Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development
Culture and Diversity at Days Lane
At Days Lane we foster an ethos of inclusivity and promote and celebrate diversity. We recognise that the local demographic is not as diverse as the wider locality and therefore plan opportunities for children to be exposed to, learn and appreciate different cultures and religions, in order to prepare children for life in modern Britain.
Diversity Mark
We are delighted to receive our bronze diversity mark, which recognises the school’s commitment to helping children develop their cultural awareness, and our drive to support all children to achieve their very best. The report can be accessed below.
Diversity Award
Mr Lang and Mrs Farmer attended the 2022 Diversity Awards in October, which was hosted at Harris Primary Academy – Chafford Hundred. Days Lane were finalists in two categories (Teacher of the Year and Honourable Mention) and I am delighted to say that we won the Honourable Mention award for our whole school commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. This is an excellent achievement by all the staff and children at Days Lane.
Parent Voice
The following quotes are taken from an interview between a selection of parents and Anthony Peltier (Diversity Mark Assessor):
- “I’m struck by the number of displays on different issues and values around the school and the way the children are really encouraged to embody these values. Often at home, the children will talk about which school values they are showing that day.”
- “We have always been treated with respect, encouraged to share our views, and included in every aspect of school life. Our children have always felt that their family is represented in the school and have always been given opportunities to share their lives and their family with their classes”.
- “Last year during Black History Month, I was honoured to be asked to come to the school and be interviewed by a couple of the children where I gave them an insight into my Jamaican black ground and heritage”.
Enriching Experiences
At Days Lane, we aspire for our children to become well-rounded individuals, who are knowledgeable about the world around them. We plan memorable learning experiences for our children to develop their understanding of different cultures and promote diversity; some of these are captured below.
Chinese New Year
We had a very special visitor in the spring term, when Shifu Meng Sheng performed a traditional lion dance in assembly and then led workshops for our children. They were in awe of the lion costume and thoroughly enjoyed viewing the dances.
Children in Nursery and Reception learnt all about Chinese New Year through making traditional drums, designing lanterns and role-playing in a restaurant that contained traditional Chinese food.
African Dance Workshops
For part of our Black History celebrations, we were delighted to invite the Zamble African Dance Group to Days Lane to present assemblies and workshopsto our children. Through the workshops, the children developed their understandiong of the significance of dance, music and clothing to the Ghanaian
Remembrance Day
Year 6 presented an extremely touching Remembrance Day assembly last week, which beautifully captured why it is important to pay our respects to individuals who fought in World War 1 and other wars. The assembly included narrative, poems and songs; it certainly made an impact on the children and teachers! Click on the picture below to listen to one of the songs that was performed during their assembly.
Anansi Readings
Ms Hine, a parent of the school, kindly agreed to be interviewed by our School Ambassadors, where they learnt all about her Jamaican heritage. She also retold one of her favourite Caribbean stories - Anansi - which was videoed for all of our school community to enjoy. Please click on the link below to access the video:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cx-hh29wQmOz5CXTVugv7hma3WwQU3Ht/view?usp=sharing
Diverse Displays
We capture some of the children's learning about culture and diversity through our displays.
