IndexWhat is inclusion?What is diversity and equality?ConclusionSince there are more and more children from 21st century classrooms different, it seems logical that structures should teach children about "difference" with effective methods and must therefore have pedagogical approaches that deepen understanding. (Gollnick and Chinn, 2002). Practitioners should create a classroom culture where all children, regardless of their culture, language, abilities and disabilities are welcomed, supported and provided with the best learning opportunities. This article explores the potential of such learning and considers the key issues and conditions that impact any pedagogical approach, starting with terminology. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay What is inclusion? Inclusive education is about equality and human rights. Inclusion is more than an understanding and a political requirement. It is a theme of respect and values that welcomes diversity in environments and in a wider part of society. Booth and Aincow (2003) stated that “inclusion” in education is about breaking down barriers to learning, treating all children on the basis of equality and non-discrimination, although, interestingly, their use of verbs like “deal” sound a bit dishonest and suggest “things being done to them” by those who have the power to significantly impact their status and status. However, the meaning of "Inclusion" can be very broad and often depends on the context of different settings. Some authors define inclusion through a vague notion of equal opportunities in all areas; others argue that inclusion underlies the need to overcome inequalities. At the same time, it can in fact be argued that the ideal of an inclusive school is undermined above all by government policies, which encourage competition and selection between and within schools, as well as by the continuous exclusion of children for reasons including disability and poor performance ( Booth & Aincow 2011 ). Inclusive practice is not only about children with disabilities, but covers all types of diversity, such as gender issues. Again, conflicting theories abound as to what the key issues of “gender” are, but when we consider that cultures are built on the idea of social constructivism Barbara Rogoff (2003, p. 72) is quite compelling. Rogoff suggests that “the culture in which children grow up (or in other words how they are raised) explains gender differences,” Rogoff argues that “girls are given more guidance in 'proper social behavior' than boys and that different tasks they are usually assigned to children based on whether they are boys or girls. Inclusive practice would therefore include gender and practitioners should allow all children to play with all types of toys and activities, without making comments such as "only girls play with dolls" or "can I have a strong boy who Can you help me carry this box?" ' (Holland, 2003, cited in Pound, 2009). If a boy wants to wear a dress in the dress-up area or a girl wants to play with construction tools, then let them encourage positive images of men and women performing traditionally gender-specific roles so that children don't have stereotypical ideas about what men and women should doWhat are diversity and equality?Equality means ensuring that individuals or groups of individuals are treated equally and equally, and no less favourably, according to their needs. The promotionof equality should eliminate discrimination in all areas; these may involve dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, physical ability, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. The concept of diversity includes acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique and recognizing our individual differences. A recent publication in the OFSTED School Inspection Update 2014 states that schools should promote pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, including the promotion of core British values , so that young people leave school prepared for life in modern Britain. The inspections were imposed in light of the 'Trojan Horse' scandal in Birmingham, where it was feared Muslims were attempting to impose hard-line Islamic practices in a number of state schools. (Hill 2014) The Ofsted definition of children's spiritual developments is shown by the child reflecting on their own beliefs and religion which informs their perspective on life and their interest and respect for the faith, feelings and values of different people. Children's moral development is demonstrated by the child's ability to recognize right and wrong by readily applying this understanding in their own life and, in doing so, respects the civil and criminal laws of England. Social developments are demonstrated by the child's range of social skills in different contexts and by acceptance of and commitment to the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those who belong to different faiths and beliefs. A child's cultural development can be demonstrated not only by appreciating a wide range of cultural influences, but also by learning about Britain's democratic parliamentary system and its central role in shaping our history and values (Ofsted 2014). Critics have warned that the move has led to schools in predominantly white areas being criticized for being "too English", with few pupils from ethnic minorities. Ofsted inspectors have criticized a school in a small rural community saying the school was "not yet outstanding" because pupils' cultural development was limited by a "lack of first-hand experience of the diverse make-up of modern British society. The report says that , although children in small rural schools, faith schools and special schools are not immersed on a daily basis in the cultures you might find in an urban environment, because the vast majority of their children are White British and