DEVELOPING A CULTURALLY INCLUSIVE ETHOS

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DEVELOPING A CULTURALLY INCLUSIVE ETHOS

Lindsey Clark - Head Teacher Kamal Hanif - Deputy
Head Teacher Park View School
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School context

• Inner city - Washwood Heath/Alum Rock
• Mixed secondary - 600 students
• Very high FSM - above 65
• 3rd highest with regards to deprivation factor
• High mobility (last years year 11-only 63
  started with us and stayed with us.

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School performance 2004

• Highest ever SATs results -
• English 66
• Maths 54
• Science 47
• 5 or more A-C 39
• 5 or more A - G 80
• 1 or more A - G 98

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Background

• Pakistani - Mirpuri (73)
• - Pathaan (10)
• - Punjabi Urdu speakers (5)
• Bangladeshi (8)
• Other (4)

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Governor representation

• 1 Indian (Sikh)
• 4 White (3 Christian, 1 Muslim)(inc HT)
• 1 African (Muslim)
• 10 Pakistani/Kashmiri

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Issues
I share my bedroom with 2 sisters. I do my
homework wherever I can find room HG,Mirpuri Wh
en Im trying to revise I get disturbed by noise
in the house and theres always a lot of noise
outside the window in the street- kids and
mothers shouting My mom makes a lot of noise
even when she is speaking normally LG,Mirpuri
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Issues

• We have 5 or 6 different visitors every day.
  Its always noisy- people talking all the time
  and Im always making tea
• HG,Mirpuri
• When we get visitors I have to look after the
  young ones, take them to the garden to play or
  upstairs to watch TV
• LG,Mirpuri

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Issues

• Language skills
• The average reading age of Pakistani pupils
  aged 11 is 7 years and 10 months
• (PVS reading assessment)

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Issues

• Immigrating Community
• Its because parents think that the girls in
  England are too westernised and they want a good
  old-fashioned Pakistani daughter in law who will
  do as she is told
• HB,Mirpuri

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Issues

• Links with Pakistan
• When my dad is sitting with his friends, one of
  them will read out a section from the Daily
  Jang saying whats happened recently in Kashmir
  and then theyll spend the whole evening arguing
  about it and how they would sort the situation
  out
• HB,Mirpuri
• Our parents spend all their time talking and
  debating about Nawaz Sharif Benazir Bhutto
• HG,Mirpuri

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Issues

• The Mosque
• I went to mosque for just one day and the Molvi
  beat me for no reason. My mom then had a big
  argument with him and I never went back
• HG,Bangladeshi
• Mosque teachers dont know anything-we get hit
  for no reason so we might as well mess around and
  get hit
• LG,Mirpuri

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Issues

• Parental Involvement
• Parent comments
• when my child comes to your school, you take
  over full responsibility
• It is the schools job to teach my child
• look can you come round and get my (child) to
  school as I cant get them out of bed
• if you get hit, then hit them back harder

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Issues

• Insecurity with this country
• My dad is a postman. He works 12 hours a day.
  He has built a big house in Pakistan, he sends
  lots of money there. He says you have to be ready
  for when England kicks you out
• HB, Pathaan
• My dad works all day on taxis. He has started
  to build a house in Pakistan getting ready for
  when these British kick us out
• HG,Mirpuri

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Issues

• Teachers lack of Pakistani culture awareness
• Whats wrong with girls wearing skirts and a T
  shirt in PE
• Arranged marriages are forced marriages

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Issues

• Separation of Home School

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Living between two cultures

• my son will only speak in English at home, I do
  not speak in English (Urdu speaking mum)
• My daughter is always round her friends house, I
  do not agree with her smoking and talking to
  boys.

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THE WAY FORWARD

• What can parents do?
• - Parents need to create a vision for the future
  of
• their children in this country.
• - Check homework diaries on a regular basis.
• -Provide a table and chair in a quiet place in
  the
• house where their child can do his/her
  homework.
• - Allow children to speak English more at home.
• - Create a vision in their child's head
  something
• that he/she can aim for.

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THE WAY FORWARD

• What has the school done?
• - Development of Cultural inclusion within all
  areas of the school.
• - Muslim culture awareness programmes on
• teacher days. Cultural Inclusivity Training
  days.
• - Provision of Arabic, Urdu Islamic studies
  within
• school curriculum.
• - Provision of daily acts of Collective Islamic
• Worship (Assemblies, Prayers, Jummah)
  Restructuring school day

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THE WAY FORWARD

• What has the school done?
• - empathetic development of certain specific
  curriculum areas, e.g. Music, PE, Citizenship.
• Improvements to school buildings/facilities
• e.g. working facilities - halal food

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THE WAY FORWARD

• What has the school done? Cont..
• - Homework clubs
• - Make the school more welcoming for the
• community (displays, entrance area..)
• - Greater presence of teachers from a Pakistani
  
• background outside school gates.
• - Work closer with local mosque committees and
  community groups.
• - Try new methods of working closer with
  parents.
• - Home school links through teaching assistants/
  learning mentors and MEAP project

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THE WAY FORWARD (cont.)

• Regular displays of religious and cultural
  festivals
• Music in reception from different cultural
  backgrounds
• Eid and Ramadhan celebration events and meals.
• Audit of cultural inclusivity
• Developing stronger an ethos of listening and the
  technique of advocacy

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Guidance to staff

• Staff guidance on-
• The aims of a culturally inclusive curriculum
• Planning and evaluating the curriculum
• Understanding the outcomes of a culturally
  inclusive curriculum

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Outcomes

• Pupils understand that excellence is not
  restricted to the achievement of people from
  dominant cultures, but that people from all
  cultures and religions, today and past, achieve
  excellence.
• Pupils know that most people have a range of
  affiliations, loyalties and sense of belonging.
• Pupils understand that with every event there are
  a variety of perceptions, interpretations and
  perspectives.

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• Pupils have a strong sense of identity, feeling
  that they belong in Britain and that Britain
  belongs to them.
• Pupils see diversity and differences as
  interesting and exciting.
• Pupils understand that there are shared values
  across cultures, religions and that all people
  share common aspirations, needs and concerns.
• Pupils viewpoints are explored and developed.

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• Pupils develop their critical thinking and
  analysis skills in order for them to make
  informed choices.
• Pupils are skilled in challenging prejudices and
  stereotypes, racism, xenophobia, Islamaphobia,
  injustice and unfairness.
• Pupils understand and respect others.
• Pupils self-esteem is enhanced.

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• Pupils understanding that the dominant culture in
  society is not norm against which all other
  cultures are judged.

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• BEING CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO TACKLE THE CHALLENGES.
• BEING BRAVE ENOUGH NOT TO MAKE THE EASY DECISION!