Last week our Bigfooters were thrilled to be involved in ‘Equality Week’ with The Galaxy Trust, a strong partnership of three schools in Dartford.
With Garry Ratcliffe at the healm as Executive Headteacher, and himself a regional ambassador for equal opportunities and diversity both professionally and personally, each school is committed to providing students with a wealth of experiences that can help them understand more intimately about the vibrant society in which they live.
To this cause, each year all three schools diligently earmark precious funding in order to deliver a Trust wide ‘Equality Week’; where all students come off timetable to discover what equality in practise actually looks like, and how to promote this ethos within their schools and wider communities.
The week took place from Monday 24th to Friday 28th June and involved providers from a variety of education sectors who each presented workshops, assemblies, talks, craft sessions, cooking classes, sports sessions and, most importantly, an insight into how far reaching the effects of successful equality teaching really is. Therefore, ALL students from reception to year 6 had the opportunity to question, challenge, and understand what terms such as diversity, equal opportunities, stereotypes, respect, tolerance and liberty really mean.
Bigfoot provided assemblies and workshops in all three schools throughout the week, working with all year groups and classes, to explore British Values and Unicef’s UNCRC, gender stereotypes; diversity in our communities with our ever popular ‘Empire Windrush’ programme, and acceptance with two EYFS storytelling events. The schools also welcomed in a plethora of other organisations to deliver a Paralympic sports festival, anti racism workshops with ‘Show Racism the Red Card’, African Activities drumming sessions, and Stonewall “Different Families Same Love” workshops.
These diverse tanglible experiences have, without a doubt, given the children a wonderful basis on which to develop a much deeper understanding of what it means to treat people, regardless of gender, sexuality, ability, ethnicity and social circumstance, with respect.
We LOVED being part of this week and challenge other schools to be brave, be bold, take risks; your students and our society will soar as a result of this kind of targeted intervention!