- About us
- About colleges
-
Corporate services
- Corporate services
- Mental health and wellbeing
- Data Protection/GDPR
-
Employment Services - college workforce
- Employment Services - college workforce
- Employment: How we support members
- Introduction & Employment Helpline
- Absence & Sickness Management
- Contracts and T&Cs
- Disciplinary, Capability, Grievance & Harassment
- Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
- General Employee Relations & HR Issues
- Holiday/annual leave related
- Industrial Relations
- ONS reclassification related guidance
- Pay & Pensions
- Recruitment
- Redundancy, Restructuring & TUPE
- Safeguarding/Prevent
- Workforce Benchmarking, Surveys & Research
-
Governance
- Governance
- Governance: How we support members
- Governance Timeline
- Representation
- AoC National Chairs' Council
- National Governance Professionals' Group
- Code of Good Governance
- External Board Reviews
- Resources
- Governors Inductions
- Student Governor Inductions
- Student Governor Support Hub
- Guidance
- Hot Topics
- Governance Briefings
- Archive
-
Projects
- Projects
- Get Involved!
- Resources
- Contact the Projects Team
- Apprenticeship Workforce Development (AWD) Programme
- Creating a Greener London – Sustainable Construction Skills
- The 5Rs Approach to GCSE Maths Resits
- Creative Arts in FE 2024 – developing student voice through creativity
- DfE Multiply Capability Support Programme
- Digital Roles Across Non-digital Industries
- GCSE Resits Hub Project
- Pears Foundation Youth Social Action Programme: Phase 2
- T Level and T Level Foundation Year Provider Support Programme
- T Level Professional Development (TLPD) Offer
- The Valuing Enrichment Project
- Resources/Guidance
- Sustainability & Climate Action Hub
- Partnerships
- Honours Nomination
- Brexit
- Ofsted Inspection Support
- Recruitment and consultancy
-
Events and training
- Events and training
- Events
- AoC Annual Conference and Exhibition 2024
- T Level and T Level Foundation Year Events
- Events and training: How we support members
- Network Meetings
- Previous Events and Webinars
- In-House Training
- Senior Leadership Development Programme
- Early Career and Experienced Managers' Programme
- Sponsorship and Exhibition Opportunities
- Funding and finance
-
Policy
- Policy
- Meet the Policy Team
- Policy: How we support members
- Policy Areas
- Policy Briefings
- Submissions
- Policy Papers & Reports
- AoC Strategy Groups
-
AoC Reference Groups
- AoC Reference Groups
- 14-16 Reference Group
- 16-18 Reference Group
- Adults (inc. ESOL) Reference Group
- Apprenticeship Reference Group
- EDI Reference Group
- HE Reference Group
- HR Reference Group
- International Reference Group
- Mental Health Reference Group
- SEND Reference Group
- Sustainability & Climate Change Reference Group
- Technology Reference Group
- WorldSkills Reference Group
- Opportunity England
- Research unit
-
News, campaigns and parliament
- News, campaigns and parliament
- Post-election hub
- General and mayoral election resources
-
Comms advice and resources for colleges
- Comms advice and resources for colleges
- Media relations: 10 ways to build effective relationships with the media
- How to choose a PR agency
- Legal considerations for communications and media work
- How to plan for a new build
- Crisis communications: your go-to guide
- How to handle photo consent for media and marketing
- How to evaluate a PR and media campaign
- How to react to regulation, funding and restructuring issues
- How to react quickly and effectively to the media
- Working with the media: a complete guide
- How to write a compelling case study
- How to write for the web
- Communications, marketing and campaigns community
- AoC Newsroom
- AoC Blogs
- Work in Parliament
- AoC Campaigns
- Briefings
- Communications, media, marketing and research: How we support members
-
Equality, diversity and inclusion
- Equality, diversity and inclusion
- Equality, diversity and inclusion blogs
- AoC’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Charter
- AoC’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Charter for further education sector organisations
- AoC’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Charter signatories
- Diversity in Leadership
- Black FE Leadership Group and AoC partnership agreement
- AoC's Equity Exchange
- Equality, diversity and inclusion: how we support members
- Equality, diversity and inclusion case studies
- ETF Inclusive Leadership Coaching Programme
- Equality, diversity and inclusion briefings
- Home
- News, campaigns and parliament
- AoC Blogs
- How to weave anti-racism into every classroom
How to weave anti-racism into every classroom
In the ever-evolving landscape of education, staying committed to fostering an inclusive environment is not just a moral imperative but a key component of effective teaching to enable all students to thrive.
