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Year 8

Students took part in the first of a series of workshops run by Breakfast against Racism over 6 weeks. There are three sessions in total which are outlined below.

Part 1 ‐ What is Racism?

Exploring what racism actually means, how it operates and how we can spot it. Understanding internalised racism and how non-white minorities can carry negative self-talk simply from growing up in a majority white country. We will guide the students through a journey of self- discovery, understanding unconscious bias and how to navigate the systems we live in today.

Part 2 ‐ Exploring History and Combating Stereotypes

Exploring British history, what is taught in schools and which parts of history are omitted. Understanding how British history impacts on the world we live in today, including stereotypes. How to challenge stereotypes and become allies to each other.

Part 3 ‐ How Will I Combat Racism and Create a Better World?

Exploring different leadership styles and what qualities each of us have that make us a unique leader. Self-reflection and short presentation on how each student will combat racism and create a better world for everyone.

These workshops will be supported by our Student Representatives in Years 9 and 10.

Students took part in a session focusing on equality. The boys' workshop focused on toxic masculinity which was hosted by an organisation called ‘Beyond Equality’. The girls session looked at feminism with a focus on how girls can stand up and report on forms of sexual harassment or abuse in school and the wider community. This workshop was run inhouse by Ms Cunningham using concepts from an organisation called Be Her Lead. These workshops are a part of the school's commitment and focus on sexual abuse and harassment in schools and changing the culture.

Although these were two separate sessions the themes ran across both with the boys understanding feminism and the girls speaking about toxic masculinity. The sessions were really interesting and got the students involved in a conversation about what is actually happening in society and how we should increase our expectations of each other.

This project will be rolled out to the whole school (Year 7-13) in the next half term.