No child left on the sidelines: ParalympicsGB's Equal Play Campaign and the push for inclusive PE
Written by ParalympicsGB
ParalympicsGB is the UK’s largest disability sports charity and relies on the support of its commercial partners to deliver a world class environment where athletes can achieve their personal best performances and break down barriers for all disabled people. Further details are available at https://paralympics.org.uk/
Physical education (PE) has always offered young people the chance to develop confidence, teamwork, and physical literacy. However, for millions of disabled children across the UK, inclusive and meaningful PE is still largely inaccessible. In response, ParalympicsGB has launched their Equal Play Campaign, a transformative initiative to ensure every child, regardless of ability, has equal opportunities in school sports. This movement comes at a crucial time, aligning with the Government’s review of the national curriculum. With so much at stake, the campaign’s message is clear: action is needed now.
A curriculum review with high stakes for disabled pupils
The ongoing curriculum review holds immense potential to address systemic issues that have long affected disabled pupils and those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Currently, PE is not considered a core subject, which means it often takes a back seat to academic priorities. Even when PE is available, it frequently focuses on traditional sports, leaving out disabled pupils who require adaptive and inclusive activities.
ParalympicsGB has raised serious concerns that disabled young people are being overlooked in the review. In a society where 1.5 million disabled children are missing out on essential physical activities, this is unacceptable. Alarmingly, only one in four disabled children regularly participate in school sports, denying them the chance to boost their development, social skills, and mental well-being. This is a disparity we can no longer ignore.
The importance of breaking barriers
Disabled pupils face a complex array of barriers that differ significantly between mainstream and special schools. Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive and inclusive approach. Crucially, we must understand that disabled pupils are not a monolithic group; their needs vary widely. From a lack of specialised equipment to insufficient teacher training, the obstacles are varied but solvable with the right strategies.
ParalympicsGB advocates for a more holistic understanding of physical literacy, one that celebrates diverse ways of being active. This vision moves beyond traditional sports to include adaptive and non-competitive activities, turning PE into a positive and empowering experience. The impact of inclusive PE is profound: it not only improves physical health but also fosters social inclusion, boosts self-confidence, and establishes lifelong habits of well-being.
Transforming the culture of PE
Creating inclusive PE requires a cultural shift in how physical education is perceived and delivered. Currently, the existing model often leaves disabled children feeling excluded or unable to participate meaningfully. ParalympicsGB emphasises the need to reimagine PE, prioritising equity and inclusivity to ensure every student can engage and benefit.
A key factor in this transformation is empowering teachers. Teachers are crucial to implementing change but often lack the resources or training to adapt lessons for disabled pupils. ParalympicsGB stresses the importance of revising teacher training programs to include robust, practical modules on inclusive physical education. By equipping teachers with the right skills—such as modifying activities to accommodate diverse needs—we can ensure that all pupils have equal opportunities.
Representation also plays a critical role. Increasing the number of disabled people in teaching positions can make PE more relatable and inspiring for disabled pupils. Teachers with lived experiences of disability offer unique insights and can act as powerful role models. Seeing someone who shares their experiences and challenges can fundamentally change how disabled children view their own potential.
Practical solutions from the Equal Play Campaign
The Equal Play Campaign puts forward targeted, achievable solutions aimed at building a more inclusive PE landscape:
- Empowering teachers: Providing continuous professional development and resources, such as workshops, guides, and access to best practices, to help teachers deliver inclusive lessons confidently.
- Adapting teacher training: Reforming initial teacher education to include strategies for inclusive PE, ensuring teachers are well-prepared to support all pupils effectively.
- Redefining PE’s role: Shifting the emphasis from competition to physical literacy. This approach makes PE about personal growth, joy, and inclusivity, rather than just winning or losing.
- Boosting representation: Encouraging disabled individuals to become teachers, thus bringing valuable perspectives to schools and inspiring pupils.
These changes are not just aspirational but necessary. By implementing these measures, the Government can take significant steps toward educational equity, ensuring no child is left out.
The time for change is bow
The curriculum review presents a rare chance to set new standards for inclusivity in schools. ParalympicsGB’s Equal Play Campaign underscores that PE should be a welcoming space for all children to experience the joy of movement. This effort is about more than just sport; it represents a commitment to a society that values every member equally.
For those wanting to learn more, visit ParalympicsGB’s website. Teachers, parents, policymakers, and community members all have a role to play in creating an education system that genuinely leaves no child behind.
By advocating for inclusive PE, we are laying the groundwork for a future where diversity, equity, and inclusion are not merely aspirational values but everyday realities. Let’s ensure every child, regardless of ability, gets the chance to play, grow, and thrive.
Addressing the impact of global conflicts
Written by Claire Shooter and Monia Zahid
Claire is Deputy Head Pastoral and DSL with a keen interest in EDI. She changed career and went into teaching 16 years ago after her children were born and has never regretted it. Over this time, she has enjoyed a range of roles including Head of Spanish and Head of Year.
Monia is Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and teacher of Economics at Haberdashers’ Boys’ School. She oversees EDI provision at the school and is passionate in driving change for the whole school community.
If you are to take just one message from this blog, then let it be that schools must always be safe spaces for students, especially in times of global unrest. Over the past year, our school has learned invaluable lessons about how global conflicts can ripple into a school community, affecting students in profound ways.
Our school, located just outside North West London, has a vibrant and diverse community, with active faith and cultural societies, a multi-faith prayer room, and celebrations of key festivals from many religious traditions, including Eid and Chanukah. We would say that our diversity is our ‘superpower’ and our students have ample opportunities to learn about each other’s faiths.
