The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee is a group which was established with the aim to develop a greater understanding of equity at Abingdon School and to provide a medium where this is promoted. It is run as an Other Half option.
Our mission statement is to:
- Create an environment where diversity, equity and inclusion are valued, understood and promoted
- Raise awareness about unfair discrimination and addressing potential bias
- Implement effective strategies and activities to help forward this vision
- Work to create an inclusive environment where all students and staff feel valued, accepted and understood
This year we have split into three focus groups – events, curriculum and communications – so as to help make and achieve tangible progress in reaching our goals. Below you can find out more about what each group does and the different projects we have undertaken.
Communications Overview
In the communications section of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee we aim to spread awareness of different inequalities through writing articles for the different school magazines including the Martlet, Timeline magazine and Words & That. As well as writing individual articles we, as a group, arranged the logistics for DEI social media accounts plus an email address for any queries or concerns students may have.
Events Overview
The Events sub-committee is responsible for organising activities on various days of the year when we raise awareness of diversity, equity and inclusivity, whether that be in race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and many more. A group of students and teachers prepare a presentation in advance, highlighting the history of a particular issue, how we as a society are adapting and being more inclusive, and how we should respond as a School and individually. These are either presented in Head’s Assembly, or are shared with tutors to discuss with their tutees in Tutor Periods. We often leave questions at the end of our presentations so as to open up discussion among members of the School, as this is the only way for us to face this issue as a society. Our recent topics of discussion include Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ+, sexism and misogyny. We are also hoping to partner with the Equalities Group at St Helen and St Katharine to raise awareness of particular historic days on equity, as well as sharing students’ experiences.
Curriculum Overview
The “Curriculum Review” group’s main focus has been on the PSHCE lessons – these happen every fortnight and are a great opportunity for students to educate themselves on important topics concerning society today. These lessons tend to be discussion-based and are made to allow students to freely express their opinions on those issues. We have been involved with a review of the curriculum and structure of lessons, in order to ensure that inclusivity requirements are met, as well as to highlight any possible discrimination. After reviewing the lessons that students in the third and fourth years are going to have in the coming years, the group has come up with two main targets:
- The lessons should be designed to promote discussion instead of written work – it would be beneficial to cut the spaces left to write down notes and leave more open-ended questions.
- Placing an emphasis on inclusivity and diversity and tackling racial or ethnic discrimination when it comes to texts or photos.
