Equality in Schools

1.3 It is very important to be aware of the importance of valuing and promoting cultural diversity. Most schools will activley include a number of strategies to

With this in mind all tutors should be mindful and uphold the basics set out in The Equality Act 2010, which ultimately protects the rights and equality of all individuals, prohibiting victimization.

Gov.uk (2001) states inclusion is about recognising that every child, irrespective of their background or situation are individuals, and they have the right to access a curriculum that is planned to meet their different requirements. It can be their personal, social, emotional and academic development that may be affected if the work they are given is not differentiated for their individual needs. The Equality Act

All schools must have policies that are designed to reflect the rights and responsibilities of those within the school. These policies should provide guidance to staff and visitors who attend the school on ways to ensure inclusive practise is used.

. Schools have duty to protect the human rights of both its pupils and staff.

This means making sure that all pupils are treated equally in a non-prejudiced way regardless of ability, race or gender. A child must never be made to feel less worthy because they are ‘different’

Every school must produce a range of policies which formally set out guidelines and procedures for ensuring equality. These policies must take account the rights of all children and young people. The policies in place work to ensure equality and inclusion; this can be conducted through the teaching and learning that occurs in the setting. However, the policies must also pay regard to the values and practice which are part of all aspects of school life.

The benefits of promoting and valuing cultural diversity within a school setting is extremely important as children and young people will learn to understand all the different cultures and respect them. Learning about different cultures and religions helps a young mind broaden and see that no matter what culture, race or ethnicity another person is they still have equal rights and opportunities and can achieve the same goals as each other. For example, many people see all Indian/Pakistani adults as doctors, this is a common form of stereotyping and if an English child is lead to believe that this is only the case then they may not want to follow that career path due to feeling that they are not allowed. Within my setting we promote cultural diversity within our resources, this means that when we show our pupils books or home-made resources to help assist them with their learning we always try to ensure that all ethnic backgrounds and abilities are shown

It is essential that all children have full access to all areas of education to allow them to fully develop in every way possible. There is much legislation in practice to aid this including every child matters, the SEN code of practice and the disability discrimination act.

According to the Equality act, (2010) [When providing for learners they should all be treated equally despite] age, sex, sexual orientation,

Some of the characteristics categorising various ethnic groups include: ancestry, a sense of history, language, religion, and forms of dress. The wide range of experiences and perspectives brought into schools by culturally and ethnically diverse students offer a very powerful resource for every student in the class to expand their own learning in many different ways: by experiencing it in new environments, and with different types of children. This article Understanding Learning Diversity written by Groundwater-Smith, Ewing and Le Cornu (2011) discusses that education staff need to have a strong understanding of the backgrounds, knowledges and social skills of the students ethnicities but keeping in mind that these will interact with the child's gender and social class factors. Robert W. Cole (Educating Everybody's Children: Diverse Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners, Revised and Expanded 2nd Edition), agrees with that opinion stated in the article. There was a huge growth of ethnic diversity after World War II, and since this period Australia has become one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world.

An analyzation of the various types of races, grades, members of a household, pattern and trend that can be identified by the grade level cohort. Each teacher should take the time to explore the community in cohort depending on the safety of the neighborhood. If possible a scavenger hunt throughout the neighborhood would familiarize the teachers on the cultural dynamics of the classroom. Each teacher should set goals for every marking period of how the will incorporate a familiar culture while introducing other aspects. A reform for multicultural education starts with self-awareness of the teacher’s work environment and the students he or she serves. “The challenge for the classroom teacher faced with introducing multiculturalism into his

Stories about how our nation’s educational system has declined have been commonplace for over a generation. Recently, the International Mathematics and Science Study and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study reported our fourth and eighth grade students trail their contemporaries in Asia and many European nations in math and science.

In any education system on the globe, every child should be afforded an equal chance to succeed and fulfil his/her potential to the fullest. This should be guaranteed to all children regardless of their age, sex, race, religion, cultural practices and beliefs, nationality or class.

Vaughan (2004, p. 19), can be seen as a ‘bottomless pit’ of problems. Roaf and Bines (cited in Thomas & Vaughan, 2004, p. 16), suggest that rights and opportunities are a more effective way of describing the educational needs of all learners, whether ‘special’ or not. Placing the onus on students to make themselves fit the education mould will never lead to successful outcomes for everyone, nor does it encourage a cohesive and inclusive society, therefore deficit based approaches are not acceptable.