Category: Gender

Equality Statements

June 29, 2016 / / 0 Comments

I have been researching some Equality Statements the past days. I found out some good ones out there in google. Most of them are really simple but effective. Let’s check them out.

MAYFLOWER HIGH SCHOOL has a simple Equality statement it is stated down below.

MAYFLOWER HIGH SCHOOL

Equality Statement

We welcome our duties under the Equality Act 2010 to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations in relation to age (as appropriate), disability, ethnicity, gender, religion and sexual identity.

Guiding principles:

 

  • We value all learners equally
  • We recognise and respect difference
  • We foster positive attitudes and relationships, and a shared sense of cohesion and belonging
  • We observe good equalities practice in staff recruitment, retention and development
  • We aim to reduce and remove inequalities and barriers that already exist
  • We consult and involve widely
  • All of MHS policies are written with regard to and are compliant with the Equality Act 2010

The link for this equality statement http://www.mayflowerhigh.essex.sch.uk/page/?pid=377

Brandles School’s Equality Statement is simple and cool. Check it,

Equality Statement

Brandles embraces all the aims of The Equality Act 2010, which are:

  • To eliminate all discrimination
  • To enable everyone to have equal opportunities
  • To enable everyone to have equal life chances
  • To foster good relationships

Our objectives to achieve these aims are as follows:

We will :

  • Introduce a policy
  • Develop a resource base
  • Develop a personalised learning programme for all pupils
  • Ensure it is part of our induction process for staff and pupils

The Only thing that all of the equality statements have in common is The Equality Act 2010. The Equality Act 2010 is a document in depth -about equality right- designed by the government. In my opinion we shall have our equality statement based on The Equality Act 2010, because it covers everything.

Thanks
By Obai Ermak
London Nautical School Equalities Team

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minutes 11/02/2016

February 11, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Apologies

Mr Waugh – At UCL giving a lecture

Barnaby- at Art coursework session

Ms Warsame- sick

Ms Lucking – another appointment`

(some apologies missing from minutes so I apologise)

Chair and Minutes – Ms Critchley

Agenda 

  • Report from Obai on JLT
  • Positive image for women
  • LGBTQ workshops on offer to us

JLT

Obai- snapchat problem videoing people to pass on to other people. Meeting with SLT about lunch cards being on show at all times to ID people and allow JLT members to write SIMS  comments.

Jamal- phone removal was well deserved. Boys were stupid and they lost a privilege.

Women and positive images

Jamal- needed clarification of last weeks agenda. Agreed the problem is how women are being treated differently. Positive imagery not enough. Sanctions required.

Miss Murphy- questions girls dress code and whether or not one exists. States she feels there needs to be one as boys see it as unfair which might promote resentment.

Henry- we never speak about the objectification of women. Informal assembly suggested about repercussions of engaging in sexually objectifying conversations. Male led preferably as boys will respond better to this. Objectification should be addressed. And harassment is to be defined.

Obai- positive image- imagine she is your mum. integrating the women into the community more.

Christian- proposing a change in uniform policy for girls. Thinks it’s right to enforce the one that exists in planners.

Jamal- worried we are enforcing the idea that they should dress better to receive respect. Male teachers can encourage it. Named male teachers who he states have encouraged it.

Henry- the male role models should stand up for women. agreed with Ms C’s link to He for She campaign.

Jack- larger than anything we have taken on before. Struggle to see moral side of things. Cultural shift required. Points out that women are not treated so well but are in society, a majority not a minority

Henry- not everyone is female. Everyone has a race or sexuality. It’s making things harder.

Dominic- Sexism is seen to be funny. “I banged your girl”

Ms Critchley- would like to invite boys to take part in an assembly on not seeing women as possessions rather contributors to society! generally thinks it might help if women were in front of kids at assemblies more.

Jamal- harassment of other girls. Heard some boys who talked about our Y10 BFI project say “What does she expect? She’s come into a boys school.” When girls claimed to have been harassed.

Jack- Points out that sexism affects all of us. Try to get a better connection will the school community by pointing out how they are at a disadvantage if the inequality persists.

Freddie- maybe we could do an assembly on objectification of men

Christian- if we flipped it- imagine it. If the boys were being treated badly.

Jack- too hard to make there be less of a difference between men and women with so many men in the school. Attack gender stereotypes.

Ms Schuil- thinks of American dress codes. Poor excuse to make girls dress better.

Jack- zero interaction with women is a problem

Freddy- “what have we gained with gender stereotypes?”

Henry- don’t be a girl. Bothers us.

LGBTQ Workshops on offer from Lambeth

Michael- doesn’t see many boys taking it on. (the offer of the support group for LGBTQ young people)

Henry- wants to see what they are proposing in more detail and would want them to work in collaboration with the group. Concerned that students often see external workshops as free day and hence don’t engage.

Jack- Would like to see where they are coming from and be allowed to read the email about the project’s goals. Concerned their message might marginalise people more.

Pips went!

