Fresh take on equality and inclusion makes a difference in Lancashire school

Children at Howick Church of England Primary School in Penwortham have been working towards Lancashire County Council's 'Lancashire Equality and Inclusion Mark,' an innovative new awards scheme which aims to make a difference in school communities.

One of two Lancashire primary schools who have been the first to achieve the Lancashire Equality and Inclusion Mark since its recent relaunch, pupils and staff here have worked towards this by focussing on categories, or badges, over the last three years, including race equality, sex equality, disability equality, holistic diversity, sexual orientation equality and religion and belief.

Highlights included visiting speakers like Nelson Mandela's former bodyguard Chris Lubbe, school trips, visits to local charity Galloways Sight Loss Charity, and fund raising for charity The Foxton Centre, among a vast array of activities and opportunities.

Year 6 pupil Manny said:

"We visited the Foxton Centre, and a visitor came from there to visit a class, and we also raised some money by selling toast on Fridays and made 15 shoeboxes of toiletries to donate. We really enjoyed looking around and seeing everything that they are doing there."

Similarly, each class chose a celebrity for a Black History Month project on the race  category, with choices ranging from Bob Marley to Marcus Rashford.

Abbie, a Year 6 pupil, said:

"We learned a lot about Bob Marley and showed our work to the rest of the school, with a little song, called 'Three Little Birds,' and it was really interesting to learn about that."

Talking about World Religion Day celebrations which related to the religion badge, Manny added:

"We  each talked about a different aspect  of religion. One class made a butterfly window, another class had the Star of David and we also talked about Hinduism and Islam.  It was really good to share and to learn from these experiences."

Children also learned about sexual equality in the present day work place compared with the past, and visited the statue of Emmeline Pankhurst in London.

Kaiyan, also a Year 6 pupil, said:

"We heard about the past, when girls were not treated the same as boys, and we saw that nowadays, anyone can aspire to anything."

Pictured from left to right are pupils Manny and Ayush, headteacher Pam Maloney, pupils Abbie and Kaiyan and EAL team leader Roxana Sardais at the forest school at Howick Church of England Primary School.

Meanwhile, a SEND audit was also carried out by the school and Years 5 and 6 pupils learned about hidden disabilities,  autism and ADHD, while the learning was brought to life by an inspirational talk from Nelson Mandela's former body guard, Chris Lubbe.

Headteacher Pam Maloney said:

"He was incredible. He spoke about Nelson Mandela being in prison and how he was determined through his life to overcome that, and how that came through. It was a real message of hope to the children about equality."

She added:

"It's been a life changing achievement for us because it's something that has helped us to reflect on our practice, review our curriculum and to provide lots and lots of different activities and opportunities that are ongoing. We are really proud of the children, and of the fact that they feel that they're ready to go out into the wider world.

"It's important to highlight that the learning from this is ongoing. It's continuous, and ongoing, and we are embedding these values in our learning journey so that they will grow and flourish in our school for years to come."

Year 6 pupils (left-right) Manny, Abbie, Ayush and Kaiyan outside Howick Church of England Primary School

 Manny agreed, saying:

"I  think we have all learned a lot about how we can treat people with respect and kindness, and help people overcome challenges. We know more about the world around us so in future, we are aware of differences and the importance of treating people well.

"We can be ambassadors for values that we can use to help others in later life."

County Councillor Jayne Rear said:

"I'm delighted that the children have enjoyed learning about equality and inclusion, and I'd like to congratulate the school and the children on all their hard work over the last three years.

"I think it's so important to recognise that by achieving our new Equality and Inclusion mark, schools can directly promote their shared values and improve the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of their pupils, as well as improve their emotional and mental health."

To find out more, schools can email equalityanddiversity@lancashire.gov.uk.