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

Reviewing the school social and physical environment from an intercultural perspectiveFIGURE 3: SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT REVIEW CHECKLISTFor each question place a tick in the appropriate box. The more positive answers the moreintercultural the school context is. Negative answers identify opportunities for furtherdevelopment. Use them to make a list of what you need to do, and try to set achievabledeadlines for addressing these issues.Physical environmentAre the diverse cultures and ethnic groups of Ireland and of theschool represented in pictures, multilingual signs, and otherelements in the school’s physical environment?YES TO SOME NOTEXTENT YETSocial environmentAre routines in place for welcoming new students, for assistingthem in becoming part of the school and for ensuring that theirculture is affirmed in the environment?Are there procedures in place for ensuring that the capabilitiesand needs of new students are recognised?Are school routines and expectations made explicit in a waythat can be understood by all?Are there procedures in place for dealing with racist incidents?Is there a variety of extra-curricular activities to choose from?Are special events planned to be as inclusive as possible ofall the cultures in the school?Is there recognition given to important festivals andspecial days of all the cultures in the school?Are members of minority ethnic groups encouraged to developa positive sense of their identity?Has the school a proactive response to racist behaviour or incidentsthat seeks to reduce conflict and promote interpersonal skills?Choosing resourcesIs there a method for vetting the appropriateness of images andmessages contained in school texts and other resources?30Intercultural Education in the Post-Primary School