No Outsiders

At the Learning for Life Partnership we aim to teach the children to recognise and accept difference. We have a duty to prepare them for modern life in Britain. In school and their future workplace they will be working alongside peers and colleagues of different race, religion, gender, age, disability and sexual orientation. It is paramount that future generations are able to accept differences, accept the views of others and treat each other with respect, even if they disagree. We expect the children to express their views with kindness and consideration for the feelings of others. Our key message is that we are all equal and we all belong, we are all insiders, there are no outsiders in our schools. In order to promote this ethos at the Learning for Life Partnership we have chosen to use a book based resource called “No Outsiders” to teach children about equality and diversity.  Our aim is for all children and staff to understand and respect difference.

We want our schools to be places where no one feels like an outsider because of either their different characteristics or the views they hold. We also explore “No Outsiders” themes through assemblies and PHSE lessons.

The Equality Act (2010) is British Law and protects people from discrimination in the workplace and wider society. It refers to following ‘protected characteristics.’

• Race
• Religion or belief
• Gender
• Age
• Disability
• Sexual orientation
• Pregnancy
• Marriage and civil partnership

The Ofsted framework (2021) states that inspectors will make a judgement on the personal development of learners by evaluating the extent to which: The school “prepares learners for life in modern Britain by: equipping them to be responsible, respectful, active citizens who contribute positively to society; developing their understanding of fundamental British values; developing their understanding and appreciation of diversity; celebrating what we have in common and promoting respect for the different protected characteristics as defined in law.”

The No Outsiders programme includes lesson plans based on children’s picture books, many of which you may already have read with your children. The class discussion is child-led and offers opportunity for the children to make observations and consider the simple messages in the text, all of which link to the Equality Act in an age appropriate way.