Equality, Diversity & Inclusion: The Diversity Group
At Harris Beckenham, we are committed to the promotion of equality, diversity, and inclusion.
These principals are the very hallmarks of society and for our school community as they support our ethos and the culture we want to build. We aim for every student to feel valued and so all staff are committed to anti-discriminatory practice.
We aim to:
- To create an environment where children can flourish and feel valued
- Provide positive non-stereotyping information about identity, gender, ethnic and cultural groups, and individuals with health conditions and impairments
- Make inclusion a thread that runs through all areas of the school
Implementation
We have a working Diversity Group whereby students from Years 7 – 13 meet bi-weekly to discuss initiatives and how best to implement this on a wider school scale. The students provide insights and bring the voices of those within their tutor groups and classes to help the group in taking a thoughtful and joined approach to their equality and diversity within the school.
The Diversity Group will:
- Raise awareness of and provide advice on issues of equality, diversity, and inclusion
- Highlight points of concern and areas for action to the Senior Leadership Team
- Support the development and implementation of the Equality and Diversity policies
- Monitor progress against the Equality and Diversity Action Plan
- Represent the views of the staff and students at Harris Beckenham
- Champion equality, diversity, and inclusion throughout the school
Membership
Membership is open to staff from any department of the school with a cross-section of knowledge, interests, and experience. Students express their interest to the Diversity Lead and are then invited to attend meetings. Final selections of students are based on:
- Knowledge of the initiatives and agenda
- Contribution to meetings
- Productivity
- Teamwork
Meetings
The group meet bi-weekly, with a pre-circulated and pre-agreed agenda. Minutes of the meeting, recommendations and associated action plans are given to every member of the group and forwarded onto a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
Bromley Wide Diversity Group
Harris Beckenham is a member of the Bromley wide working diversity group. There are approximately ten schools’ part of this group whereby each diversity lead from the respective organisations attends a meeting bimonthly. Members are provided with a pre-circulated agenda of topics for discussion and can contribute to the agenda as well as support each other with making initiatives successful.
Topics for discussion have ranged from Black History Month, Pride, SEND Week, Windrush Day and Female Empowerment.
Impact
The Conversation
Each term there is a topic focus which members of the Diversity Group will meet weekly to discuss. Topics in 2022 included - tackling sexual harassment in schools, boys’ mental health, promoting inclusion among peer groups, the history and success of women and the LGBTQ+ community. Students and staff work together to action future plans by inviting external speakers to deliver workshops and talks.
Here are some student testimonies:
- Year 8 Student – “The Diversity Group has helped to create a community between different students from various years. It has created a conversation between us where we talk about different topics and causes. It just goes to show we can make the difference we want to see”.
- Year 11 Student – “It takes dedication, resilience, and resourcefulness to keep going. Our ideas may not have always had the desired impact, but as a group we always set goals to carry on and gain wider support for our visions”.
- Year 12 Student – “It has been a rewarding experience to cooperate with students from different year groups. It was great to hear everyone’s ideas each week and becoming one unit by the end of the year”.
Review
To ensure good quality practice, action plans are reviewed each term to consider:
- How well the action was carried out
- Evidence of strengths in carrying out the action
- Evidence of any areas of improvement in carrying out the action
- What the impact of the action was on students and the school
- Further steps to maintain strengths and how best to address areas requiring improvement
Members of the Diversity Group also complete a feedback form, tailored each term to understand student voice when assessing impact.
