Equality and Diversity in the

Curriculum

WEA- Oct 2012

Dr Helen A Deane (LSIS Associate)

Overview of the day and Introductions

Housekeeping

Programme for the afternoon

Objectives

Introductions – (activity)

Ground rules

Introductions and Purpose of the session

•To examine some of the implications for providers of the Equalities Act

•To review the inspection context for embedding E&D within the curriculum

• the context, some of the issues and challenges with the embedding of E&D in the curriculum

•To explore how to embed E&D within curriculum design, content, teaching and learning strategies

•To consider case studies and reflect on your own practice

•To take learning back and to begin to implement some of the approaches provided

ACTIVITY

What does it all really mean?

E&D in the Curriculum – some key definitions

•Equality – compliance

•Diversity – celebrating the difference of learners

•Inclusion - recognises the diversity of learners and proactively considers and understands the backgrounds and preferred learning styles of students

•Community Cohesion – proactively encouraging different groups to understand common values

Legal Context

The Equality Act 2010, in force from Oct 2010, protects 9 aspects of our identity from discrimination (called ‘protected characteristics’)

• Race,

• Disability,

• Gender,

• Gender reassignment,

• Age,

• Sexual Orientation,

• Religion / belief,

• Pregnancy / maternity,

• Marriage / civil partnership

Public Sector Equality Duty

• The purpose of the Equality Duties is to ensure that public sector organisations integrate their consideration of equality into day-to-day business.

• It requires organisations to consider how they could positively contribute to the advancement of equality and good relations.

• It requires equality considerations to be reflected into the design of policies and the delivery of services, including internal policies, and for these to be kept under review.

What do we mean by a diverse and inclusive curriculum?

“Positively promoting curriculum”

“An inclusive curriculum is one in which all staff and students feel valued...............It is

also one to which all staff and students need to be committed”

Talbot (2004)

Elements of an inclusive teaching and learning environment:

•PLANNING

•CURRICULUM CONTENT

•TEACHING & LEARNING METHODS

•ASSESSMENT

•REASONABLE ADJUSTMENTS

•NARROWING THE GAP

OFSTED KEY JUDGEMENTS

•Outcomes for learners

•Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

•Effectiveness of leadership and management.

“........test the provider’s response to individual needs by observing how well it helps all learners to make progress and fulfil their potential, especially those whose needs, dispositions, aptitudes or circumstances require particularly perceptive and expert teaching and, in some cases, additional support”

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

• teaching, learning and assessment promote equality, support diversity and tackle discrimination, victimisation, harassment, stereotyping or bullying

• staff use materials and teaching methods that foster good relations and are sensitive to and promote equality of opportunity

• staff are aware of and plan for individual needs in teaching sessions.

Inspectors will look for…..

• whether learning activities motivate and engage all learners, whatever their age, ability and cultural background, and that they are suitably demanding

• the impact that teaching has in promoting the learners’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

• how well staff plan sessions to fully meet the needs of different groups of learners

• how well staff maximise opportunities in sessions and all learning contexts to promote equality of opportunity and awareness of cultural and linguistic diversity.

Learners who require “require particularly perceptive and expert teaching” might include1. disabled learners, as defined by the

Equality Act 2010, and those who have special educational needs

2. boys/men3. girls/women4. groups of learners whose prior

attainment may be different from that of other groups

5. those who are academically more or less able

6. learners for whom English is an additional language

7. minority ethnic learners8. Gypsy, Roma and Traveller learners9. learners qualifying for a bursary

scheme award

and......

10. looked after children11. lesbian, gay and bisexual

learners12. transgender learners13. young carers 14. learners from low-income

backgrounds 15. older learners16. learners of different religions and

beliefs17. ex-offenders18. women returners19. teenage mothers20. other vulnerable groups.

T, L & A– Grade characteristics

• OUTSTANDING: Equality and diversity are integrated fully into the learning experience. Staff manage learners’ behaviour skilfully; they show great awareness of equality and diversity in teaching sessions.

• GOOD: Equality and diversity are promoted and learners’ behaviour is managed well, although some work is still needed to fully integrate aspects of equality and diversity into learning.

• REQUIRES IMPROVEMENT: The promotion of equality and support for diversity in teaching and learning is satisfactory.

