2. To identify what action still needs to be taken forward in order to ‘complete’ the project.

Details of the Project already written include: The aims and objectives,
an interim report, a full report of the focus group findings, an executive summary, & details of the money spent on the project.

The project started in the Spring term 2001, after a series of meetings with key stakeholders in Bow School, which included the head teacher, acting deputy head and head of year (later to become Senior Learning Mentor), and manager/coordinator of the race equality project.

To gain further insights into their experiences, beliefs & feelings, focus groups were held with year 9 pupils and several staff on 26th & 28th September 2001.

The responses were collated, and a report of the findings was presented to the school. Further meetings were held to come to an agreement as to which areas would be covered and in what format, so that there was no duplication of work being carried out in the school, but rather to add value to such work, with diverse areas and methodology where appropriate. This report was produced in October 2001, with an executive summary following in November 2001.

November and December were taken up with consolidating the areas of work for this aspect of the tutorial curriculum. It was agreed that the consultants would produce a race equality workbook, which covered the key issues raised, and also a smaller workbook, which would cover a term’s tutorial activities on race equality, following these discussions. It was further agreed that time would be set aside for the year 9 tutors and head of year 9 to have a workshop session with the consultants and also the opportunity to co-facilitate with them.

John O’Shea – School Co-ordinator

During the 2001-02 academic year, Bow School employed an external race equality consultant to provide the school with advice and support. The external team met with staff and Year 9 students, with the twofold aims of auditing Bow’s existing practice in this area and developing a PSHE scheme of work that would start with the Year 9 and impact upon the whole school.

The work in school, though sometimes challenging, raised awareness of many of the issues in the area of race equalities and, by the Summer term, the school had received a comprehensive report and the Year 9 scheme of work. Difficulties towards the end of the Summer term meant that the scheme was never delivered to the target cohort in the planned way, however, the work of the consultants, together with the senior management of Bow School and the teaching staff, particularly the head of Citizenship, has meant that the work will have a lasting impact in Bow School.

Although anecdotal, evidence of student participation in the Year 9 Citizenship lessons shows that students are enjoying the work and being challenged by it. I witnessed three Year 9 students, completing homework on stereotyping in our morning Breakfast Club, engaged in a highly skilled conversation about what stereotyping meant and how it impacts upon ‘victims’ of such behaviour.

At the start of the 2002-03 academic year, Sam van Basten, Head of Citizenship, has incorporated the original scheme of work into the Year 9 Citizenship programme, and all Year 9 teachers of this subject are following the scheme, with her guidance. Aspects of race equality and other equal opportunities issues are highlighted in the citizenship programme throughout the remaining years, and through cross-curricular work with departments the Race Equalities Initiative is impacting upon other areas of the curriculum such as RE, History and English.

There is now a member of the Senior Management team with responsibility for race equality, and a draft race equality policy exists, in line with government guidance. Further review and development of this policy will enable the staff, parents and students, through the student council and Citizenship lessons, to impact upon the policy and take ownership of it. The vision for Bow School is now to have staff and students working together, building upon these initial foundations, so that the race equality Initiative will have a lasting effect upon the ethos of Bow School.

 

	Overview
	Bow School (Boys Secondary)
	Central Foundation School (Girls Secondary)
	The Cherry Trees School
	Chisenhale Primary School
	Columbia Market Nursery School
	Globe Primary School
	Poplar Partnership EAZ
	St Agnes (RC) Primary School
	St Anne's (RC) Primary School
	Stebon Primary School
	Swanlea Secondary School
	Thomas Buxton Junior School