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Primary pupils learn about different families
Posted: 14th February 2019The differences between families are being celebrated by primary school pupils.
Magna Carta Primary Academy is making work around diversity a priority as it teaches children while everyone is different, they are all included.
Teachers are using Different Families, Same Love resources from Stonewall, the campaign for equality, to tackle bias, phobias and stereotypes.
The PTA has also bought the school a range of diversity books showing different families.
Headteacher Marios Solomonides said: “If you look around our classrooms, there are different types of families. But, in the world today, there is so much unconscious bias and stereotyping that people use. If we want to raise a generation of adults without those stereotypes, we have to actively teach them not to have them.
“Part of the Stonewall training was around how to respond to the use of homophobic language. So, instead of telling a child off for using the word ‘gay’, it is more appropriate to challenge them on its meaning.
“If you ask a child how they are different to another child, they say things like ‘he likes football and I like swimming’. They do not say ‘he is black and I am white’ or ‘he has one dad and I have two’. Children are very accepting of each other and everyone else in the world. Somewhere along the line, society takes that away.”
Staff at the school are considering the language they use and challenge gender stereotypes, ensuring children know they can do whatever they want in life, regardless of their gender.
Mr Solomonides said: “This is huge.
“We are saying to parents that everyone is included and that we are teaching their children that everyone is included. I have told parents we are teaching our children about different families and that there are gay people and transsexual people, in an age-appropriate way of teaching.”
Year 2 pupils are so proud of a video they have made on the ways they are all different, they are looking to send it to CBeebies.