Equality and Diversity in the Primary School in Wales - Term Paper Example

«Equality and Diversity in the primary school in Wales» Introduction The wealth of a nation is the education of its citizens and it is the duty of the Governments to provide easy and free access of education to all its citizens irrespective of their race, gender, ethnicity or religion. Democracy of education or education for all has been the underlying motto of many nations with regard to their educational policies. In a nation where diverse cultures and races are prevalent, the major educational challenge in the nation is to foster this cultural diversity of the nation and to ensure equality of access to education and employment opportunities. The Welsh Government has established many statutory organizations with a view to develop equal opportunities and diversity in schools. The Welsh Assembly Government has taken into account the diverse educational needs of the pupils and the curriculum of the state is carefully designed to accommodate and foster both diversity and equality. Special training is provided to students and teachers in the schools to value diversity and challenge racism. One of the Welsh Assembly Government’s seven core aims is to ensure that all children and young people in Wales are listened to, treated with respect, and are able to have their race and cultural identity recognised. This paper seeks to explore how equality and diversity is ensured in the primary schools in Wales. Special attention is paid to the curriculum, government policies and legislations, issues of racism and stereotyping, and the Standards for Qualified Teacher Status in the nation. Equality and Diversity The Welsh assembly holds that “no one should be denied opportunities because of their race, ethnicity, disability, gender, sexual orientation, age or religion” (Equality and Diversity ). The statutory organizations involved in developing equal opportunities and diversity include The National Assembly for Wales that seeks to , the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), The Disability Rights Commission (DRC), The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), and the ACCAC that seeks to ensure equal opportunities in the school curriculum. The Welsh Assembly Government thrusts the duty of fostering diversity and preventing inequality in education in these statutory bodies and these bodies are expected to enhance the educational attainment of the nation. The multicultural nature of Wales makes it quite challenging for the governmental bodies to put the Assembly’s vision into practice. Equal opportunities and diversity in the school curriculum in Wales The Welsh Assembly Government has rightly understood that the best possible way to foster cultural diversity and equality among primary school children is to make clear cut provisions in the school curriculum. The ACCAC (2001) Equal opportunities and diversity in the school curriculum in Wales “focuses on the opportunities in the school curriculum to teach and learn about issues of equality and diversity relating to disability, gender and race, and to challenge prejudice and stereotyping in schools and in the wider community” (Equal opportunities and diversity in the school curriculum in Wales, 2001, p. 2). Teachers have a pivotal role to play in instilling in the minds of the learners’ “knowledge of equal opportunities and enrich their understanding of diversity” and the Government hopes that such a step would create responsible leaders for the nation who value the diversity and right to equality of all the citizens in the nation irrespective of one’s gender, race or religion. ACCAC (2001) Equal opportunities and diversity in the school curriculum in Wales pays special attention in developing equal opportunities at the primary school level. The curriculum is structured in such a way so as to provide opportunities for each student to interact with others in the same school. In school, special care is paid to ensure respect and appreciation to all the students by providing opportunities to students to work with, write about, listen to, speak to, look at, act toward, speak about and play with all others in the school (Equal opportunities and diversity in the school curriculum in Wales, 2001, p. 20). Besides, everyone in the school is taught to respect and value the multicultural communal values of everyone who belongs to different cultures. For this, the school avoids all sorts of stereotyping and language preferences within the school premises. No discrimination is shown to students by the staff or other management representatives of the school. Racist incidents in the school need to be monitored and there should be consistent methods to deal with such issues in the school. The curriculum also envisions effective, explicit and workable strategies to guard against all forms of racism in both the formal and informal curriculum (Equal opportunities and diversity in the school curriculum in Wales, 2001, p. 21) Education for sustainable development, Education for Race Equality and global citizenship The concept of education for sustainable development, Education for race