Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We inspire children and foster curiosity; together we create a better future with values at the heart of everything we do.

At Merryhills, we believe that the we in our school vision is crucial. For children to be inspired and to aspire for a better future they must first feel a sense of belonging. Equally, before we can come together in our shared language of the school values, we must first recognise how we identify as individuals. 

As educators, we aim to be culturally competent; understanding that we come to school with our sense of who we are, and that unless we are reflective about our own identity and how it creates a lens through which we view the world, we will not be able to honour the identities of the pupils at Merryhills or our wider community. Through our own staff training and through reading, we continue to educate ourselves on how to best deliver a reflective curriculum. This may look like exploring multiple perspectives when sourcing materials to use in the classroom to ensure we reflect different views of an event; evaluating the images we use; striving to find rich, diverse texts; asking questions about missing narratives or simply sharing different stories. When multiple perspectives are put together, it will result in an enriched understanding.

Our Aims:

Diversity in Books

We know that access to quality literature transforms children’s personal and academic growth, and lays the foundations for improved life chances. The right book can set a child on this path and open up worlds beyond their wildest imagination whilst giving them a better chance at making it in the world in which they inhabit. This is why books matter and the matter of the books matters even more. CLPE Reflecting Realities Report 2020 

Our core texts over the last few years have continued to evolve and are now reflective of our community and society. We believe rich books in all subjects should be the foundation of learning and they continue to inspire on and off the page. Please find a selection of diverse texts used within the curriculum:

We continue to enhance our school library and classroom book corner so the books children can take home to read and hear read aloud are representative and diverse in selection. In Reception and Key Stage 1, a selection of books can be found with QR codes that link to it being read out loud for those families who have English as an Additional language (EAL). 

Equality, Diversion and Inclusion Across the Curriculum

Throughout the school you will see how we embrace diversity with the curriculum - through the musicians, artists and scientists we explore to the social lens element of our curriculum; asking questions such as what is the difference between migration and invasion? Who was missing on the Apollo mission and why? To whose responsibility is it to help after an Earthquake? You will see inclusion in our classrooms in the form of the individual needs being met in planning to additionally making sure our environments do not create sensory overload and help provide structure i.e. through visual timetable and neutral display boards. Our assemblies on Black History Month, Pride, Autism Acceptance and other Global matters further cement the work in our curriculum. Please see our RSHE curriculum for how the topic of identities, relationships, celebrating differences and families are further explored. 

Identity

At the start of each year the whole school works on an identity project. This topic allows the class to know each other as individuals as well as allowing time to build the class community together. During this topic, we ask many questions such as do we have any special talents? How can these be nurtured throughout the year?What cultural traditions are celebrated in the class? Which languages are spoken and how may these be reflected in our room? What are our favourite stories? What is the heritage of the class? Where did their parents/grandparents come from and how did this shape who they are? We may also take time to appreciate a name and the possible story behind that name. 

Each year group will use a specific book as a stimuli. 

Similarly, whilst exploring identities in person children will also look at identities online in conjunction with the computing curriculum. 

Migration

In the Summer Term, the whole school completes a project on Migration as part of our History Curriculum. Each year group looks at the theme of departures, long journeys, arrivals and hope for the future. During their unit, the following questions will be explored: 

• Why did migrants come to Britain?
• What were the experiences of migrants in Britain?
• What was the impact of migration to Britain?

See below for the current elements of Migration discovered in Year Groups:

 From an RSHE curriculum perspective, the children will also look at what makes memories, a home and the acceptance of others whose backgrounds and experiences may differ from our own. They will do this through Philosophy for Children (P4C) discussion and through discussion through book stimuli such as The Journey by Francesca Sanna and The Suitcase by Chris-Naylor-Ballesteros.

EDI Governors and Diversity Forum

Forever looking forward, as a school, we are committed to growth and we invite stakeholders to be part of the bigger conversation. Therefore, since 2020 we have been running a diversity forum at our school where we hold discussions across the year; a space open for anyone to speak, without judgement and in confidence. We also have a separate division of the Governors that holds the school accountable for our equitable practices and outcomes. The governors ensure we are non-discriminatory in our practice and behaviour, taking into account cultural identity and cultural contexts. EDI Governors will listen to the voices of our parent community, help analyse our behaviour logs, speak to staff and support the hire of culturally unbiased staff amongst other things. 

Plead read our diversity action plan and impact case study below:

Diversity Action Plan

EDI Impact Case Study