VIEWS & OPINION Tackling hate with


tolerance Comment by FELICIA JACKSON, Chair of the Learn2Think Foundation


With over a third of young people having witnessed hate speak online, how can we tackle intolerance? By raising the next generation to be open-minded and accepting kids. Tolerance has never been a more


important issue than it is today. In the wake of the political clashes over Brexit, tensions


between rival voting factions have sky-rocketed. The ability to communicate calmly seems to be disappearing and there has been an outpouring of racial, sexual and homophobic abuse. In the UK, a study shows that over a third of 12- to 15-year-olds have been exposed to hate speak online. In this climate, parents and teachers have a vital role to play in


helping children grow up without prejudice and learn empathy. Learning about tolerance might sound simplistic but far from being a passive acceptance of things we don’t like. It’s a powerful tool not only to achieve peace in our playgrounds, but also to hone young minds in critical thinking, logic and communication skills. Tolerance is most needed when we don’t agree with


someone, or when they are different from us. It’s about learning to discuss things and argue with people without getting angry or upset. It can be tempting, when talking to kids, to steer clear of potentially contentious issues and talk in euphemisms, but raising tolerant children means not brushing things under the carpet. Teach your child the correct terminology for racial, sexual and


religious terms: for example, use the word ‘black’ to describe someone’s skin colour, rather than saying, ‘the little boy with brown skin.’ The more open we can be in talking about difference, the more normal these differences will seem. It’s also important to counter stereotypes. For example, if your son tells you he can’t take a pink balloon from a party because it’s a girls’ colour, tell him outright, ‘That’s not true.’ Use it as a springboard for a discussion about what makes him think that, and why other people might think it. One of the most important things we can do to raise a


tolerant child is talk about what tolerance is, be mindful and model it ourselves. We may think of ourselves as tolerant people, but we make hundreds of judgements every day, and we’re not always as discreet about them as we might think. We can be outspoken with our own opinions – for example, about politics – and this can influence our children’s viewpoints. Instead, we should try to hold back and let children think and talk for themselves. It’s an approach which has global importance in the world our


children will face as they grow. In fact UNESCO has awarded patronage to this year’s ToDay programme, run by the Learn2Think Foundation, a commemoration of the United Nation’s International Day of Tolerance on 16th November. It offers free materials, lesson plans and workshops to help our children learn to be tolerant and respectful people. In awarding UNESCO patronage, the Assistant Director-


General said, “By promoting tolerance, dialogue and mutual understanding through education, this initiative is fully in line with UNESCO's programmes on intercultural dialogue, inclusion and rights, and global citizenship education.” If we want to make a difference in the future, we must start with our children today.


uhttp://www.toleranceday.org/resourcesmaterials.html November 2019


How teachers are building children’s water confidence


with PE funding Comment by IAN WOOD, PE co-ordinator at Kirk Ella St. Andrew’s Community Primary School East Riding


When we first received the Primary PE and Sport Premium, we set out a bold action plan to get 100% of our children involved in competitive sport, 100% of children aged 7 to 11 involved in inter- school competitive sport and provide a broader range of sports for pupils to experience. Swimming is a great way to stay


active but also a vital life skill that can literally save your life. We decided that


swimming would be one of the sports that we offered pupils as part of a broader spectrum alongside dodgeball and mountain biking. In Key Stage 1, we introduced swimming galas for all children in


year 1 and year 2, with the focus on building water confidence. There was no prerequisite for children to be able to swim, we simply want them to feel safe and have fun. We invited parents to watch, which sparked some into starting family swimming lessons.


Upskilling our teaching staff Training for most events takes place within school grounds during lunchtimes and after school, with fixtures around local schools, county schools, and across the country when teams qualify at national level. The exception to this is swimming training for the biathlon team, when we take children out of school over lunchtimes to the local leisure centre. In order to be able to run this programme of sports and training


for pupils, we used much of the funding to upskill our teaching staff. We now have our own qualified swimming instructors who can coach the biathlon team and many elements of our sport action plan can now continue long into the future, now that staff have been trained, and the infrastructure for events has been put in place.


We’ve helped pupils understand the benefits of sport When thinking about what we have achieved in our school using the funding, the words form one of our pupils sums it up best: “Even when we’re losing, we always try our hardest, and when we win, we celebrate with respect.” Pupils understand that sport is an enjoyable and healthy thing to


be involved in. We have seen physical activity levels rise massively across the school, and every single child now has the opportunity to compete – something that they are proud of and enjoy doing. There is greater integration of pupils, as all are involved, and children have found sports that they really enjoy - thanks to the broader range of opportunities they have been offered. Behaviour and attitudes have also improved across the school this


year. Teachers feel more confident that they are giving all children high-quality opportunities in PE and sport and the staff who have trained as swimming teachers feel very proud of the impact they are having. Parents are also engaging more, one example of this is a child currently in year 6, who has additional needs, and discovered a love for swimming last year as a result of the programme of activity we were able to run with the Primary PE and Sport Premium His parents now take him regularly, and his physical activity levels have increased massively as a result. The funding really has changed the opportunities available to our children for the better.


uwww.youthsporttrust.org/yst-premium-toolkit www.education-today.co.uk 25


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