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The school has slogans and quotes displayed in the main passageway, offering affirming messages and reminders.
My liaison Intermediate has a diverse community - the diversity is celebrated and inclusivity is valued at the core. How?
Gender neutral uniform
Gender neutral enrolment option on school form
Community awareness and reputation as being an inclusive school for diverse learners
Inside Out visited early in 2022 to provide staff training. This was followed up with video's from the Inside Out website in class spaces , with discussion and korero.
Staff were challenged to question their own values and assumptions.
Staff felt the training had been purposeful and useful.
Leadership are proactive to create inclusive spaces for all students and they model this inclusive practice.
Wonderings:
Do my liaison school have some gender neutral toilets in the current site?
Under the new build construction and design, are there toilets for both gender specific and gender neutral students?
My Focus Student (N) 2020 -2022
The Cluster 7 database has one student who identifies as being Gender Diverse - a student I have supported on and off for over two years. Currently, the student has body dysphoria and has anxiety around school attendance due to obsessive perceptions about appearance.
The student began gender exploration in Year 8 at my liaison school and now in YR.9
The whānau found school transition particularly hard to navigate as the in -zone secondary school (a grammar) has gender specific uniform and gender specific toilets.
RTLB support involved supporting the parent to apply for Ministry Directed enrolment to an inclusive school which would support gender diversity, no uniform and gender neutral toilets.
RTLB continues to support the whānau with a referral to Strengthening Families to support the extended whānau to accept the young person's gender exploration.
Mum and RTLB talk regularly about other supports and share resources.
Module Learning:
Evaluate your school values - it guides leadership decisions.
Respect diversity - think of ways we can foster that in schools and within learning spaces
Language we hear in class /schools - do kaiako address unacceptable language or 'let it slide?'
Very little research from the N.Z Aotearoa context
Some recent research from Auckland University has some good data (based on the Youth 200 series, 2012)
One in 12 students identify as being of a minority sexuality.
These students are 4.5 times more likely to be bullied
One thing I intend to do:
Ask my SENCo about the new build toilets
Suggest a school PRIDE parade - I think they would love it
Add Rainbow Youth Awareness into the liaison template for discussion from a strategic perspective.
Discuss grouping by gender with my RTLB colleagues and how that is being managed in their schools
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