So the immediate weeks following October 7th 2023 threw an unprecedented and emotional challenge.
At our initial assembly following the horrific events of that day, we took a moment to reflect on the events unfolding in Israel and Gaza, honoured the casualties, and reminded students not to engage in divisive political discourse that could lead to conflict or tension within the school.
However, many of our Jewish students felt frustrated and unsupported, feeling that we were minimising their pain by not acknowledging the attack for what it was—a terrorist act. They felt that if such violence had occurred in any other part of the world, it would have been called out more forcefully. Many of our Muslim students expressed their fears about being targeted due to their Muslim identity. They voiced frustration that the suffering of innocent Palestinians was not being acknowledged, while stereotypes and misinformation about Muslims went unchallenged.
Both Muslim and Jewish students were living in fear, be it Zain who worried about his hijab-wearing sister, or Max who worried about wearing his Star of David chain. Both felt nervous to show their identities in public.
This marked the start of a week of difficult conversations as our student body articulately and respectfully voiced their concerns. We quickly found ways to offer support. One of the first initiatives was the student-led prayer service, a daily gathering attended by many students who wanted to reflect, pray, or simply share a sense of community.
At the end of that week our Headmaster addressed the entire school in a special assembly. He acknowledged the emotional toll on our community, quoted students who had bravely shared their perspectives, and provided historical context for the conflict. He reframed our message of unity and respect, encouraging everyone to treat each other with kindness and grace. The assembly ended with a moving moment of reflection led by our Faith Assembly Committees.
Social media was another challenge to address. Algorithms often amplify one-sided views, and young people increasingly rely on platforms like Instagram and TikTok for their news, rather than traditional sources. These platforms often mix fact with fiction, viral conspiracy theories, and disturbing images. We provided clear guidelines on how to navigate social media responsibly, reminding students to think critically before liking or sharing content and to be mindful of the digital footprint they leave behind. When inappropriate posts appeared, we used a combination of education and sanction to address issues.
We also realised that staff members needed support, unsure of how to engage in conversations for fear of being seen as political. Many felt isolated, and simply taking the time to approach another colleague and acknowledge the difficulty of the situation went a long way toward breaking down those feelings. By fostering an environment where everyone, regardless of their political views, could talk openly and with empathy, we began to rebuild a sense of community. It’s not about politics, it’s about humanity.
While we acknowledge that there is still much work and education to be done, we are committed to trying to guide our students through the complexities of the world around them. Our students have voiced appreciation for the fact that tensions are left outside the school gates, and it’s a safe place for all. Whilst we don’t have all the answers, we’re committed to ensuring that:
– Anti-racism efforts also incorporate discussions on both antisemitism and Islamophobia, so that all students, regardless of their background, can become allies in challenging hate.
– We ask the difficult questions and acknowledge the emotional weight of these issues—not to take a political stance, but to show empathy and understanding.
– We create opportunities for students to learn from diverse views, helping them understand that dialogue is not about winning arguments but about hearing other perspectives and learning to ‘disagree agreeably’.
– We recognise that this work is ongoing, and schools need to create spaces for continued dialogue, assemblies, and reflection.
– Above all, we strive to create a safe and supportive space for *all* students, where diversity is celebrated, and the narratives students encounter promote unity, respect, and mutual understanding.
What does it mean to our families when we support bilingual literacy?
Written by Emma Sheppard
Emma founded The MTPT Project, the UK's charity for parent teachers, in 2016 when on maternity leave with her first child. She has 12 years experience as an English teacher, Lead Practitioner and ITT Lead, and now runs The MTPT Project full time.
This is a vulnerable blog to share publicly. If you follow me on LinkedIn, it will reveal the hard work and heartache behind the upbeat and practical strategies around bilingual education that I often share.
Of course, we save our shiniest achievements for social media platforms but over the last few weeks – in the real world – I have felt keenly, the crushing failures of being “immigrant mum”.
For context, I am an educated middle-class British former teacher living in France with my bilingual children and French husband. My children were born in the UK, have been fully bilingual since birth, and now attend French state primary school. I’m a fluent French speaker (and have a state-issued certificate to prove it) work in English and socialise in both languages.
Sounds dreamy, right?
But sometimes, I feel as if I am losing my children – that they are so culturally embedded in the country we live in, that they have no connection to the identity of their birth country. My identity.
This fortnight, we have been learning about Advent in our home-learning English lessons. They don’t go to school on Wednesdays, you see, because it’s France.
My son, who had a year of lockdown education, is au fait with the characters. He was, after all, the donkey in his Reception nativity and plodded along to Bethlehem with Mary and Joseph. He best friend Gabriel was… the angel Gabriel.
My daughter, who has been educated in the secular French system since pre-school, has a vague understanding of the baby, called Jesus. The star? Joseph? Virgin birth? Heavenly hosts? Gold, frankincense and myrhh? Even the word ‘shepherd’ in English? All these cultural indicators so essential to the British primary education experience? Not a clue.
It gets worse: for the last three years, we’ve attended the carol service run by the local American church. I alone in my family know the words to Silent Night. My husband and children are ignorant to the joy of “Glororororororia” or “Fivvvvee go’old ringggsss!” and as such, they can’t sit through a full service. I hissingly insisted my husband remove them (and himself) somewhere between Royal David’s City and Angels in the Realm of Glory and – French and relieved – they went to eat waffles and ride fairground rollercoasters in le marché de noël.
Extended writing – the lovely recipes and stories and letters you’d expect in lower KS3 – simply aren’t required of my children yet in the French state system. Admittedly, their grammatical knowledge is fast surpassing my own, but mostly they are asked to copy, or write short responses to comprehension activities.