equality, and global citizenship are two key factors that are introduced by the Welsh Assembly Government to make the primary students aware of the importance of “concepts such as interdependence, sustainable change, quality of life and diversity” and this enables students to develop a global perspective by which they realize their “responsibility of taking action for sustainable lifestyles and empower them with the attitudes to be a sustainable citizen in a global world” (Global Citizenship Secondary School Map -Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship, 2005, p. 2). Students should realize that they are part of a global world and all of their actions do have either a positive or negative impacts on the lives of the people who live around them in other parts of the world. The knowledge and understanding of the global world prepares one to understand other cultures, respect them and imbibe the good aspects of cultures that are different and diverse from theirs. Education for Global Citizenship, thus, “enables people to understand the global forces which shape their lives and to acquire the knowledge, skills and values that will equip them, to participate in decision making, both locally and globally, which promotes a more equitable and sustainable world” (Global Citizenship Secondary School Map -Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship, 2005, p. 7). Similarly, education for Sustainable Development helps the students to understand the significance of having relations with other nations as this “would emphasise the interrelationships between society, economy and environment” (Global Citizenship Secondary School Map -Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship, 2005, p. 8). Education for sustainable development also is essential to convince students of keeping natural resources stable and keeping the environment unpolluted; for instance, students should be able to understand that environmental pollution that is done in any part of the world is likely to affect the whole world. Education for Race Equality is significant in any society where racial inequality exists. Students at the primary school level should be taught to value all the races; they should be told that all races belong to the vast ocean of humanity and that the individualities of other students are also to be valued and accepted. The primary aim of education for race equality is to enable people “to appreciate and celebrate the diversity of humankind, both in the UK and world-wide, and to develop the knowledge, values and skills to challenge racial discrimination, promote equality and promote good relations between people of different racial groups” (Global Citizenship Secondary School Map -Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship, 2005, p. 8). Primary school level is a period when students develop various point of views, impressions, values and ideologies regarding many aspects of life. Therefore, education for quality should eliminate all sorts of prejudiced and stereotyped views of students regarding other minority groups and races. It should instill in the minds of the students that each race or ethnicity has its own values and cultures. It is important that students get a real life picture of the multiethnic nature of Wales from their primary school education which would build a strong foundation to value the cultural diversity of the nation. Teachers should take special care to involve the minorities in all the class room activities and discussions and other students should be taught to encourage them both in and out of the class room. It can thus be concluded that education for sustainable development, Education for global citizenship and education for race equality should be promoted in the formation of the curriculum and the teachers and instructors need to employ them effectively in the teaching-learning process. Equality and Diversity in the primary school in Wales: Policies and Practice Education for diversity and equality is a very sensitive area that needs continuous evaluation and monitoring. The Welsh Assembly Government has introduced effective inspection framework for education and training in Wales. The common inspection framework seeks to provide constant support and guidelines to learners, taking into account the learners’ social, educational, ethnic or linguistic background; it also aims to “promote gender equality and challenge stereotypes in learners’ choices and expectations” and puts emphasis on “effective measures to eliminate oppressive behaviour, including racial discrimination, bullying and all forms of harassment” (The common Inspection Framework for Education and Training in Wales, p. 8). The Education of Gypsy Traveller Learners is another challenge that the Welsh Government faces with regard to its attempts to implement education for diversity and equality at the national level. The education of the gypsies is problematic as many of them have poor attendance rate and most of them do not attend their secondary level of education. The education of these Gypsy Traveller Learners is carried out through the local education authorities and the Welsh Assembly