Equality and Diversity in Learning, Teaching and Assessment
AIMS:
- What do we mean by E&D in Learning, Teaching and Assessment?
- What are the implications for classroom practice?
- Overcoming barriers to learning
- Policy, legislation, theory and practice
- Putting it into practice
case study: christopher
Watch the video and consider the following for THINK/PAIR/SHARE:
- What are Christopher's barriers to learning?
- How does he cope?
- What responsibility does the school have to support him?
- Which strategies to support Chris are in evidence?
What do we mean by equality and diversity?
In two super-groups access the PADLET link and post as much as possible about the following:
- What does Equality and Diversity in learning, teaching and assessment mean to you?
- Which legislation/guidelines are you aware of?
- Why is it important?
- Give examples where possible?
sector snapshot
WORKFORCE
- Almost two thirds of the workforce (63.9%) are female
- The gender pay gap was 9.9%, with women being paid approximately £2,300 a year less than men
- Females were more likely to be in administrative and secretarial roles whilst male staff were more likely to be in management roles than female staff (7.3% compared to 6.6%) and almost twice as likely to be in senior management positions (5.3% compared to 2.8%)
- Only 2.7% of staff had a declared disability compared to 17.9% in the general population and 14.4% in the learner population
- The proportion of black and minority ethnic (BME) staff was slightly lower than in the general population (8.5% compared to 10.6%), but considerably lower than in the learner population where over a fifth of learners (20.9%) were from BME groups
- Staff from BME groups had similar occupational roles to white staff, but although they appeared to be better qualifies than their white counterparts (with 47.3% of staff of mixed heritage to 55.0% of Chinese staff qualified to at least first degree level compare to 43.7% of white staff), they were less likely to hold senior management positions than those from white ethnic groups (1.8% compared to 4.0%).
- In 2010 only 36% of the 353 further education colleges principals in England are women, showing some progress since the late 1990s, when women accounted for only 25% of college principals in England, and since 2006 when they accounted for only 28%
LEARNERS
Of the 4,621,300 learners participating in further education:
Reference: equalityanddiversity.co.uk 'Embedding Equality and Diversity into Everyday Practice' 2010 pdf
Of the 4,621,300 learners participating in further education:
- 54.9% were female, 45.1% were male
- 12.1% of learners declared a learning difficulty, disability or health problem
- 17.5% were from a Black or minority ethnic background
- 23.7% were aged under 19; 16.6% were aged 19-24 and 59.3% were aged 25 or older.
Reference: equalityanddiversity.co.uk 'Embedding Equality and Diversity into Everyday Practice' 2010 pdf
Implications for classroom practice...
Protected groups, what are they?
The realities of learning with a disability CASE STUDY: dyslexia
Watch the video below and THINK/PAIR/SHARE the following:
- What are the difficulties faced by students with dyslexia?
- How could you support students with dyslexia
USEFUL RESOURCE: College Portal
legislation
2010 EQUALITY ACT
Key Points:
The content of the school curriculum has never been caught by discrimination law, and this Act now states explicitly that it is excluded. However the way in which a school provides education – the delivery of the curriculum – is explicitly included.
e.g
The Equality Act 2010 introduced a single Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) (sometimes also referred to as the ‘general duty’) that applies to public bodies, including maintained schools and Academies, and extends to certain protected characteristics - race, disability, sex, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity and gender reassignment. This combined equality duty came into effect in April 2011. It has three main elements. In carrying out their functions, public bodies are required to have due regard to the need to:
Key Points:
The content of the school curriculum has never been caught by discrimination law, and this Act now states explicitly that it is excluded. However the way in which a school provides education – the delivery of the curriculum – is explicitly included.
e.g
- A girl complains that putting The Taming of the Shrew on the syllabus is discriminatory; or a Jewish pupil objects to having to study The Merchant of Venice.
- A teacher uses the fact that ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ is a set book to make derogatory generalisations about the inferiority of women, in a way which makes the girls in the class feel belittled. Or, in teaching ‘The Merchant of Venice’, he encourages the class to laugh at a Jewish pupil.
The Equality Act 2010 introduced a single Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) (sometimes also referred to as the ‘general duty’) that applies to public bodies, including maintained schools and Academies, and extends to certain protected characteristics - race, disability, sex, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity and gender reassignment. This combined equality duty came into effect in April 2011. It has three main elements. In carrying out their functions, public bodies are required to have due regard to the need to:
- Eliminate discrimination and other conduct that is prohibited by the Act
- Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it
- Foster good relations across all characteristics - between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.
scroll through act. Are there any elements that need further discussion?
lets look at some practical examples
- Take a look at the scenarios in the envelope. Try and work out how you would handle them in a real life situation...
- Where do they fit within the act?
- Where do they fit within college conduct and E&D policy?
barriers to learning
An important part of the E&D and safeguarding agenda is about overcoming 'barriers to learning'
- In pairs pick an example from one of the 'protected groups'. How can these issues form barriers to learning and how can they be overcome?
safeguarding
- Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families and carers has a role to play in safeguarding children. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all professionals should make sure their approach is child-centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.
- No single professional can have a full picture of a child’s needs and circumstances. If children and families are to receive the right help at the right time, everyone who comes into contact with them has a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action.
- Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined for the purposes of this guidance as: protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s health or development; ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
- Children includes everyone under the age of 18.
Ok, so what does it mean?
THINK/PAIR/SHARE
On a post-it note write as many examples of safeguarding as you can think of...
See portal page for full list...
On a post-it note write as many examples of safeguarding as you can think of...
See portal page for full list...
Where do you come in? See staff PROCEDURE flow chart...
Watch 'Exposed' below from CEOP and consider the following...
Which safeguarding issues are touched on here?
What would the role of the college be in a similar instance?
Which safeguarding issues are touched on here?
What would the role of the college be in a similar instance?
prevent
This is a government initiative that all schools have been tasked with. It falls under the umbrella of safeguarding but is unique in it's own right. Staff and students are trained.
Take part in the tutorial scheme of work briefing delivered to students last year...
How do you think it would feel to be a student in this session?
Which are the key elements to be aware of?
In what sense is it safe-guarding?
Take part in the tutorial scheme of work briefing delivered to students last year...
How do you think it would feel to be a student in this session?
Which are the key elements to be aware of?
In what sense is it safe-guarding?