They have never been asked to be a Victorian maid or a to persuade anyone to save the rainforest. They have not written a diary entry from a ship in the middle of the Atlantic, or a newspaper article about a volcanic eruption. Maybe creativity, generally, will never be required of them?
The request to write the Nativity story therefore resulted in meltdowns on all fronts: my son can’t bear the idea of more than two sentences and disappears into the ether of his daydreams; my daughter can’t remember how to spell ‘all’, even though it’s been on her spelling list for millennia.
My children are spectacular: there is no need to qualify this with any reasons why. They just are.
But they are not British, and they have no other encouragement to be British than me, their mother. Ensuring they retain a sense of this identity has become a base urge in me. They will know who Shakespeare is. They will eat jacket potatoes. They will understand the culture importance of a Harvest Festival. Failure simply isn’t an option.
But a lot of the time I feel like a lone salmon, swimming against the current. And increasingly, I’m experiencing the anticipatory grief of becoming the mother of two French children.
For the first-generation immigrant parents in our school communities, how keenly is this loss also felt?
Do they, too, look at their children and see huge holes where a shared identity should be?
And as schools, what can we do to support families who might be going through similar experiences?
(Here come those upbeat, practical strategies…)
- Understand, appreciate and acknowledge (if you can) the cultures of your school communities – including the educational cultures
- Value and encourage the use of the home language – never fall into the trap of thinking that one language leads to an inability to acquire another because the opposite is true – languages feed off one another and grow together
- Value languages, and teach them well – from the earliest possible age
- Create bilingual streams if appropriate for your school context
- Introduce Community Language GCSEs and A Levels as far as your timetabling or extra-curricular offer can support – and involve parents in their children’s preparation for these exams
- Research community language hubs and signpost these to parents if you don’t have the capacity to ‘in house’
- Align language with culture – food, traditions, literature, film, history, sports – and take opportunities to celebrate these
- Foster opportunities where parents can make connections and build their own language communities
As cultural diversity in our schools increases, assumptions of monolingualism in our curricula and communities will only become a hindrance. Celebration and practical support for families aspiring to full bi- or multilingualism will bring out the best in our students and support the full complexity of their identities.
Positive Ways to Talk About Difference, Equality and Discrimination with Children
Written by Pop 'n' Olly
Pop‘n’Olly is the UK’s leading LGBT+ educational resource provider for primary aged children, parents, carers and teachers. The company's resources and books are being used in primary schools across the UK as well as globally in over 70 countries. www.popnolly.com
When I ask children to guess when same-sex marriage was introduced they come up with all sorts of wildly wrong suggestions… ‘The 1950s?’ they say and I indicate it’s a bit more recent. ‘The 1960s? The 1980s, 1990s?’ they throw out. When I tell them it was 2013 they are usually staggered – something that they’ve known all of their lives is so recent!
We live in a country that has not only legalised same-sex marriage but also has the Equality Act (2010) which protects a wide range of people of all ages, including people with different sexual orientations and trans/non-binary people. This is something to be celebrated with children. It’s not just in their school that staff encourage them to see other people as different but equal, but also in the whole of the UK – and that’s enshrined in law!
Prejudice relates to beliefs, thoughts and feelings about someone or a group of people. Prejudice is usually negative. Discrimination relates to actions against someone because of their identity or characteristics.
Discrimination is an action against someone because of their identity or characteristics. It grows out of prejudice, which is a (usually negative) belief about someone. As teachers, our job isn’t to police children’s thoughts, but instead, to help them see the wonderful variety of people who exist and help them not be afraid of these differences.
Using visuals, drop-in references, and explicit teaching we can ensure that children’s view of the world is one where there are millions of ways to be a human and some of these ways look different from them.
Celebrating differences isn’t just about helping all children feel good about themselves but it affects how we see others. When faced with differences we can help children to see those differences as strengths. Whilst we have many things in common, humans have evolved to be widely different across the globe and our experiences living different lives, both in the UK and elsewhere means we have different skills and knowledge. Sharing these differences allows us to learn from each other and to see the world through others’ eyes – sparking new thoughts, new ideas and new perspectives.
Here are some ideas you might try out with your children:
- Actively teach children about The Equality Act (2010). Use our posters, lesson plans and resources to ensure that children understand that treating people fairly and equally is part of the culture and law of the UK.
- Help children understand that people are not treated equally around the world and that change happens because of action. Examples of this might be the Stonewall Riots in the US, and the legalisation of same-sex relationships in the UK – that came about because of the work of Leo Abse MP.
- Instead of ‘Heads Down Thumbs Up’ at the end of the day, get the children to play a game where they partner up and have to find two things the same and one thing different from each other which they then share with others. Children could then try and find others who match (or are different) – or even make up their own rules for the game.
- Learn a ‘Sign of the Day/Week’ to help children understand that communication is different for different people.
- Play Paralympic sports in P.E. such as seated volleyball or goalball with the same competitive enthusiasm as other school sports (these were so popular with my Y6s!)
- Use CBBC’s ‘My Life’ series to help children learn more about other children’s lives, such as ‘When Mum Becomes Dad’ and ‘Mae’s Guide to Autism’.
- Ensure that your classroom displays represent a wide variety of people of all shapes, colours, abilities, genders, etc.
- Discuss scenarios with children about people who are experiencing discrimination. Talk through ideas on how this person may feel and what children could do if they witnessed this on the playground for example.
It is very hard to change the world, but we can make our schools somewhere where everyone is welcome and make our little bit of it more welcoming. We can help all children feel good about themselves by celebrating differences and we can help them to see that difference is not something to be afraid of, but a strength.