• INADEQUATE: Staff show insufficient understanding and insufficiently promote equality and diversity in teaching sessions.

Effectiveness of leadership and management.

Leaders and managers actively promote equality and diversity, tackle bullying and discrimination, and narrow the achievement gap

L&M – Grade characteristics

OUTSTANDING: Equality and diversity are promoted actively, resulting in a learning environment where bullying and discrimination are not tolerated. There are likely to be no achievement gaps between different groups of learners.

GOOD: Equality and diversity are promoted actively, resulting in a learning environment where bullying and discrimination are not tolerated. There are very few achievement gaps between different groups of learners.

REQUIRES IMPROVEMENT: Equality and diversity are promoted adequately, resulting in no serious instances of bullying or discrimination. The achievement gap for all groups of learners is narrowing.

INADEQUATE: Equality and diversity are not promoted, unlawful discrimination is not tackled and achievement gaps between particular groups are not being closed.

What is good

practice??

E&D

Checklist for Teaching & Learning

(adapted from Hertfordshire Adult and Family Learning Service, Equality and Diversity

Checklist for Learning and Teaching www.hertsdirect.org/infobase/docs/pdfstore/embedEO.pdf)

E&D Checklist for Teaching & Learning

•Resources represent the diverse range of learners

•Variety of teaching and assessing methods

•Assessment is fair

•Language is non-discriminatory

•Discussion and comments are managed to ensure learner (and employer) language is appropriate and non-discriminatory

E&D Checklist for Teaching & Learning

•Materials and topics are sensitive to equality and diversity

•Learners have the opportunity to fully evaluate the course in an open and anonymous way

•Resources are adapted to ensure that learners can access information and to meet individual needs

E&D in Schemes of Work and Lesson Plans•The purpose of an E&D detailed lesson

plan is really quite simple; it is to communicate

•Avoids aimless wandering in terms of embedding E&D

•Avoids failing to meet your objectives in terms of embedding E&D

•Ensures a good connection with preceding or subsequent lessons and tracking of individual learning needs

The partnership of equality and quality

“Having a member of staff with a recognised remit for equality and diversity can help drive forward equality in the organisation. However, this can separate equal opportunity reporting from self assessment and quality improvement activities.

A key challenge for organisations is to embed equality within all self assessment and quality improvement activities so that equality reporting leads to genuine action to promote equality and achieves improved outcomes”

(From Quality to Equality, LSC East, 2008)

The partnership of equality and quality

Performance data,

disaggregated by equality

Lesson observation, evaluating equality

Other quality improvement

activities, evaluating

equality

Work experience, evaluating

equality

Course reviews,

evaluating E&D

Learner involvement strategies,

fully inclusive

Self assessment evaluating equality

QIPs, agreed by Senior Managers

& Governors, must include E&D actions

E&D Challenges for the Sector

Some Challenges

•Aware that there are important issues around E&D that we need to actively address some of these, but constricted by factors (e.g. lack of time, lack of support)

•Certain aspects of E&D practice are implemented as a reactive mechanism to legal obligations

•Some issues seen as more important than others

Constraining factors: Leadership Costs of E&D • Management / Staff time

• Training Costs

• Cost of Producing Materials

• Monitoring

• Increased Complaints

Less important issues??? • LSIS DVD examples

Conclusions

•Embedding E&D within teaching, learning and assessing empowers, enriches, validates, and improves practice

•Improving the experiences of specific groups of people improves the experience of everyone

Have we covered the objectives?

•To examine some of the implications for providers of the Equalities Act

•To review the inspection context for embedding E&D within the curriculum

• the context, some of the issues and challenges with the embedding of E&D in the curriculum

•To explore how to embed E&D within curriculum design, content, teaching and learning strategies

•To consider case studies and reflect on your own practice

•To take learning back and to begin to implement some of the approaches provided

Resources

‘Schools Out’ website – LGBT teaching support

http://www.schools-out.org.uk/index.htm

http://www.schools-out.org.uk/teachingpack/20Things.htm

Information on E&D

http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/policiesandprocedures/equalityanddiversity

Resources to buy

http://tedsonline.co.uk/shop/

LSIS Leadership learning VLE

www.leadershiplearning.org.uk

•

Thank you and Good Luck!