A NEWPORT school community has won high praise for leading the way in celebrating diversity and promoting anti-racism.
Llanwern High School has already won national awards for its revolutionary work in this field, and yesterday Welsh Government education minister Jeremy Miles, during a visit to the school, said the school was "motoring ahead" and was making "a real contribution" towards modernising education in Wales.
Pupils at Llanwern have been put at the centre of the school’s promotion of anti-racism and equality, setting up their own Diversity Club and, importantly, staff could share and learn about their experiences and hopes for a fairer, more inclusive school experience.
The minister’s visit coincided with the start of the new Curriculum for Wales – rolled out this September – which includes a commitment to teaching about black, Asian and minority-ethnic (BAME) histories, and the launch of DARPL, a new anti-racism training programme for educators and other professionals.
The event caps a successful year for the Llanwern High community, after it was awarded the inaugural Betty Campbell MBE Award in the summer for its work on anti-racism.
Speaking on Thursday, Mr Miles said: "This school has been motoring ahead in terms of making sure the life if the school reflects the diversity of the students that attend the school. I think that’s really important, there are a lot of schools that will want to be doing that.
"The thing that’s struck me most today speaking to the young people who’ve contributed to a video sharing their own experiences, as a means of sharing with teachers and others how we can change the curriculum, I found it very powerful. It’s obviously not easy for people to share their experiences, so they’re very brave for doing that. I think it will make a real contribution, not just to this school be to schools right across Wales."
The school’s work on anti-racism was also praised by Year 12 students Alex and Mateen, who helped contribute to video and the wider curriculum changes at Llanwern, and are now seeing the benefits.
"I talked about the diversity in my family, and when I was younger I experienced racism," Alex, 16, said. "By doing this we are trying to make sure the younger ones don't experience it. I know what it's like. I don't want them to go through the same thing."
"Just in our school we're seeing these changes, and I can only imagine how many changes there'll be across Wales," Mateen, also 16, added.
The launch of DARPL (Diversity and Anti-Racism Professional Learning) will now offer training opportunities across Wales in non-racism and anti-racism.
Director Chantelle Houghton hailed the “fantastic” work being done in Llanwern and called the school "a beacon of opportunity for learning".
She said that focusing on anti-racism would help teachers develop students into “global ethical citizens”.
“Teachers have to be supported to think about that,” she said.
“Anti-racism in education is about being pro-active to explore the presence and contribution of our diverse cultures, citizens and humanity in Wales.
“At the heart of education we hold inclusive practice… for every single child. Children want a specific focus on that.”
She added: “As a child I grew up in a curriculum I think we strive for. Betty Campbell’s curriculum in the 1970s was visionary – we had the opportunity to see ourselves as global citizens as well as proud citizens of Wales."
Mr Miles said: "We all want our curriculum to make sure young people who leave school in Wales are able to flourish in the modern world. I want to see the resources that we’re launching today starting to make a difference in the classroom pretty much immediately.
"We’re a long way away from having the curriculum fully realised in all our schools, but it’s a very exciting journey that we’re all on."
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