At Havant and South Downs College, we are taking active steps to being anti-racist by embedding anti-racism into our curriculum and our college. We're breaking down barriers and reshaping our curriculum to weave anti-racism seamlessly into every classroom.
See it, to be it
Representation is not a mere checkbox; it's a compass guiding us towards inclusivity. As part of our commitment, we encourage our teachers to adopt a 'see it, to be it' approach, incorporating diverse perspectives and role models into their curriculum. We are reviewing individual curriculum resources, ensuring they reflect the diversity of our world. We utilise time on our planned development days throughout the year to support our teaching teams to develop their resources, schemes of work and to explore how they can develop their teaching environments to be more inclusive.
We are also working with our curriculum teams to identify diverse guest speakers, adopt inclusive language, and seeking to showcase the achievements of people from various ethnic backgrounds, fostering a classroom where every student feels seen, safe, and valued. We want to ensure that our education is rich and gives many perspectives for students to consider.
We have had the privilege of some fantastic guest speakers including most recently Rt Hon Dr Stuart Lawrence who spoke eloquently about how we can make change happen, which starts with education and exploring different perspectives.
Engaging student and staff voice
In one of our classes, a student noticed that the images presented about her home country did not align with her personal experiences. The student voiced her perspective, prompting our dedicated teacher to embark on additional research. The goal was to explore alternative materials and incorporate diverse viewpoints, enhancing the lesson for a more accurate and inclusive representation.
Whilst this student felt comfortable and able to speak out, many may not and so we need to ensure that we enable students to share their experiences to inform our journey, from their perspective. We undertook a survey with both students and staff about their experiences at college, with some specific questions around diversity within the curriculum and how effectively the college deals with matters of equity and inclusion. Engagement with the survey was good and gave us a real insight into what we are doing well and areas where we need to do more to break down barriers enabling us to identify clear actions.
In the pursuit of an anti-racist educational environment, the cornerstone of our success lies in identifying and nurturing champions within our teams. These champions are not merely advocates; they are the driving force of our journey. Committed to dismantling barriers and fostering inclusivity, they embody the change we seek. These individuals possess a deep understanding of the transformative power of education and actively champion anti-racism initiatives within our college. Some of them are appointed into our equity and inclusion lead roles and others are just passionate about inclusivity and breaking down barriers. Both are essential to the work we have undertaken to date and continue to do moving forward.
Measuring results and impact
In our journey towards an anti-racist educational environment, measuring results and impact is a crucial aspect of our action plan. We've implemented robust evaluation mechanisms to assess the outcomes of our initiatives. Regular assessments gauge changes in curriculum planning, individual resources, and learning environments, providing valuable insights into our progress.
By analysing data and statistics, we gain a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of our efforts, ensuring that our curriculum is not only inclusive but also fostering a positive impact on student engagement and success. Our action plan is not just a roadmap; it's a dynamic tool guiding us towards measurable, meaningful change in creating a more equitable and anti-racist educational experience.
Our journey isn't just about shaping a curriculum; it's about shaping a future where every student feels seen, safe, and valued and thus enabling them to successfully complete their studies and achieve to the best of their ability. Maya Angelou once said “do the best you can until you better. Then when you know better, do better”. Our journey at HSDC continues, and as we learn and grow, we are determined to do better, not tomorrow, but today.
Leona Berry is the Vice Principal – Organisational Development and People at Havant and South Downs College (HSDC)