Our staff are all feeling very inspired after some fantastic workshops with motivational speaker and coach Stuart Lawrence. Our ongoing collaboration with Stuart has been invaluable in our journey to become an anti-racist school. We are working towards creating a judgement-free environment in which we all feel safe to discuss sensitive topics by actively listening to each other. The theme of his talks was 'Developing confidence in talking about race and difference.'

As well as delivering collaborative workshops to our staff, Stuart also led sessions with parents and children. We were all encouraged to question our behaviours around prejudice and discrimination, including examining the difference between being non-racist and anti-racist. An anti-racist attitude allows us to become active in developing an upstanding mindset, where we question discriminatory behaviours, in all forms, both at home and in school. Ultimately, this can help us empower our children to accept all types of difference. 

Stuart guided us in the belief that all of us are works in progress and we can continually revaluate our behaviours and attitudes to each other. He believes that in life just ten per cent of what we encounter is uncontrollable, the other ninety per cent of our experience, and how we treat each other, is down to us. What can start off as just a small bias can end up as mass violence if we do not check our behaviours and attitudes. Thank you Stuart for some thought provoking sessions. 

Last week we brought you the young chefs from Attenborough class and this week it is the turn of their peers in Lau. Miss Downes told us: "Our Lau students cooked up a storm during their DT workshop in Mrs Cox's kitchen. Frittata was on the menu and they worked hard at using the claw and bridge cutting skill. They also grated, fried, washed up and sampled their cooking. The verdict - delicious. I think we may have some future chefs in the class. A massive thank you to Mrs Cox for her skills and knowledge."