New Hall School’s commitment to equality & diversity is based on the Gospel values expressed in its Mission & Ethos Statement:

New Hall, a Catholic boarding and day school, provides
the best start in life, enabling students
to meet confidently the challenges of the wider world.

Here academic excellence is achieved in surroundings
where relationships are based on
care, trust and respect.

We welcome students from many traditions,
building a Christian community that has at its heart
prayer and service to others.

At the heart of our foundation is the faith that is essential to the character of the School.  Everyone is expected to respect and support the School’s Catholic ethos.  The School is a Catholic community that welcomes students and staff with different beliefs, religions, backgrounds and cultures who support its ethos.

Inspired by Christ, we strive to provide equality of opportunity for all members of our School community.  The School expects that students and staff respect those of different backgrounds e.g. race, culture, ethnicity, religion or beliefs, colour, nationality, national or ethnic origins.  The School seeks to ensure that there is no unfair discrimination based on individual characteristics, e.g. on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, transgender, gender identity/fluidity.  The School fosters a strong sense of community, which has a particular and important international dimension.

Community

We encourage all students to participate in and even create opportunities in which to celebrate culture and diversity. A group of our students lead the organisation of International Culture days, firstly in the Prep Divisions, followed by a Senior Divisions Culture Day. Parents and students helped bring their cultures to life and teach others about them, including languages, music, food, traditions and customs.

Curriculum

New Hall is committed to an accurate and positive representation of ethnic minorities in the curriculum.  This commitment is built upon our Catholic ethos which values the inherent dignity of every person.  With the killing of George Floyd in America and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, 2020 was a year that saw issues of racial inequality brought into sharper focus.  We recognise that the New Hall curriculum needs to reflect the need for greater inclusivity as we seek to enable students to meet confidently the challenges of the wider world.  As a multi-ethnic and diverse community, we want to ensure that a clearer focus is given to tackling the injustice of racism and discrimination in all forms.  Education is an indispensable antidote to the ignorance of racism.

Pre-Prep pupils enjoying Outdoor Learning

In light of the School’s commitment to promoting equality and diversity, a thorough review of the curriculum has taken place to explore ways in which ethnic minority people and cultures are taught and celebrated across all divisions at New Hall.  This is an ongoing process and all academic departments are committed to our collective responsibility to improve ethnic minority representation.  The following provides some examples of changes that have been made:

1. In RE and Theology a greater emphasis is given to saints and theologians from ethnic minority backgrounds (e.g. St Anthony the Great of Thebes, St Anthony Vieira SJ, St Augustine, St Benedict the Moor, St Bessarion, St Felicitas, St Perpetua, St Josephine Bakhita, St Katherine Drexel, St Martin de Porres, St Monica of Tegaste).
2. In Mathematics, the cultural context from which numbers originate (e.g. Egyptian and Arabic) is emphasised.  Africa is home to the world’s earliest use of measuring and calculation.  Thousands of years ago Africans were using numerals, algebra and geometry in daily life.  Rangoli patterns and Islamic art will be studied for their links to mathematical patterns.  In Year 9, the scheme of work explores Muhammad al-Khwarizmi, the ‘Father of Algebra’, who was a 9^th century Muslim mathematician and astronomer.  He also developed the concept of the algorithm in mathematics, which is why some have called him the ‘grandfather of computer science’.  Katherine Johnson, the African-American mathematician and computer scientist who worked for NASA, also features as part of the scheme of work.
3. The PSHEE programme, throughout all Divisions at New Hall, is diverse and representative of all ethnicities  For instance, in the Preparatory Divisions through the topics Living in the Wider World (Britain, Respecting Rights and One World) staff discuss ethnic minority history, diversity within our own society and other cultures.  The topics include: ‘What is Racism?’, ‘Embrace our differences’ and ‘Human Rights’.
4. The Design & Technology scheme of work has explicit links to equality and diversity for all year groups in the Preparatory Divisions. For instance, Muhammad Ali is taught when making butterflies with Reception children, and Nadiya Hussain (winner of the Great British Bake Off) when making cupcakes with Year 3.
5. The English Department has adapted its schemes of work from 2020.  In Year 7, persuasive writing is taught by reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr, President Obama and Oprah Winfrey and the students also explore the poetry of Benjamin Zephaniah.  In Year 8, our new scheme of work ‘Diverse Voices’, inspired by a range of empowering and inspirational stories from a range of different cultures, is taught.  Complementing this is the greater focus upon ethnic minority writers as part of lessons in preparation for the ‘Unseen Poetry’ aspect of the GCSE. Furthermore, as part of our study of ‘The Sign of Four’, we examine the text through the conceptual lenses of postcolonialism, eurocentrism and ‘The Fear of the Other’.  The English Department has also subscribed to a digital theatre website to allow access to modern film versions of the set texts which include a greater representation of ethnic minority actors. In particular, the National Theatre version of Twelfth Night features black actors Daniel Ezra and Tamara Lawrance’s stunning performances as key characters, Sebastian and Viola.  The decision has been made to switch the main coursework text in Year 12 from Sebastian Barry’s A Long Long Way to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus, a coming of age novel set in Nigeria.
6. The ICT and Computer Science schemes of work celebrate the contributions of ethnic minority experts such as Jeremiah Onaolapo, Anne-Marie Imafidon and Lisa Gelobter.
7. In A Level Business, significant changes to the scheme of work have allowed for greater ethnic minority representation.  These include business leaders Satya Nadella, Jack Ma and Rosalind Brewer (CEO Starbucks). During Black History month, Miss Walters sent out reading material on successful entrepreneurs and business people from an ethnic minority backgrounds and students created presentations/videos during meetings of Business Society.
8. Science lessons throughout New Hall have introduced more opportunities to celebrate scientists from diverse backgrounds. For instance, in Physics, Ibn al-Haytham, Middle Eastern mathematician and optics specialist, is taught.  He was the first to explain that vision occurs when light reflects from an object and then passes to one’s eyes. Charles Kao who pioneered the development of lasers and fibre optic communications has also been added to the schemes of work.

