Intercultural Education in the Post-Primary School - National Council ...

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Developing a school mission,policy and planOnce the review has taken place decisionscan be made as to what needs to be donenext. It is important to pick the issues thatare of most relevance to the school at thistime and to include some issues that can beaddressed quite quickly so that the schoolcommunity can see something happeningin the short term. This is not to underminethe importance of addressing the biggerissues that may take longer to happen, asthese are likely to effect the more longtermchanges in school culture that willhave the greatest impact.The school missionThe fundamental purpose of the schooldevelopment plan is to improve the qualityof teaching and learning for all thestudents in the school. The missionstatement will reflect the ethos of theschool community and encapsulate theaspirations, expectations and traditions ofthe school. In formulating this mission andin reflecting on its own ethos, the schoolcommunity will build a shared vision ofhow it can help each child towardsachieving his or her full potential. A schoolphilosophy that accommodates principlesof equality, diversity and the promotion ofa positive self-concept and personal wellbeingfor each individual is likely to ensurea supportive environment in which theparticular educational needs of all youngpeople may be met.All schools have a sense of mission orvision. In some schools this will have beenconsidered as part of the schooldevelopment process and will be clearlyarticulated. Other schools may not havereached a stage where they have formalisedthe mission statement but nonetheless mayhave a clear sense of what the school isabout. Therefore, in reviewing the school’sprovision for the education of all studentsin an inclusive and intercultural school,considering the mission statement andcharacteristic spirit of the school may be agood place to start.School organisation and managementThe school planning process facilitates theformulation of basic policies in relation toimportant routines and procedures of dailyschool organisation and management.Consistency in the implementation ofagreed policies greatly assists in theeffective running of the school. The schoolplan incorporates a coherent set of generalpolicies that reflect the particular situationin which the school operates. Schools mayhave policies on• school enrolment and admissions• school code of behaviour and antibullyingpolicy• programme and subject choices• religious education• involvement of parents in the school andhome-school-community liaison• the allocation of specialist resources• assessment• the special responsibilities of the staff ofthe school• school uniform• healthy eating• tours and extra curricular activities• homework• learning support• home-school partnership• induction and reception of new students.All schools are required under theEducation Act (1998) to ensure that theschool plan supports principles of equalityof access and participation. Theseprinciples should be reflected in theschool’s general organisational policies andthe school plan should formally set out themeasures the school proposes to take toachieve these objectives. One way to26Intercultural Education in the Post-Primary School
SCHOOL PLANNING 3ensure this is addressed at all stages ofschool planning and policy making is tohave an Intercultural Education headingfor every section of the School Plan, andfor each policy addressed therein. As partof the planning process, reference shouldbe made to• the Education Act (1998)• the Education (Welfare) Act (2000)• the Equal Status Act (2000)• Education for Persons with SpecialEducational Needs Act (2004).Curriculum and assessmentHow the school manages curriculum andassessment is informed by its educationalaims and objectives. The school’s broadcurriculum programme should besufficiently comprehensive and flexible toensure that the needs of all students arecatered for.Intercultural education promotes anengagement with a diversity of cultures forstudents of all ethnic groups and religions.As such, students of ethnic groups(minorities and majority) become aware ofand develop intercultural attitudes towards adiversity of cultures at the same time and inthe same way. It should be noted however,that the Education Act does not ‘require anystudent to attend instruction in any subjectswhich is contrary to the conscience of theparent of the student or in the case of thestudent who has reached 18 years, thestudent’. The place of intercultural educationin the school’s mission and the value to allstudents of engagement with a diversity ofcultures should play a key role in decisionmakingon subject options and a schoolassessment policy. Such a context is alsoimportant in discussing that work withparents. Collaborative planning in relationto the intercultural dimension of somesubject areas will greatly enhance theplanning process.Please refer to Chapter 5 for furtherinformation on the planning of lessoncontent and to Chapter 7 for furtherdetails on assessment and cultural diversity.Including intercultural education in all areasof school planningIn addition to ensuring that anintercultural perspective is brought toreviewing existing elements of the schoolplan, there are other areas that need to beaddressed in order to ensure that theschool is an inclusive school. They includethe following:• incorporating an intercultural and antidiscriminationapproach to staffdevelopment• ensuring equality of access andparticipation• promoting intercultural education in theclassroom• recording and reporting racist incidents• creating an inclusive physical and socialenvironment in the school• providing language support• providing age-appropriate placement ofnewcomer students in class groups• selecting appropriate resource materialfor learning and teaching• celebrating special events in thecalendars of a diversity of cultures• developing a communication policy:within the school, between school andhome, and between home and school• developing a school charter thatcelebrates diversity and promotesequality.A review process that looks at the school’spractice in response to these issues willenable the school community to establishclear development priorities and toundertake specific action planningactivities that will enhance the educationalprovision for all students.Intercultural Education in the Post-Primary School 27
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GLOSSARYPositive profilingA form of
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BIBLIOGRAPHYIreland, Department of
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CLASSROOM RESOURCES FOR INTERCULTUR
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CLASSROOM RESOURCES FOR INTERCULTUR
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NCCANational Council for Curriculum
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