You can download our Discrimination, Prejudice and Equality Medium Term Plan, together with all the lesson plans, videos and resources that you need to work with your UKS2 class on this.
The Diversifying the Curriculum Conference 2025
Written by Bennie Kara
Co-Founder of Diverse Educators
At Diverse Educators’ Diversifying the Curriculum Conference, Hannah Wilson started the event by reminding us all that the work on ensuring curriculum is deep, broad and diverse is not done yet. Our speakers certainly reminded us just how much we can do to make sure that we are constructing a curriculum for all.
Christine Counsell’s opening keynote was joyful to listen to, not least in part due to her incredible depth of awareness and knowledge about the humanities curriculum. She connected effective learning to effective curriculum design and spoke about how thoroughness is possible and how thin unconnected content does not serve the needs of our children. She reminded us that the humanities are replete with story and that each lesson should have children longing for the next one. In her keynote, she recognised the need to work hard to deliver unfamiliar content but also how that hard work pays off when students have experienced language, symbols and narratives repeatedly throughout the curriculum from year 3 onwards in her words meaning comes from relationships with everything else and that the curriculum should be a series of constant bursts of energy fueled by indirect residents and anticipation.
In Emily Folurunsho’s session, we were treated to an in-depth look at Black British history and how important it is to ensure that British students learn about Black British history and not just the history of Black Americans. She was clear in her message that the first time that students encounter a black figure from history should not be through the lens of enslavement. She talked us through three themes that allow us as educators to give a fuller picture of Black British history as possible. She talked about figures from the pre-Anglo-Saxon past, from the Tudor age and from the Victorian age. It is important, she said, that we study Windrush and its legacy, but that we also contextualise Windrush in light of broader race relations in the mid 20th century. She talked compellingly about how Black British history has a connecting influence in terms of providing representation and presence for black students, touching on her own history in Britain and how she personally learned about Black history. She went on to explore how Black British history is challenged in its presence and its validity. To ensure that Black British history is truly embedded into the curriculum, we must seek sources from Black voices and we must refer to Black historians.
In David Bartlett’s session on the global boyhood initiative, we learned about the need for healthy masculinity and healthy emotions in boys and how that goes hand in hand with healthy gender expectations. He explored what healthy gender expectations look like and how to facilitate young people in breaking free from limitations. In his session he explored gender differences and gender stereotypes, asking: what is nature and what is nurture? He highlighted the idea of pink and blue roles in the development of gender identity and responsibility.
Dana Saxon’s session on roots and relevance started with Dana’s personal experience of history as a subject. She talked about how history was not for her in her early experiences and how she felt that her history had been erased. It was only as an adult that she started family history research and that gave her a sense of personal ownership of her story and the ability to create and curate the family archive. She explored the disconnect in history teaching, asking who decides which histories are more important and invited us to consider who is remembered and who this suggests matters. She was clear in her message that history has been distorted, disfigured and destroyed and that erased histories disempower people. She stressed the need to find untold stories and the stories of migration because there are empowering stories hidden deep in our archives. It is a way, she said, of connecting the dots and answering the questions: how did we get here and why does it matter?
Samantha Wharton spoke about Black British literature. She referenced her work and resources on Leave Taking by Winsome Pinnock. Focusing on this text, she explored the context of Pinnock’s play and how teachers can take a cross curricular approach in delivering lessons on it. The text, according to Wharton, is a valuable insight into shared immigrant experiences, family dynamics, the generation gap and matriarchal figures, as well as themes of education and what is deemed sub normal. She encouraged us to go beyond the classroom when exploring literary texts like Leave Taking. She referenced the work of Lit in Colour, outlining the statistics on representation in literature and explored how a simple audit activity can develop thinking about diversity in the curriculum.
Krys McInnis’ session touched on the journey between diversifying the curriculum and decolonizing the curriculum. He asked us to consider positionality in approaching this process, stressing that all people have lived experience and we all have different starting points when undertaking curriculum reform. He spoke compellingly about redistributing power, centring the voices of the colonised and challenging the notion of who holds knowledge and how we make space for marginalised voices and epistemologies. He told us that unlearning is needed and that we need to be willing to adjust, not just approach the process of decolonization as a road map or a checklist so that we can say we are done. In essence he asked us to rethink knowledge and also how language is used today to define power and perspective.
I finished my day listening to Shammi Rahman talking about how RE can help us embrace unity. It was shocking to hear that 500 secondary schools report delivering 0 hours of RE and that led Shammi to ask the question: what is the value of RE for staff, for students, for communities and for parents especially when it can prevent misunderstandings and misconceptions around people and their faiths. Shammi helped us understand that children may be missing out on the opportunity to talk and listen as it is such a central skill in RE and that, in doing so as teachers, we can help them avoid generalisations about groups of people. She stressed that it is difficult to have broad knowledge but that we do need to make time to read and to become comfortable with being uncomfortable in delivering certain aspects of RE. We cannot let our fear of offending people or getting names wrong prevent us from teaching RE lessons that are outside of our own experiences. She went on to talk about what difference it may have made to her peers if they knew about the contributions of her community to the national story. She stressed the need to use quality resources, referencing the work of Mary Myatt and also the work of Nikki McGee. McGee’s work on Black history tours to enrich the curriculum is an excellent source of support for teachers. She finished by reminding us that the beauty of RE is in its intersections.
