Gateways is proud of the diversity of our pupils’ religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. We feel our multicultural community is one of our many strengths, helping to bring out the best in our pupils. We strive to promote a sense of tolerance and harmony around school, placing belonging at the heart of what we do.

As part of our commitment to our community, this academic year started with the appointment of an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Prefect and Deputy Prefect – Scarlett and Arielle, respectively. It is the role of these prefects to be the conduit between the student body and staff.

The focus of our EDI Prefects has been to foster an atmosphere of belonging in our school community. When asked about their thoughts on their Prefect roles, Scarlett and Arielle had this to say:

“We want everyone to feel that school is a safe space, one where they can talk about the issues that are impacting them. We want our peers to be able to ask questions, to learn, to be supported and to be confident in putting forward ideas they feel would edify our school”.

Here is some of the work they have undertaken:

Scarlett first decorated a display board for black history month. Designed to highlight key figures from black history, the piece drew attention to the unique contributions of famous black politicians, athletes, celebrities and influencers.

This tied in with an assembly delivered with Head of School, Faith, to educate about the origins of black history month. The assembly’s message focused on historic black firsts to inspire our community members to achieve their own significant milestones.

Since then, the display has been updated to have inspirational quotes about diversity, showcasing key times in the year which celebrate cultural milestones, including Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas. This allows our pupils to learn more about other traditions they may not be familiar with and give them a greater sense of awareness of world culture.

Later in the year, Arielle delivered an assembly with other Sixth Formers Sadie, Ruby and Lucy, to inform people about Sukkot, what it is and how it is celebrated. This was followed by a Sixth Form led assembly about the personal effects of the Holocaust which coincided with International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The dialogue of this morning presentation taught our community about the devastation of religious persecution and allowed us time to reflect as a community on the lives lost.

Scarlett made a new display to inform students about different aboriginal tribes around the world, mainly focusing on their creative practices. Scarlett, an A Level art student, hopes this inspires other’s creativity and gives them different artistic impressions to reflect on in their own work.

To fulfil the Prefects’ responsibility of considering the wider needs of the school, our EDI prefect team set up two suggestion boxes around school – one in the Dower building reception and one in the library. These allow our pupils the chance to put ideas forward that will strengthen our school’s approach to inclusion.

The EDI prefects held an open discussion to raise suggestions pupils may have. The conversation considered ideas of how we celebrate the diversity at Gateways even more. The main thoughts gleaned from this were that pupils are enthusiastic about having time to represent and celebrate different cultures, including music, art and of course food!  Pupils also feel outside speakers, performances and workshops might be a great way to give insight into other backgrounds and ways of life they may not know much about. An example of this is the Children’s African Choir, which delivered an ovation worthy performance that entertained Gateways, featuring talented singers and dancers from Africa.