At The Vineyard we are proud to have a diverse culture, where every child is valued and celebrated. As a school, we are committed to empowering and supporting our young learners to have a voice and be heard.  We believe all students deserve a safe and exciting environment, where they can grow and learn, while feeling respected. We have embarked on a journey of Racial Justice, equipping our community with the tools to navigate our multicultural world and advocate for a more just and equitable society.

We celebrate our diverse community through:

• A bespoke curriculum that represents all children in our school. For example, through the scientists and artists we study, the books we read and the significant people and events we study in history

• A class celebration tree, identifying the language, flag or something special to each child on their individual leaf. This is displayed and celebrated in each classroom

• Termly whole school assemblies, which focus on developing the children’s understanding of anti-racism 

• A focus on significant heroes during Black History Month, where we celebrate achievement and acknowledge the injustice and stress the importance of learning from history

• The PSHE curriculum, which covers the topic of ‘Being me in my world’. In this topic, we celebrate identity and what makes us similar and different. Lessons on being anti-racist are taught half termly within the PSHE curriculum

• Christmas and Easter celebrations as part of the cultural heritage of Richmond and the UK

• Celebrating different cultural festivals, such as Diwali, Hanukkah, Lunar New Year. Families are invited to share these important festivals with the children in class or in assemblies 

• Our annual International day, where families share food, music, art, fashion and more from their cultures. Families are invited in for workshops and children can dress up in colours of their flag or cultural dress

• Other whole school events, such as STEM week, Book week, Children’s Mental Health week and Number day

• A racial justice book club for staff members. We are currently reading ‘How to build an anti-racist classroom’ by Orlene Badu

• An open door policy where children, families and staff can speak with us

We have created an anti-racism action plan to guide our work on racial justice at The Vineyard School. 

We are proud to be an anti-racist school, and you can find our anti-racist pledge below.

The key language we teach and use in school with the children: 

• Diversity (A variety of differences that make us unique.)
• Equality (Everyone has the same treatment or opportunities. Everyone is treated equally.)
• Equity (Everyone has the same opportunities, but we also consider different people's situations so that they are treated fairly.)

Helpful Links for Families: 

UNICEF: https://www.unicef.org/parenting/talking-to-your-kids-about-racism 

Diverse and inclusive books: https://shop.scholastic.co.uk/diverse-and-inclusive-reads 

Creative Equality Toolkit: https://creativeequitytoolkit.org/topic/anti-racism/dont-make-it-about-you/