Building Equality into the Curriculum Toolkit
The curriculum should meet the needs of people with all of the protected characteristics covered by the Equality Act 2010 and extend understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion to all learners.
By providing effective training for all staff as well as supporting them to develop ownership and their commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, this will enable them to develop systematic approaches to tackling poor behaviour, inappropriate language, attitudes, harassment, victimisation, discrimination and bullying.
This toolkit looks at behaviour, attitudes and discrimination and provides support for teachers to work in collaboration with managers to embed equality, diversity and inclusion into the curriculum. (Noting that the curriculum is not just what is taught but also the way the organisation operates, its functions both hidden and visible).
About this resource
Each organisation has to develop an infrastructure to promote equality, tackle discrimination and to foster healthy relationships between different groups.
A significant part of the infrastructure is staff development, training and support for all teaching and non-teaching staff to ensure that everyone knows how to promote equality, tackle discrimination, bullying, harassment and victimisation, and effectively build good relationships between different groups.
The end goal is to empower both staff and learners to challenge all forms of discrimination.
How this Toolkit can help
This Toolkit acts as a guidance document, an induction resource and a resource to support teams and managers to explore issues related to effective equality, diversity and inclusion practice within the everyday curriculum. For those organisations a little further on in their development, it acts as a refresher toolkit for staff working in a range of capacities for schools, colleges, work-based learning providers, voluntary and community sector organisations, public sector bodies and in the private sector.
It can be used to form the basis either of formal induction training or guided self study for new and existing staff, including temporary staff, volunteers and people on work placement. In addition, it can be used flexibly to support delivery of equality and diversity sessions for those working directly with learners, volunteers or staff.
It aims to:
- remove any mystery and misconceptions and clearly explain the concepts of building equality, diversity and inclusion into the everyday curriculum
- suggest simple strategies for supporting equality and diversity in everyday situations that staff can put into practice straight away
- offer practical advice on dealing with promoting equality through the curriculum, tackling discrimination and fostering good learner relationships in an effective way
- demonstrate how embracing equality and diversity creates a better learning environment for everyone
- improve understanding and social awareness of why people behave differently, thus reducing unwitting and unintentional discriminatory behaviour in the learning environment
- reflect the reality of multiple discrimination, since everyone is affected by each of the characteristics that are protected by legislation, and areas not protected by law.
The information in the toolkit includes practical tips and checklists to aid planning and delivery and is supplemented by a range of activities to help you assess your performance, test your understanding and apply your learning to your own situation and learning environment. Many of the tips, checklists and activities will kick start the preliminary thinking, planning and information gathering processes you will need to embed equality and diversity into your area of work.
Modules in the Resource Pack
Building Equality into the Curriculum Toolkit
This Toolkit is split into 8 modules.
It acts as a guidance document, an induction resource and a resource to support teams and managers to explore issues related to effective equality, diversity and inclusion practice within the everyday curriculum.
Click the links on the left to see more details about each of the individual modules
Module 1: Threading equality and diversity through the curriculum
This Module looks at the external factors that influence how we prioritise equality, diversity and inclusion in the curriculum and offers good practice checklists on how the organisation as a whole can respond
Module 2: Top tips for meeting inspection and legal requirements
This Module aims to give practical support to practitioners in embedding equality and diversity in the development, design and delivery of the curriculum.
There are 10 top tips which draw on the latest information, advice and guidance from Ofsted, Local Authorities, as well as new online resources, from the Equality and Human Rights Commission
Module 3: Top tips for planning teaching and learning
Effective and inclusive learning experiences can only be achieved by sufficient planning and preparation. This Module will enable you understand the principles of effective planning and how they can empower you to provide positive and inclusive learning experiences each time you deliver.
The following sections are all areas that observers are looking for in making a judgement of good teaching and learning.
Module 4: Top tips for delivering teaching and learning s
Although planning is important, effective and inclusive learning experiences can only be achieved if you have the knowledge and skills to behave and respond flexibly and inclusively to a range of situations and challenges as they occur.
This section will help you to hone your knowledge and skills so that these responses become a natural and instinctive part of your delivery.
Module 5: Top tips for creating accessible learning materials and environments
Although you can never plan for every eventuality that may arise in your lessons, and sometimes you will have no choice but to think on your feet and wing it, you do at least have control over the learning materials you choose to use and to some extent the physical environment you operate in.
There are many things you can do to make these easy to use, appropriate for and inclusive of all learners.
Module 6: Good practice in building equality and diversity into subject areas
This Module suggests possible themes within different subject areas which lend themselves to exploring and raising awareness of equality and diversity issues. It is by no means an exhaustive list, as there are endless possibilities for exploring equality and diversity across subject disciplines, but is intended to get you started.
The ideas can be developed in formal or informal contexts with learners across the age spectrum.
Module 7: Providing evidence of your good practice
This Module explains the types of evidence that observers are looking for in making a judgement about the quality of teaching and learning.
Module 8: Practitioner's Toolkit
This Module contains a range of checklists and activities that you can use and adapt for auditing your performance and personal development.
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