Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Work with Children Essay

Inclusive practice is identifying and understanding any barriers that are stopping children from completing the activity. We have to make sure that whatever the childâ€™s background they are able to fully join in with everything within the school. This will make the children feel valued and have a sense of belonging. Inclusion does not mean that we view each other the same or provide the same work, it is about making sure we are making adaptions to the activity instead of making a child do a completely different activity and make sure we are providing the same opportunities. We need to take on board and accept that the child is different.Medical model of Disability- The medical model is based on that children must adapt to the environment that exists, for example in my school there is downâ€™s syndrome boy he attends all lessons, but he has a support worker who is helping him. We assume that the child will adapt to our atmosphere, this means that the boy will depend more and more of others to help him.Social Model of Disability- The social model is more about the school adapting things to suit the child, so they have more independence. Changing the physical environment, which could be ramps or lower shelves for children with disabilities to reach. Providing information such as symbols or sign languageThe curriculum can be modified with additional support or adjustments to assessments.Describe the features of an Inclusive Setting We often talk about the atmosphere of a school. This relates to a feeling that everyone in the school matters and all play their own part in school life. When entering my school I felt relaxed and excited about being able to volunteer at this school. The reception area was colourful and full of childrenâ€™s work. The staff seemed friendly and made me feel welcome in their school. It is a clean, fresh and modern school. An inclusive setting is setting which uses a whole school approach to learning, working within a team. Where any barriers are found, strategies need to be used to remove them.When working with special education needs children it is important to focus on what they are good at rather then what they canâ€™t do. So for example: Two children are sitting in their place in the classroom and they are running behind with copying the work from the board, they are sat in a position where they have their backs to the board. So to overcome this barrier I will ask to move them so they can see the board more clearly and catch up with the work. A school with inclusive practice will have the following features:* Barriers are recognised:Â This could be from the parents, assessments, observations or staff noticing * Barriers will be removed or minimised: This can be done by arranging outside agencies to come in to the school and to change the environment for example ramp instead of steps * Pupils will be educated alongside their peers: A child who cannot do the work the class is doing should not be moved to a different room, they need to stay in the classroom and have more access to support or equipment that will help them. * Children are given the chance to use their own voice to air their views and opinions which will be listened to: They should be involved in what they need, asked what barriers to be removed which will help them and asked simple questions about how the activity went and if they enjoyed it. A good way of letting children have a voice is a school council or a radio station. * There will be clear policies and procedures:All policies and procedures will be reviewed regularly and made clear to all staff * Staff will receive regular training relating to inclusion: Staff members would be offered regular training when it comes to inclusion, diversity and equality of opportunities. * The school will work in partnership with stakeholders:These will be parents, staff members or other outside agencies * It will also work in partnership with other services: This will be speech therapist, doctors, health visitors, social services to make sure that children are given professional help.Case Study: Inclusive practice Sean has just qualified as a teaching assistant and has started his new post at a large primary school. It is his first week and so that he gets to know the school, staff and children, he has been asked to work alongside Kira, an experienced teaching assistant who has been at the school for a number of years. Sean joined Kira who was working with a group of 7 year old children making 3D models. Sean noticed one of the children, Jamie, sitting at the side just watching and asked where his model was. Kiraâ€™s reply was that because of his disability (cerebral palsy), Jamie had difficulty in using the tools and materials. She said that she asks him to read a book during the art and craft lesson.Suggest how Jamie might feel â€“ Jamie would feel left out, upset and wandering why he is being left out. He might feel embarrassed or that he has done something wrong. Jamie could be bullied about the situation and children might leave him out during playtime etc. Loneliness and isolated could be another feeling he might experience.What message does this give to other children in the group-? Other children might get the impression that he canâ€™t do anything and end up doing everything for him. They might think that he is stupid or start to leave the child out in activities as they have watched staff members doing it. The children might refuse to do the activity as Jamie is seen not doing it and they might start to bully Jamie.Which policies, codes and legislation Sean refer to when challenging the exclusive practice with Kira- Diversity, inclusion, equality, discrimination act but most of all every child mattersSean will support this group in future weeks. How can he ensure that Jamie is included? He could research more about the condition that Jamie has, to be able to have more knowledge and help improve his support towards him. He could help plan the lesson with activities that Jamie could be involved with. Also giving Jamie a voice and asking him what activities he is able to do or how they can change them. Educate the other children about cerebral palsy so they can help Jamie out.Describe how inclusion works in your own sector of the childrenâ€™s workforce All staff who work with children must all have a common understanding of values and principles of inclusion. The way that these are put into practice will be different with each role within education and care of the children. The Early Years Foundation and National Curriculum give us clear guidance on an inclusive approach to learning and assessment.â€˜Providers have a responsibility to promote positive attitudes to diversity and difference, so that every child is included and not disadvantagedâ€™This is a statement from Early Years foundation Stage about the duty of settings to meet the needs of all children in relation to their learning and development. The National Curriculum Inclusion statement states that schools must apply a whole- school method to both the national and wider curriculum and that schoolâ€™s must: * Provide a curriculum which ensures active participation and achievement of all pupils * Recognise pupils entitlement to high- quality learning experiences * Meet the needs and interest of all pupilsÂ * Recognise and overcome potential barriers to learning and assessment