David Lowbridge-Ellis’s closing keynote reminded us that working in diversity, equity and inclusion is often an unpaid, frustrating and thankless job. He also reminded us that we need to articulate our commitment to the work and to keep bringing about the message of why this work is important. He referenced the work of Dr Rudine Sims Bishop in 1990 on the importance of windows, mirrors and sliding doors as a key metaphor. He pointed out that the choices we make in the resources and examples we put in front of our students may result in students feeling like they belong in the classroom. That it is crucial to make sure that there are windows into the world outside of students so that they are developing a broad cultural capital. He too referenced the work of Lit in Colour. But he returned to his driver and one that perhaps we should all pay attention to, the need to have children we are serving to have a better school experience then we did. It is incredibly important that our values show that we are committed to this work. And it is not just about the curriculum, he spoke about accountability and how some people have the opportunity to shape and influence recruitment, to shape development priorities and equality’s objectives. This is a large sphere of influence.
It was not possible to attend every single session, as much as I would have liked to. But there were common threads and I hope that you can see them in this summary. The Diversifying the Curriculum Conference remains as relevant as it did five years ago because as we said at the start, the work is not yet done.
Challenging Hair Discrimination Through Racial Narratives, Industry Knowledge on the Economics of Hair and Counter Literacy Equality, Diversity Strategies
Written by Dr Pamela Odih
Pamela is a senior lecturer in Sociology within the Sociology department at Goldsmiths University of London. Her research specialises human rights communication and the significance of me/space to the regulation of subjects and construction of gendered subjectivity with specific regards to organisational analysis and educational policy.
On 27th October 2022 the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published new guidance aimed at ensuring that: “Pupils should not be stopped from wearing their hair in natural Afro styles at school” (EHRC 2022). The guidance is supported by resources that are “endorsed by World Afro Day and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Race Equality in Education” and are designed to assist school leaders in ensuring that “hair or hairstyle policies are not unlawfully discriminatory” (ibid.).
In October 2024, having successfully applied for a British Academy and Leverhulme Trust small grant, I began my empirical study which is entitled “Challenging Hair Discrimination Through Racial Narratives, Industry Knowledge on the Economics of Hair and Counter Literacy Equality, Diversity Strategies”. Research Focus: The proposed research is partly an impact analysis of the application of EHRC resources, into school policies and the responses of school leaders to the suitability and adaptability of these policies.
An additional focus of the study is to envisage the scope and form of guidance on anti-race-based hair discrimination that informs young people as consumer citizens in respect to their cultural heritage of hair sculpture as an expression of racial belonging. I am currently interviewing UK and USA NGOs, charities and human rights legal practitioners to ascertain the impact of their activism in respect to PSHE and citizenship studies educational policy and race equality legislation.
If you have such involvement in this subject area, I would greatly appreciate interviewing you. Please, in this regard, contact me at Goldsmiths University, where I am a Sociology Senior Lecturer. The outcome of the research is scheduled to be disseminated in academic journals and the creation of an open access teaching resource to support consumer citizenship secondary school lessons.
I am also collaborating with the spoken poet Rider Shafique to create three long-form poems for presentation at scheduled multiculturalism festivals within the academy; we also envisage co-creating and illustrating a series of children’s books. I’ll post again as the research progresses and shall provide some interim findings which I hope will be useful for your respective projects.
Reimagining Your Curriculum: Steps to Embrace Diversity and Equity
Written by Krystian McInnis
Krystian McInnis is a Religious Education consultant, advisor, and researcher specialising in decolonising and diversifying Religious Education. With a career that spans the public, private, and charity sectors, he brings extensive national and international experience in curriculum diversification and decolonisation. As the Co-Founder of Reimagining Education, Krystian is dedicated to creating a more inclusive and equitable educational system where everyone feels seen, heard, and that they belong.
In recent years, educators worldwide have begun to scrutinise their curricula for underlying biases and exclusions, calling for a wider range of diverse materials to enhance every student’s learning journey (Kara 2022). While many teachers hold a strong commitment to equality, their curricula still lack diversity, and often fail to reflect the multiplicity of perspectives that make up our increasingly globalised world. As societies grow more diverse, educational institutions face increasing pressure to adapt curricula that genuinely reflect the communities they serve. For many educators, “reimagining” the curriculum to embrace diversity and equity means moving beyond mere rhetoric or the adding of decorative slides; it requires a transformative approach that at its epicentre embraces inclusion, broadens perspectives, and fosters a deeper understanding of global issues. This ultimately brings to the forefront an essential question: how can educators reimagine and enrich their curricula to ensure all students see themselves represented, where they can feel seen, heard and believe that they belong.
The Need for Change
In May 2020, following the senseless killing of George Floyd Jr, amidst a time of isolation and solitude, many individuals began questioning not only their personal beliefs but also the societal structures that perpetuate inequality. The mere stance of not racist, no longer suffice, saw many people make an active shift towards reconsidering their position to one of anti-racist, intentionally seeking ways to disrupt and remove the barriers many face on a daily basis worldwide both from a personal and an institutional perspective.
With this being the landscape, many teachers decided they wanted to make meaningful changes and begun questioning their lessons and curriculums, exploring the inclusivity of them and to what extent they were representative of the diverse nature of the country and communities they served. Nabagereka and Melzer (2022) argue that for children and young people to fully engage with their learning, they need to see themselves reflected in what they are learning about. Furthermore, they argue that by not feeling represented in the curriculum, this can be disempowering and discouraging, negatively impacting pupil wellbeing, stopping them from achieving their full potential. Therefore, diversifying the curriculum extends beyond a mere nice to have, but rather critical for student care.