Nursery Division

Equality & Diversity is fundamental in our Early Years provision, as children are influenced by their environment from as young as 18 months.  In the Nursery we celebrate every child’s individuality, recognising their achievements with praise and encouragement.  We work to create positive parent partnerships to help us celebrate all of the different cultures and heritage represented by our children and their families.  We seek to ensure that our resources reflect each child within our Nursery in everyday books and toys, as it is important that children feel represented and can see themselves.

Celebrations of Valentine’s Day, Shrove Tuesday and Mother’s Day

Celebrations of Holi and Easter

Nativity Play, Lunar New Year Celebrations, St Patrick’s Day

Co-Curriculum

In 2020, we launched our newest student group: Corpus, a group designed to celebrate and discuss equality & diversity.  In this video, we see the club leader, Miss Webb launching the first session in Denford Bar. All Senior Divisions and Sixth Form students are welcome to join.

This year, Corpus members have been educating one another on their different cultures through a series of presentations.  We have learned about Nigeria, India, Kenya and Jamaica to name but a few.  Students have enjoyed teaching each other about the history of their countries, tasting traditional recipes and learning dance moves.  Corpus members have also spent time learning about the legality of police ‘stop and search’ powers and the particular impact this has on people from ethnic minorities, particularly young black men.

Mrs Reynolds hosts a Corpus group for the Preparatory Division.

Parent Engagement

From April 2020 to July 2021, Mrs Jeffrey set up and hosted a half-termly parent forum, specifically for engagement with parents on issues relating to equality & diversity, with a special focus on ethnic inclusion and challenging racism.  This has been a successful and supportive group, which has generated many creative ideas, such as those that have been implemented as described above.

Fundamental British Values

New Hall School is committed to developing in all students an appreciation of the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

We achieve this daily through the content of the curriculum and co-curriculum, the tutorial and PSHEE programme, assemblies, liturgies, the School Council, trips, visits and charity fundraising events.

Our framework for understanding British values draws on the example of Jesus and his welcome and inclusion of all. We appreciate that our community is a diverse one, welcoming students from different cultural and religious backgrounds and we welcome the diversity that all students bring. Diversity within the School community is not simply tolerated but actively celebrated.

By promoting these values, staff and students feel empowered to challenge opinions or behaviours in school which are contrary to fundamental British values. Through the provision of Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education (SMSC), New Hall School aims to:

• enable pupils to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence;
• enable pupils to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England;
• encourage pupils to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative, and to understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality of the School and to society more widely;
• enable pupils to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England;
• further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling pupils to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures;
• encourage respect for other people; and
• encourage respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic processes, including respect for the basis on which the law is made and applied in England.