Government allocates special funds for this purpose. It has been identified that even though the Assembly has taken efforts to offer equal education to the gypsy learners, many local education authorities fail to form effective policies to meet their learning needs. Therefore, this is an area of concern for the nation and the Welsh Assembly Government should therefore “collaborate with local authorities to identify and put in place appropriate arrangements to enable staff, with responsibilities for Gypsy Traveller learners, to discuss common issues and share best practice” (The Education of Gypsy Traveller Learners: A survey of provision made by schools and local authorities to meet the needs of Gypsy Traveller learners, 2005, p. 5). It has been identified that “Gypsy and Traveller groups have specific cultural and life-style characteristics which may not be generally understood and which can contribute to the prejudice that they may experience from the non-Traveller population” (Moving Forward-Gypsy Traveller Education, 2008, p. 7). Many of the Gypsies report that bullying and racism is common in schools; these include “taunting and name-calling by other pupils, and sometimes families report discriminatory treatment from staff and parents, although this may not result in formal complaints” (Moving Forward-Gypsy Traveller Education, 2008, p. 8). Besides, most of the gypsies are backward in studies too. The teachers and the local education authorities should realize that the gypsy learners at the primary level have specific educational needs (SEN) and the SEN coordinators have a pivotal role in addressing these specific educational needs of the Gypsy Traveller Learners. The Welsh Government has made a number of legislations for the prevention of all sorts of discriminations at the primary School level. For instance, the National Assembly for Wales Circular No: 23/2003 aims at preventing all sorts of bullying based on gender, race, sexual orientation, and disability. The Anti-Bullying Guidance proposed by the assembly aims “to provide information on tackling bullying in schools” and “offers direct practical solutions to both prevention and dealing with incidents of bullying and gives the legal background and an explanation of the roles of all involved in preventing and dealing with bullying” (Respecting Others: Anti-Bullying Guidance, 2003, p. 3). Bullying at schools can vary from racist bullying to sexual and gender-based bullying and therefore it is necessary to have exemplary disciplinary action for bullying at the schools. For this, the school councils should develop clear cut policies and guidelines in tune with the National Anti-bullying policy. Standards for Qualified Teachers’ Status The most noteworthy legislation formulated by the National Assembly for Wales Circular No: 41/2006 on becoming a Qualified Teacher. The Assembly has clearly stated the standards by which the quality of teachers at the primary level can be assessed. The teachers have the most important and crucial role to play in making the vision of the assembly a reality. The standards for the Quality teacher status include the teachers’ ability to understand everyone’s learning needs, to motivate and inspire pupils, to communicate effectively with parents and carers, to promote the school in the wider community, to meet special educational needs, to use information and communication technology, to promote good behaviour among students, and to work within the laws and guidelines of the Assembly. Besides teachers should have commitment to professional development, subject knowledge and understanding, professional values and effective practice. To promote diversity and education in education, “teachers need to know how to draw on their awareness and understanding of their pupils’ social, cultural, linguistic, religious and ethnic backgrounds to support learning and to teach in ways that engage and challenge pupils” (Becoming a Qualified Teacher: Handbook of Guidance, 2006, p. 3). Teachers should have the adaptability to raise themselves to the learning needs of students and in order to promote equality and diversity in education; they need to know the cultural and familial background of each student. He/ she should be quipped with the most effective techniques of tackling all sorts of racial discrimination and unequal treatment in the schools. Racial discrimination at schools is a major area of concern as there are reported cases of racism and racial discrimination in schools. However, primary school time is the best period when teachers can instill permanent values in the minds of children through effective techniques and strategies. Brown, B. (2001) postulates an effective technique to combat racial discrimination at schools making use of Persona Dolls. He showed that persona dolls can best be used “to prevent young children learning prejudiced attitudes and discriminatory behaviour while helping them unlearn any negative messages they might have already learned” ( Brown, 2001, p. xi). For this, the teacher needs to give ‘personalities, family and cultural backgrounds’ to the dolls and he/she needs to elicit free responses from the