality between men and women

10. Some school and LEA approaches • Using links with schools in other countries to celebrate cultural diversity • Pupils exchange letters, e-mails, photos and samples of work • Materials received used as learning resource in classroom • Pupils research the country of their partner school • Special ‘international days’ to celebrate the links

11. Valuing diversity: the ESIS materials • PSE resource, but include brief suggestions for tackling diversity issues across curriculum • Main aim is to promote: • pupils’ self-esteem and awareness of own culture • awareness of, and positive attitudes towards, people who are ‘different’ • Methodology: stimulate discussionof key issues

12. Valuing diversity: the ESIS materials • Hard copy and CD Rom • Photocopiable activity sheets • Teacher’s notes and information sheets • 20 ‘People’ photos, showing wide range of human beings • Flexible format, though there is logical progression

13. Valuing diversity: the ESIS materials • Sample 1: KS1: Friends • Sample 2: KS1: Let’s Eat • Sample 3: KS2: Appearances • Sample 4: KS2: Sticks and stones

14. “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”Nelson Mandela