Engaging All Learners: The Imperative of an Equitable Curriculum
A diverse and inclusive curriculum plays a fundamental role in developing cultural competence, empathy, and critical thinking in students. It allows all students to see themselves and others within their learning, not only fostering a sense of belonging but also supporting with the much-needed work on social cohesion too. Banks (2015) argues that inclusivity in education not only enriches the learning experience for students from marginalised communities, but also benefits all students by broadening their worldviews and preparing them for a multicultural society. Without a deliberate effort to incorporate diverse perspectives, we risk perpetuating a curriculum that reflects an extremely narrow and predominantly Eurocentric, White male-dominated narrative.
Whilst the uptake has been slow, and efforts lagging within many institutions, the call for a more diverse curriculum has been clear. The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (CRED) report recommended curriculum reforms to increase the representation of Black, Asian, and Ethnic Minority communities, arguing that more inclusive content could help reduce racial disparities (CRED, 2021). Additionally it asserted that a curricula reflecting a range of experiences, histories, and perspectives contributes to a learning environment that is more engaging, inclusive, and better prepares students for citizenship in a multicultural world.
Limitations in Traditional Curricula
It would be remiss of me however, to not state there are barriers and limitation. The first step however, in building a diverse and equitable curriculum is acknowledging the limitations in traditional approaches. Traditional curricula often exhibit an over-reliance on Western-centric authors, perspectives, and historical events, particularly within the humanities. Within this we have seen the intentional omitting of stories, contributions and voices of cultures, far too often classified as ‘other’ (Au, 2009). Therefore, a curriculum audit is a way which can identify gaps, guiding us to understand where imbalances and exclusions may exist. I would recommend that when starting an audit to critically assess a curriculum, it is vital to consider the following questions:
- Are there voices, narratives, or cultural perspectives missing from my curriculum?
- Does the curriculum offer diverse perspectives within each subject area?
- How does the material encourage students to engage critically with the world around them?
Building an Inclusive Curriculum
Creating an inclusive curriculum involves more than the mere adding of decorative diverse images, but rather relies on three core elements: representation, relevance and reflective engagement.
Representation: Critical to an inclusive curriculum is the reflection of a wide range of perspectives, including those from various racial, cultural, socioeconomic, and gender groups. It is important to remember, diversification does not remove existing literary masterpieces by White authors, nor does it erase Western history, or remove Europe from the map in geography lessons as some might suggest, but rather broadens the amount of narratives being explored. For example, presenting African nations not merely through a lens of poverty, but also in terms of their rich resources and complex histories offering a fuller picture of the individual countries. In doing so, it helps to present a balanced narrative of events allowing students to engage with an in-depth, more nuanced understanding of the world around them.
Relevance: Schemes of work should be culturally and contextually relevant to students’ lives. Whilst the communities practitioners serve now might be monocultural, it is imperative that they are preparing their students for the wider, multicultural Britain they live in, and the globalised world around them. Critical to a diverse and inclusive curriculum is one that not only engages students academically but also fosters critical consciousness, helping students to understand, question, and reshape the world they live in, allowing for them to question and formulate their own worldviews. By doing so, we can at least begin to develop a curriculum that resonates with students’ identities and experiences, enabling them to connect their learning to broader societal issues.
Reflective Engagement: As reflective practitioners, it is of upmost importance that we encourage students to reflect too, with a robust diverse curriculum allowing for this to take place. An inclusive curriculum encourages students to question dominant narratives and think critically about issues of power, privilege, and inequity. Ultimately, through reflection, we create the space for students to explore and understand their own positionality too. Within this, students move from being merely passive recipients of knowledge to active participants in uncovering and understanding complex social dynamics (Au, 2009).
Conclusion: Embracing Diversity as a Journey, Not a Destination
Creating an inclusive curriculum is not a one-time task but an ongoing journey. While some may fear the time commitment required for these changes, it’s important to remember that small steps—such as integrating diverse materials or adapting lesson plans—are all meaningful progress. By embracing diversity iteratively, we can gradually build curriculums that reflects the values of equity and inclusion.
Note, resistance from stakeholders may arise, especially when changes challenge long-standing traditions. However, professional development and collaboration with colleagues is crucial for this work to be successful, whilst also not overwhelming ourselves or the curriculums already in place.
Whilst the journey might be difficult, it is certainly a rewarding one. Through intentional and incremental work of diversifying your curriculum now, I assure you one thing: The work you do won’t just change the classroom, but will change you as a person too. As practitioners, we have an opportunity and an obligation to be part of this change, so that the teachers of tomorrow no longer have to justify the necessity of a representative curriculum and their pupils never have to suffer the pain of questioning their place in the classroom or society again. An inclusive curriculum not only enriches the educational experience but also helps students navigate a complex, interconnected world. By transforming our curricula, we take an essential step toward creating a society where all students feel seen, heard and that they belong. While the journey may be complex, the rewards—students who are more empathetic, culturally competent, and engaged global citizens – are worth it.
Don’t go Short on Inclusion – Be-long
Written by Fliss Goldsmith
Fliss is an Emotional Wellbeing and Empowerment Coach and Inclusion and Belonging Consultant. Having worked for 2 decades across the Education sector as well as with individuals and corporates she has a breadth and depth of experience striving to create intentionally inclusive spaces for authentic belonging.
I was blessed to be part of DiverseEd’s July event at the Brownfield Institute in Wolverhampton. On arrival the empowering energy was palpable, and I knew immediately that everyone in attendance had a shared vision – for a kinder, safer, fairer future for education.
My part in the day was to deliver a session on Belonging and how that looks in education spaces. As an Asexual, disabled cis gender woman I have my own perspectives and wanted to share them as well as gain those of others. I remind myself often that intersectionality is at the heart of our learning.
