Latest News
- Home
- Latest News
- Clare Balding joins students to celebrate diversity at Harris City Academy Crystal Palace
Clare Balding joins students to celebrate diversity at Harris City Academy Crystal Palace
Students at Harris City Academy Crystal Palace have enjoyed taking part in a special diversity day with journalist and television presenter, Clare Balding.
Students at the Academy spent the full school day working on a number of Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE) activities to build their awareness and understanding of a range of issues.
In particular, Year 10 students had the opportunity to work with Diversity Role Models on Sex and Relationships Education with an LGBT theme. They took part in a variety of workshops led by the charity, which was set up to educate young people about difference and challenge LGBT stereotypes in schools. Alongside Clare Balding, Diversity Role Models counts figures such as Gareth Thomas and John Amaechi among its patrons.
Harris City Academy is already a Stonewall Champion School and has formed its own Diversity Task Force in support of its LGBT community. The Task Force is made up of students and staff who identify as LGBT as well as their friends and other students wishing to get involved.
Dr Hilary Macaulay, Principal of Harris City Academy Crystal Palace, said:
“We believe that young people can only realise their full potential if they are free to explore and understand who they are – free from fear of judgement.
“At Harris City Academy we will never let anyone have to pretend to be someone or something they aren’t, and today was a wonderful celebration of that.”
Navah Bekhor, Head of Education at Diversity Role models said:
“We were extremely impressed and inspired by the Year 10 students at Harris City Academy. The maturity of their contributions and high level of engagement make us confident that the next generation will help to bring about a positive change in attitudes towards and treatment of LGBT people. They also demonstrated a strong commitment to creating a school environment that respects and celebrates difference in all its forms which is a key aim of the workshops.”