 

Next week’s agenda

Deciding our role in how to promote positive image for women (had to cut conversation short)

 

 

Minutes: 4 February 2016

February 4, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Apologies: Emily (late), Obai, Michael, Mr North, Jack.

Chair: Ms Critchley

Topic: The Objectification of Women.

Henry: the misogyny in the school affects the way young men relate to women outside the school.

Barnaby: Definitely notices the difference in the way the female students are treated: everyone focuses attention on them, noises and jeering

Mr Leonard: Some students think their attitudes are warranted due to the fact they believe the women are inviting it through how they’re addressed

Henry: It comes across in the language as well – “My ting” – the idea of women being the possession of women.

Alistair: Fundamentally being a single sex school is a problem, the lack of contact with girls and women affects the boys experience – this isn’t an excuse though. One approach would be to turn it into a mixed school.

Ms Critchley: Argues that it’s not so important what happens in other schools. Curious about how women are treated differently in the school.

Barnaby: The teachers don’t seem to be as subject to the sexist behaviour as the support teachers and 6th form women.

Henry: Poor behaviour seems to happen more in classes taught by women.

Dewi: There’s a general lack of respect for female teachers in school – a marked difference between this and how men are treated. Mentioned that in Science, the atmosphere is different between the way male and female students are regarded.

Mr Leonard: Referred to a supply teacher as “I’d do her”.

Ms Lucking: talked about the Year 7 students and how they seem to regress when they arrive in the school. Some students wondered if this was a consequence of coming from a single sex environment.

Alistair: One of the first notable things about the school that there were no female students and that this inferred that there was a barrier between boys and girls.

Ms Lucking: Went to a girls’ school, and recalled the sense of difference she felt between girls and boys. She felt she was taught that women could be very empowered.

Ms Critchley: When she went powerboat driving and was teased that she crashed the

Mr Howeld: One of the biggest problems is that these issues are not properly addressed – the problem is leaving this alone.

Alistair: When the main exposure to women is through the media, this can have a problematic effect on people’s perceptions.

Ms Bennett: Teachers can override these preconceptions through taking a strong clear stance

Mr Howeld: The students are not framed as ‘gentlemen’ in the school – this is something that’s not encouraged.

Ms Lucking: Remember not to be overwhelmed by the negativity.

Letter from Ms Lucking

November 22, 2015 / / 0 Comments

After the Teacher training session, Ms Lucking felt she had a whole lot more to say and asked if she could write to the equalities group. Here’s her letter:

Equalities Group

18/11/2015

17:59

Dear Equalities Group

I wanted to write a few words to say how grateful I was and am for your INSET earlier this evening.

Not only was it a thoughtful presentation but has definitely intensified a debate (for myself at the very least) with regard to the last  of your role plays.

I know that the intention was to allow the female voice to be heard on this matter. However it was illuminating in how we then were not making ourselves heard.

For me I think that the way we were asked became too confrontational/masculine in approach and therefore we reverted to type. We need perhaps a different forum to air these feelings and opinions ( I am emailing..) or at least begin to air these feelings and thoughts before more of us are ready to speak.

It felt that we didn’t have a lot to say but actually we do.

I feel that we are hyper aware of getting along with men in the workplace for pure survival so it has become difficult to openly voice our opinions/feelings on matters relating to sexism.

There were points I agreed with and others I disagreed with, although I understand where they are coming from… a comment about when sexist comments are challenged it being more powerful if coming from men and not us.

Across the board it needs to be said.

How we all say it will be different but still it  needs to be said. That’s ok. We all response differently and it makes us interesting and unique.

Role models of all genders are important for this.

I am no less powerful in saying it than a male.

To say yes implies we are less than other genders and I am not willing to give away my female power (particularly when it is so hard fought for every day).

The older I get the more I am attuned to it. I grew up in a different environment in an all girls school which set no limits on what women could do…we can rule the world….that was the norm. I want that outlook for all girls and boys to be the norm. Society depresses me in regard to this.  I fully understand how using the word girl in a negative way towards a boy highlighting perceived faults is constraining and limiting to the boys as well as offensive about and to women. Not allowing for expression outside of ‘male’ parameters is tremendously harmful to personal growth and your point at the end was so appropriate.

I think that this issue was also evidenced tonight by the female staff. Women are so used to being told to constrain themselves to be more like men, at work, to get ahead, that the constraints meant we couldn’t really cope with the discussion. Not yet. Often we go to default…which is humour to disperse the issue. Doesn’t deal with it though. And we couldn’t do that tonight so therefore alot of food for thought.

I have 2 young boys and I am very aware that I do not want them to have that attitude growing up.

I want for students (&staff) to be comfortable in expressing themselves however they wish and for these expressions to be valued as such.

Setting the example is key. If there is to be change we must become the change.

I was surprised that male staff did not really discuss this issue. I could see they were waiting for us to provide an answer however we roll differently and this needs much, much more work.

Thank you so much once again

Kind regards

Miss Lucking