We began with sharing our understanding of belonging – what does it mean, feel like and most importantly what is it not. The group was invested and together we found that belonging is about being able to be authentically yourself and still being seen, heard, respected and reflected in a space. The opposite, quite interestingly, of belonging is ‘fitting in’. Fitting in demands that we change who we are to match the space we are in, whereas belonging demands that we remain true to ourselves.
It sounds simple but it really isn’t. Belonging often stops before it gets going because places, people and situations are not inclusive. For too long we have lived in a white, heteronormative, cisgender, able bodied neurotypical, middle-class society with everything designed to support those characteristics. If you fall outside of these then you are faced with being ‘othered’ which immediately precludes you from belonging. As an Asexual I have not felt like I belonged since school, where it was a given that Allonormativity and Amatanormitivity were where we were all headed and if not, then there must be something fundamentally wrong with you. (spoiler alert there isn’t!)
The session held space for the experiences of those in attendance and I was humbled at the response. I heard from a non-binary attendee that they rarely felt like they belonged as they were misgendered and how language was paramount, every misuse of pronouns creating visceral pain. A black woman shared her experiences of racism and sexism within previous job roles and how that had moulded how she presented, shrank herself to not stand out. Ultimately these practices of fitting in create nothing but damage to the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of the victim.
So how do we do it better in our educational spaces? There is hope and there are so many great Educators out there already trying to create inclusive spaces where everyone is supported in being their authentic selves.
Here are my top 10 ideas for making sure that the spaces you have control over cultivate a sense of belonging for anyone who enters them.
- Prioritize Connection – Create spaces where meaningful conversations can take place.
- Create interest groups – Ensure an accessible way for staff/students to put forward their ideas (anonymous point of entry essential.) Remember the mantra ‘nothing about us without us’ always consult someone who represents the group if they are comfortable being involved.
- Have courageous conversations – you are a role model and if you can share your struggles and challenges this immediately gives others permission to do the same.
- Be Accountable – a clear, kind apology is essential – but it means nothing without a change of actions going forwards.
- Call it in before you call it out. If someone is behaving in a way that contravenes the rules of your spaces, then call them in to see what is at the root of their poor behaviour.
- Celebrate as many ‘days’ as you can – but don’t let it stop there, yes LGBT+ History Month is February but make sure the flags are there all year long.
- Cross curricular representation – Make sure that every subject has resources that reflect different cultures, genders, sexualities, abilities etc.
- Spread the Art of Appreciation – share what you appreciate and get others to share theirs, this harnesses the brains neuroplasticity and creates positive neural pathways making people feel more connected.
- Teamwork is essential but don’t let it isolate people – use numbers not genders for teams and ensure teams are celebrated in a way they are comfortable with (does your Autistic student want to go on stage to get their prize? Maybe, you’d have to ask them- don’t assume)
- Ensure inclusive practices – visual descriptors, announcing your pronouns, inclusive language, accessibility, not making assumptions etc.
Inevitably there will be mistakes, steps sideways and ‘oh no’ moments when trying to build an inclusive space. When we know better, we must do better – so apologise and rectify and model that behaviour as a growth step.
The future needs incredible leaders to ensure we can all authentically belong. You’ve got this!
LGBT+ Education in School - Having Effective Conversations with Parents
Written by Mel Lane
Mel Lane (she/her) is Head of Education at Pop’n’Olly. She has been a primary school teacher and teacher trainer for nearly 30 years and worked in schools on LGBT+ inclusion policies with thousands of children and school staff. Mel is a co- author of What Does LGBT+ Mean? (Pop’n’Olly, 2021).
When it comes to LGBT+ education in school, parents are often portrayed in the mainstream media as unsupportive and battling with teachers – but the reality is completely different. 82% of parents actively want their children to be taught about diverse families, including those with same-sex relationships. Having worked with over 10,000 children, I have experienced, time and time again, that parents are almost always supportive of LGBT+ inclusion work in school.
However, there are of course still a minority of parents who struggle with, and have concerns, about LGBT+ education. This is why empowering schools and teachers to have effective conversations is important. But how do we do this? Here are some themes that you may wish to include in these discussions:
Ethos and Values
Chances are you already promote equality and celebrate difference in your school. Maybe it’s in your school mission statement? e.g.
‘Brave, unique, caring and kind’
‘Hope, community, respect, love’
‘Respect for each other, Respect for our school, Respect for learning’
LGBT+ isn’t an add-on, it’s part of this whole-school approach. So when having conversations with parents, it’s vital you keep coming back to your whole-school ethos and discuss how LGBT+ education is a part of this.
Children’s Mental Health
We know that children learn better when they feel relaxed and able to be themselves. One teacher was so pleased to share with me how much more animated and engaged a Year 1 child had become after a session on families included two Mums, just like her family. All children benefit from conversations about LGBT+ inclusion because when we celebrate diversity we send a message to everyone that they are welcome in school whatever their uniqueness looks like.
Knowledge and Understanding
63% of 8-15 year olds know someone close to them who is LGBT+ Children are already having conversations about LGBT+ lives and some of them are searching for information online. School is a safe place where children can ask questions of trusted adults to find out reliable, accurate information. UK children all live in a country where being LGBT+ is protected by law and we shouldn’t hide this information from students. In fact, under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), all children have a right to this information.
Legal Obligations
Helping young people understand and develop positive relationships with people who are different from them is part of UK law and included in the Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) Guidance for Schools
The Public Sector Equality Duty (Section 149 of the Equality Act, 2010) states that schools must have due regard to “the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.”