students. Once the responses from the students are gained it is easy for the trainer to divert their negative responses and turn them into positive. The primary aim of the persona dolls play “ is to develop children’s ability to empathize with the Dolls and care about them, to recognize the ways in which they are the similar to and different from themselves and to learn that discriminatory behavior hurts” (Brown, 2001, p. xi). Thus teachers at the primary level should be trained enough to employ techniques of this sort by which they can empathetic feelings towards other students and enable them to respect other children and to appreciate their cultures. School Effectiveness Framework: Building effective learning communities together The School Effectiveness Framework developed by the Welsh Assembly Government is another landmark as far as the education for diversity and equality of the nation is concerned. The school effectiveness frame works aims at achieving the vision of the Assembly through a tri-level reform into action that collaborates the whole of education community which include the schools, local authorities and the Assembly Government. The framework presupposes that “effective schools are community focused and relevant to the lives of children and young people outside the school and school hours, recognising linguistic and cultural diversity” (School Effectiveness Framework: Building effective learning communities together, 2008, p. 17). It is therefore imperative that schools seek the help of families and the broader community, other statutory agencies, social and voluntary organizations. The Assembly also lays emphasis on the role of all communities across Wales in promoting diversity and equality in the schools; the assembly believes that its visions cannot be achieved without the assistance and support of the society and holds that “pupils’ development, in particular their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, cannot be properly promoted unless it is built on foundations which respect and value diversity” (Equal opportunities and diversity in the school curriculum in Wales). Conclusions The Welsh Assembly Government’s attempts to bring about equality and diversity in the primary school in Wales have gone long miles and one can undoubtedly experience the positive impacts of such steps and measures undertaken by the Government. The various statutory bodies of the Assembly perform remarkable policies by which the nation can ensure equality and diversity of education in the nation. Education for quality, education for sustainable development, and education for global citizenship should go in hand with education for diversity. Even though the curriculum envisions equal opportunities and diversity in education, more of attention is to be paid at its implementation level. All the policies and plans of the government with regard to equality and diversity need to be assessed and monitored continuously. Thus ensuring equality and diversity of education in Wales necessitates comprehensive efforts from the part of the Government, the teachers, the management staff, the community and various social and voluntary organizations. Bibliography Equality and Diversity. 1999 – 2007. [online]. Welsh Assembly Government. Last Accessed 31 January 2009 at: http://wales.gov.uk/topics/equality/?lang=en Equal opportunities and diversity in the school curriculum in Wales (2001). [online]. Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales (ACCAC). 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Last Accessed 31 January 2009 at: http://old.accac.org.uk/eng/content.php?mID=330 The Education of Gypsy Traveller Learners: A survey of provision made by schools and local authorities to meet the needs of Gypsy Traveller learners. 2005. [online]. Estyn: Crown Copyright. Last Accessed 31 January 2009 at: http://www.estyn.gov.uk/publications/Remit_8_04_05_Education_Gypsy_Traveller_Learners_Report.pdf Respecting Others: Anti-Bullying Guidance. September 2003. [online]. National Assembly for Wales Circular No: 23/2003. Welsh Assembly Government: Crown Copyright. Last Accessed 31 January 2009 at: http://new.wales.gov.uk/dcells/publications/publications/circularsindex/03/respectingothers/nafwc2303-e.pdf?lang=en Becoming a Qualified Teacher: Handbook of Guidance. October 2006. [online]. National Assembly for Wales Circular No: 41/2006. Welsh Assembly Government: Crown Copyright. Last Accessed 31 January 2009 at: http://wales.gov.uk/1546306/circulars/2006/english/nafwc41-06?lang=en Welsh Assembly Government (2008). [online]. School Effectiveness Framework: Building effective learning communities together. Crown Copyright. Last Accessed 31 January 2009 at: http://www.learningobservatory.com/uploads/publications/1331.pdf Moving Forward-Gypsy Traveller Education. March 2008. [online]. Welsh Assembly Government Circular No: 003/2008. Crown Copyright. Last Accessed 31 January 2009 at: http://new.wales.gov.uk/dcells/publications/publications/circularsindex/2008/0032008gypsytravellerchildren/gypsytravellerchildren-e.pdf;jsessionid=97mfJByXBZYf6q1rwdkHklZwyPVjQjlM1vctpTvjTkHytXmPLvCD!1419002152?lang=en Read More