the number of disabled children from families in low income is lower than average. Paton suggests that such schools should now try to start a partnership with an inner-city school to address the concerns. “Difference” is a word that some professionals and people probably fear and hope to never have to face problems it raises and associated broader implications. (Inclusive Schools 2013). The quote above briefly summarizes what the nature of the world is full of and what children see and hear every day. Why are we protecting ourselves from difference instead of embracing it? Children and their families must encounter diversity throughout their lives together; it is the task of educational contexts to facilitate the approach to diversity and try to guide them in the most professional way possible. There has always been diversity in the classroom, but in today's society it is important to embrace it and make positive use of it. (National Curriculum 2013) Freud's theory maintains that the morals that derive from our parents will be passed down fromgeneration after generation not because that's what they concluded, but because it's our genetic makeup to believe what our parents believe. Freud's peer Jean Piaget also recognized unconscious development. While Freud was interested in emotional and sexual development, Piaget focused on intellectual development according to which children can only process new concepts at a particular stage of their development (Linda Pound 2005). One of Piaget's theories was the theory of moral development in which he explains that there are two different paths in which a child's moral reasoning sometimes develops, the heteronomous phase and the autonomous phase. The heteronomous stage is when children understand that there is only one way of seeing and doing things. The autonomous phase occurs when children understand that people have different views and values about circumstances. (Walsh, 2008, online). Lev Vygotsky (1978) also believed that children are unconsciously influenced by what they absorb in their early years. His theory of 'Social and Cognitive Development' was that children imitate the adults around them. He emphasizes that "children's language was of social origin because it arose in the interaction between the child and others." (Linda Pound 2005). This means that children's language is the product of and is an element of social interaction. Vygotsky emphasized the significant importance of families, communities, and involvement with other children. Piaget and Freud believed that knowledge and understanding come from personal experiences. It is therefore essential that educational settings encourage children to look at difference and diversity through the eyes of others, as children may not receive the same encouragement at home. According to Freud's theory influences develop unconsciously at a young age, so it would be beneficial for professionals to promote positive thinking and attitudes towards uncomfortable topics to discuss such as disability, race, gender and social context at an early stage. Children will develop a better understanding if these topics are discussed openly, sensibly and honestly rather than keeping them taboo. As professionals we should support children, parents and families as they encounter and address diversity with encouragement and guidance. It is hoped that parents continue education in the home environment, which is why they need to be informed. The next section examines how my focus setting puts inclusion and diversity theory into practice and whether there are proposals that could be made to improve practice in this area. My focus setting has 53 policies and procedures which provide a framework that ensures consistent principles are applied to practice across the school, they also enable school staff, governors, parents, LEA officers and Ofsted inspectors to see at a glance what principles they can expect to see applied within the school. School policies are generated by Durham County Council and act as an environment-adapting model. Hard copies are kept in the principal's office and are also available online via the school website, however they are not inclusive as they are not accessible to everyone. Many of these policies are long and can be ambiguous due to the difficulty of interpreting the term “logy”. Other policies have a clear meaning such as the Safeguarding policy and the E-Safety policy which are implemented every day. Diversity and inclusion policies within the school are only reviewed every three years and are not active, however staff behave in a respectful and inclusive manner towards everyone within the school. Thereequality, diversity and cohesion policy, PHSE and citizenship policy. Principle 6 states that “policy development involves widespread consultation and involvement”. Principle 6 could be implemented to improve practice in policy development, including reviewing inclusion and diversity, so that the principle within the policy is active and easily understood by all. This review would involve the contribution of all those involved in school life and would reflect modern life and the diverse culture in which we live. Coordination of schools in this area could develop a sub-committee that includes a cross-section of children and adults from the wider community. A policy that covered all government legislation but was targeted to our context and written in an understandable text. It should be in a place accessible to all, an audio cassette could be made for people who cannot read or have vision problems and the images could be used as another form of communication. In doing so policies will be inclusive, remove barriers and encourage community participation from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. The classroom could display contracts or rules that have been generated by children