Ofsted guidance also states that, “Schools can choose to teach the beliefs of any faith on the protected characteristics. They may explain that same-sex relationships and gender reassignment are not permitted by a particular religion. However, if they do so, they must also explain the legal rights of LGBT people under UK law, and that this and LGBT people must be respected”
Supporting Parents
Sometimes parents worry that life will be harder for their child if they are LGBT+. Sometimes they’re worried about being judged by other parents. Schools often have a lot more experience supporting LGBT+ young people than parents do. A parent of a trans child told me how much better they felt that their child’s school was supportive of their child’s transition – it gave the parent confidence and helped them navigate a completely new and sometimes challenging time.
Conversations with parents almost always eliminate fears, tackle misconceptions and build better relationships. You can find out much more information on how to have these conversations in Pop’n’Olly’s ‘Discussions With Parents’ document.
How Do We Make Our Classrooms Feel Like Home to Each and Every Student
Written by Kwame Sarfo-Mensah
Kwame Sarfo-Mensah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from Temple University. For nine years, he served as a middle school math teacher in Philadelphia, PA and Boston, MA. Currently, he is the founder of Identity Talk Consulting, a global educational consulting firm. Throughout his 17-year career as a classroom teacher, author, and consultant, Kwame has earned numerous accolades for this work. His newest book, "Learning to Relearn: Supporting Identity in a Culturally Affirming Classroom", will be coming out Fall 2024.
For context, I’m a first generation Ghanaian American who has spent all but three years of my life living outside of Ghana. While I mostly understand my family’s home language, Twi, I grew up not really being taught the language by my parents. We learned a few Twi words here and there but English was the main medium of communication in our household and every other environment we found ourselves in. Growing up in the United States, I felt like an outsider. I thought those feelings would change when I moved to Ghana at 12 years old and lived there for 3 years. Even while living there, I felt like an outsider.
I’ve never been a clean fit in any of my worlds. I’ve always been different. My whole life has been spent living outside the margins of the dominant culture. In more ways than one, I’ve received harmful messages and mistreatment to remind me of that reality. The following traumatic scenario, which I’ve played out in my mind for the last 10 years, is a prime example of this predicament.
Okay, let me set the stage…
Imagine yourself on an airplane that is heading to the Kotoka International Airport. As the plane makes its descent towards the airport, your anxiety heightens because you know the course of events that are about to follow. The minute you get off the plane, you know you’ll have to go straight to the immigration booth, which means that you’ll have to hand over your American passport to a Ghanaian immigration officer for visa inspection. By all means, what I’ve mentioned thus far is standard protocol but this is where things take a left turn. So you hand your American passport over to the immigration officer, he turns to your bio page and discovers your name, “Kwame Karikari Sarfo-Mensah”. For a brief moment, the officer looks at you and then looks back at your passport. At this moment, you have two options for a response. You can either…
- respond to the officer in English, leaving yourself subject to questioning from the officer as to why you have this strong Ghanaian name and are not speaking to them in Twi.
- respond to the officer in Twi, leaving yourself subject to ridicule and harsh criticism as to how you could be Ghanaian and not be able to speak Twi fluently.
Unsure of how to respond, you freeze in panic because you know what’s about to happen next. The officer will either call you an oburoni and crack jokes about you with their co-workers nearby or look at you in disgust and shame you for not being able to speak Twi fluently.
While this story is specific to my experience, I can assure you that others who grew up as third culture kids or immigrant students have dealt with a similar scenario to the one I just described. Whether you teach abroad in an international school or in a K-12 school within the United States, chances are you’ll have a few students within your classrooms who are struggling to make sense of their identities or searching for spaces where they are welcomed, accepted, and fully embraced for who they are. A space where no one is interrogating them or invalidating their lived experience.
These students I’m referring to are your multilingual students, students with IEPs and 504 plans, immigrant and migrant students, neurodiverse students, students who are disabled, students who practice non-Christian faiths, students who are BIPOC, students who are LGBTQ+, etc. Although they may enter your classroom with vastly different lived experiences, they are two things they all have in common:
- They find themselves outside the margins of white dominant culture.
- They all deserve to be in a classroom that feels like HOME.
Understanding that every student defines home differently, how can we make our classrooms feel like home for each and every student? We can start by thinking about our own homes. When you’re in our homes, we’re in spaces where……
- we feel a sense of psychological and emotional safety and comfort
- we can express ourselves unapologetically
- we receive support and care from loved ones
- we belong and feel welcomed,valued and accepted
- we thrive off of routine and stability
- we’re connecting intimately with our loved ones
- cherished memories and family history are held near and dear to our hearts
Regardless of who we are and where we come from, we all want to experience that feeling of home as I’ve described above. We deserve that feeling because it’s a human right, as recognized by the United Nations. In this world where government officials across the globe are shutting down DEI programs, censoring and banning culturally responsive and identity-affirming curriculum in schools, and pushing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, it is more imperative than ever for us, as educators, to create classroom spaces of inclusion and belonging that feel like home for our most vulnerable students.
We may not be able to solve all the world’s problems but there are a few key things we can do to make our students feel comfortable in our classrooms:
- Pronouncing student names correctly
- Using correct gender pronouns for students
- Incorporating translanguaging practices in our daily instruction
- Recognizing and honoring non-Christian holidays
- Adopting a restorative approach to discipline and relationship building
- Understanding that social emotional learning must be done with an antibias, antiracist (ABAR) lens.
- Planning lessons and employing instructional techniques that account for the learning styles of neurodiverse learners.
- Making our classrooms more accessible to students with physical disabilities
In the end, no student should ever feel the way I felt during my childhood. By making our classrooms feel like home for our students, we’re committing ourselves to normalizing and embracing the beauty of difference, as informed by the intersectional nature of our respective identities. And finally, we’re committing ourselves to building learning spaces where joy, love, and acceptance are living parts of our classroom culture.