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Whole school community

Building a safe and supportive school and preventing bullying

Foster an inclusive school culture and ethos that supports all students and values the diversity of the student, staff and community population including culture, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability and economic status

Recognise and represent this diversity in all practices

• Summary
• Examples
• Resources

Summary

Despite the efforts of many individuals and organisations, the cultures, backgrounds, beliefs and values of groups who are not part of the dominant culture are not always acknowledged in contemporary initiatives designed to create safe and supportive learning environments in schools. There is a tendency, for example, to operate in conventional frameworks with which we have the greatest familiarity.

It is important to work in ways that actively acknowledge and value diversity in all aspects of school life; ways that model, teach and support the development of trust, cooperation, understanding and fair, respectful attitudes and behaviours between all individuals and groups.

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Examples

• In an urban secondary school, staff enhanced their understanding and teaching to address the needs of a refugee student population at risk because of missed schooling, trauma and torture experiences, the challenges of second language learning and harassment. The school worked on creating respect, caring and 'bridge building' through individuals sharing their stories at informal and formal school gatherings. Key staff helped teachers to understand student behaviours and develop culturally appropriate teaching strategies. Across the whole school, a predominantly punishment approach to behaviour has been replaced by a supportive model that values cultural differences and asks 'What can we do to help?'

  Schools in action:
  Safe and inclusive schooling for refugee students

• To foster racial and cultural understanding, a primary school with a high Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population developed a Cultural Studies Program. This program is based upon an inclusive curriculum with strong links to the English and SOSE, Lifeskills, Art and Music curricula. A respect for all cultures is encouraged and taught through explicit themes. The program utilises a wide variety of sources and is strongly literature-based and relies on Indigenous writers, artists and community leaders.

  Schools in action:
  Valuing cultural diversity

• A regional primary school has challenged traditional schooling practices and worked to create schooling as an inter cultural learning community by honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures as central within the curriculum. The result has been that all cultures are actively valued and treated with respect, cultural differences are valued as strengths, and literacy and social outcomes have improved. Also the strong presence of cultural diversity in parent representation has supported the development of respect and connectedness for all students.

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Resources

• Racism. No way! website
  http://racismnoway.com.au/
  CESCEO (2000).

  A comprehensive resource that assists teachers and students to address the challenges relating to racism. The website includes information to assist in recognising and addressing racism in schools; teaching strategies and opportunities for teachers and schools to share their approaches; and a large annotated bibliography on topics such as countering racism; cultural diversity and multiculturalism; migration and refugees; and stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination. Developed by Australia's government, independent and Catholic schooling sectors.