"Success is about developing creative skills: in problem-solving, in technical activities, in music, art, design, media and drama. It is about being enterprising, about becoming productive. It is about learning to work effectively on your own or with others in groups. Success is also about learning to express yourself, becoming confident and assured, believing that the contribution you make to society is valuable and will be valued. It is about making thoughtful decisions and choices. It is about feeling included and responsible for yourself and for others and about learning to care about other people. It is about learning to care about the world and wanting to make it a better place now and for future generations."5
Relevant quality indicator: QI 5.2 Teaching for effective learning
Five keys to success for Human Rights Education:
Schools adopt a range of approaches to anti-sectarian education which contribute to successful learning.
In a number of schools and classrooms visited by HM Inspectors, young people were actively involved in considering how to deal with negative attitudes. They did this through identifying and discussing with others, views and language which were sectarian or which promoted religious intolerance. In such work, the schools were taking forward aspects of a Curriculum for Excellence through applying some its principles, including those of challenge and enjoyment and relevance to children and young people. Pupils found their learning challenging, engaging and motivating and they saw the value of what they were learning and its relevance to their lives, present and future.
Promotion of active learning
Stewarton Academy in East Ayrshire organised a Peace and Justice Week which included an extensive range of events, visits, assemblies and presentations by pupils and others. The school worked in partnership with local businesses and charities to promote equal opportunity and a sense of fairness. The school’s campaigning groups, the School Co-operative Group and Young Amnesty International Group, participated in assemblies during the week. A Peace and Justice Week promoted discussion of equity issues at a local, national and international level. Workshops and talks from Islamic Relief, Glasgow’s Buddhist Centre, the Iona Community and Christian Aid helped to promote positive attitudes to religious diversity.
S3 pupils visited Glasgow’s St Mungo’s Museum of Religious Life and Art and a Hindu Temple. S4 pupils participated in presentations by Nil By Mouth which considered the use of sectarian words, attitudes and actions in Scotland today. Nil By Mouth established a set of ground rules for safe discussion of sectarian language. The group defined sectarianism as "narrow-minded beliefs that lead to prejudice, discrimination, malice and ill-will towards members or presumed members of another denomination". Almost all young people were aware of the list of sectarian terms, though a few had had no direct experience of hearing them used. Some pupils were not aware of the historical sources of such terms and some were only aware of them in the context of football in the west of Scotland. Pupils came up with a number of suggestions of the best ways to challenge sectarianism.
Two neighbouring primary schools in Glasgow, St Mirin’s Primary and Croftfoot Primary, one denominational and one non-denominational, collaborated very successfully in a cross-curricular topic entitled Sense Over Sectarianism. The topic was used as a context for developing pupils’ literacy skills and addressed important aspects of enterprise and citizenship. During the project, pupils took part in the same lessons and benefited from a number of visits to the wider community in west central Scotland. In both schools, P7 pupils were involved in co-operative learning6. Together, they took part in drama lessons which considered attitudes relating to bigotry and sectarianism, and they visited a local theatre company to develop their ideas into a play. Through studying the novel The Divided City by Theresa Breslin they explored issues of sectarianism and racism in Glasgow. The author worked with pupils on analysing characters in the novel and on improving aspects of their writing skills. Pupils participated in visits to St Mungo’s Museum and the study centres at Celtic and Rangers Football Clubs. At the end of the topic, pupils from both schools performed their play for parents from both schools. They produced posters, badges and slogans on an anti-sectarian theme and a series of podcasts about the project. In the podcasts, pupils questioned the then First Minister and also one of the city’s MSPs. Pupils said that they thought all pupils in Scotland should carry out this type of work in class.
St Michael’s Primary School and St Joseph’s College, Dumfries and Galloway, a non-denominational and a denominational school, were actively involved in working with the Centre for Education for Racial Equality in Scotland (CERES). They studied a topic which took into account aspects of bigotry and sectarianism. Through the use of drama, pupils considered how specific language is linked with bullying behaviour and how pupils can sometimes seek to hurt and exclude others. In St Michael’s, P6 pupils were actively involved in leading discussions about what football meant to them. They talked fluently about football allegiance and rivalry and wrote imaginatively on a football-related topic. With the help of a drama teacher from Education for Racial Equality in Scotland (CERES) pupils performed various scenes and raps about anti-sectarianism. They then shared their learning with the rest of the school at assembly. In St Joseph’s College, S2 pupils were involved in a series of challenging and enjoyable lessons which used drama to promote anti-racism and anti-sectarianism. They were of the view that it was better to learn about bullying this way rather than through a set of worksheets in their personal and social education lessons. Pupils also delivered an assembly to the whole school on aspects of their work.
"In responding to everyday bigotry we can
Speak up when we hear or see bigotry
Question and identify bias when we see it
Be mindful of our own behaviours
Promote and appeal to higher principles
Set limits on what is said or done around us
Seek help and help others to work against bigotry; and
Remain vigilant and persistent."
Speak Up for tolerance.org
Issues to consider |
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Engages young people in the highest quality learning activities.
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