About the School
Chew Valley is a performing arts school with a sixth form. The school serves a rural area and challenges its pupils to develop a view of life beyond the valley. The school believes firmly in equality and aims to explore diversity with their pupils.
How has the School Champions Programme benefitted the school?
A role-model visit from Lance Corporal James Wharton set the tone for a brilliant first year of the School Champions Programme for Chew Valley. Stereotypes were challenged and pupils were laughing about how ridiculous their assumptions had been.
Policy was changed and publicised, so now pupils know that if they are bullied they will receive support, and incidents will be taken seriously. This push was supported by the school's Youth Involvement Group, which organised an anti-bullying event in October focusing on verbal bullying and careless language.
Chew Valley has weaved the themes of diversity, gay equality and homophobic language in the curriculum. There is now a focus on gay equality in the GCSE RE course and PSHE. Other subjects feel willing and confident to include references to gay themes in their lessons.
Imminent whole staff training should bolster awareness raising further, for which they hope to focus on curriculum involvement.
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