and displayed throughout the school. In this way, policies will be an active part of school life, children will acquire skills and values that they will be able to carry forward throughout their lives. The school will have tangible evidence that diversity and inclusion policy principles are part of the school's everyday ethos. In Principle 3 we promote positive attitudes, relationships and a shared sense of belonging, and in Principle 2 relevant differences are recognised. The school is seen to address diversity in many ways, some of this takes place during our weekly assemblies where the whole school comes together for 'Celebration Friday'. This is a celebration of pupils' achievements which includes the presentation of certificates. We also organize weekly group assemblies where children explore different religions, examine personal, social and emotional issues and consider their rights and responsibilities in school and local communities. Children are encouraged to take part in a range of activities which promote active citizenship, an example of this is when children in Reception and Year 1 collected ? 1800.00 for One Wish Charity who bought a walker for our disabled child. In the final year the school has addressed diversity by inviting Chinese dancers to school, we have had an African drum band present for an afternoon and first years have spent half term learning all about Diwali and Budisiem. On reflection, this is symbolic and at a recent staff meeting it was decided that the school will invest in the UNICEF UK Rights Respecting Award (RRSA), which is a child-initiated program based on the principles of equality, dignity, respect, non-discrimination and participation. A proposal that could improve practice in this area would be to look at the community of the context, which is composed of different cultures and has different economic-social sectors. Apart from weekly readings and school plays, parents and people from the wider community are not involved in school life. Children and their parents/carers come from very different backgrounds and cultures, the school could celebrate this by inviting parents/carers and sharing their wide range of occupations, talents and skills with the whole school. We have unemployed parents, veterinarians, doctors, painters and parents who have lived in different parts of the world where Englishit is a second language. Every Friday afternoon our children enjoy extra free time as a reward for all their hard work during their stay. week, we could invite parents once a month on this day so that they can share their knowledge with the whole school. This could be achieved by having a carousel in each classroom where different occupations, skills and talents are demonstrated to children. This could be linked to the first year science curriculum example where they are dealing with plants, a florist or garden enthusiast could be asked to describe and explain what they are about. Children may be organized into mixed age and ability groups, including SEND children from Reception to Year 6. In this way children gain first-hand experience showing a wide range of occupations that are not stereotyped or discriminated against by gender or age. Children should be encouraged to have strong aspirations in their future careers. There are also many children who are not academic but may have talents in other areas such as music or sports, and may gain knowledge from adults working in these fields. The school could extend these experiences by taking children to visit different workplaces locally and nationally. The school's inclusive and special needs policy states that the setting is steadfast in being an inclusive environment for all children. The National Curriculum is a starting point for planning and meeting the specific needs of all children's diverse learning needs. Some children have barriers to learning and these needs are identified by schools SENCOs. Within the context we have a large group of children waiting to be assessed for learning difficulties. Until this assessment takes place, teachers will not be able to support individuals and take measures to enable them to participate effectively in curriculum and assessment activities. We have a SENCO who also teaches a class and has other teaching duties in addition to this role. The teacher is assigned one afternoon a week for homework for disabled people. This involves completing child assessments, scheduling and reviewing meetings with parents and external agencies every quarter and then writing reports. There are areas of this role that could be improved so that the SENCO is more effective and outcomes for children are resolved quickly. SEND policy states that children should be assessed within six weeks of entering school. Due to the time constraints of the SENCO role, this does not happen (so children do not receive the interventions or strategies they need; this could result in poor acquisition of basic skills which could affect their academic performance through school and hinder life opportunities). having only one person designated for a vital role has its limitations and, due to new legislation in the SEND document, the role is large to be carried out by one person in one afternoon a week, there may be aspects of the role that are not carried out effectively. The NUT believes that SENCOs can only be effective if they have effective management and school systems that value and empower them in this difficult and complex role (SENCO charter 2013). Due to the increase in the number of children entering the school who have been identified by class teachers and parents as having additional needs, the senior team must consider the time required to carry out the role effectively. One proposal to free up the SENCO would be to establish a SENCO co-coordinator.
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