Inclusion
WMEHS Inclusion Strategy
The strategy sets out the foundations for WMEHS to build a diverse and inclusive educational culture where all are valued and recognised for their qualities, ideas, voices and perspectives.
WMEHS is committed to ensuring:
- a strong culture of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and endeavours to embed, maintain and develop a sustainable, inclusive and diverse offer
- there is equality of opportunity for all pupils, regardless of race, gender, where they live, their levels of musical talent, parental income, whether they have special educational needs or disabilities and whether they are LAC
- EDI values are articulated, understood and subscribed to by Hub Governance, management, workforce and pupils
- EDI is a key priority for Hub governance and management and is reflected in strategy and policy
WMEHS aims to create and promote a culture that:
- respects and values individuals’ differences
- encourages dignity, equality, diversity and inclusion
- encourages individuals to develop and maximise their true potential
- achieves and maintains a workforce and Stakeholder Group that broadly reflects the community within which it operates
- diversifies the range of CYP who benefit from the opportunities and services it offers
- becomes more inclusive in its activities, processes, communications, marketing and wider organisational culture
- recognises and addresses the barriers to participation and employment
Core Values
- Inclusive: everyone has the opportunity to engage in activity and to progress, regardless of background, circumstance, ability or socio-economic position, removing barriers for everyone
- Progressive: everyone is supported to progress at their own pace
- Young person centred
- Passionate: about improving the lives of others through high quality engagement
- Diverse: musical, cultural, neurological and physical diversities are valued equally
This EDI strategy outlines the plan for developing inclusive practice throughout WMEHS, partnership organisations and advisory board.
WMEHS has a named inclusion lead in place
Strategic Priorities
The Hub aims to change and/or make positive impact on 4 strategic priorities, with EDI at the core:
- Governance and leadership
- Workforce
- Children and Young People
- Programming (curriculum and content with youth voice embedded)
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Strategic Priority 1: Governance and Leadership
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Hub Leads |
Continue to maximise opportunities that demonstrate EDI is at the heart of WMEHS’s vision, mission and values |
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Acknowledge that leaders should work towards fundamental embedded and lasting change with an EDI vision of sustainability |
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Consider EDI in all decisions |
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Compile, develop, produce and disseminate sector-specific EDI guidance and research as appropriate |
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Maintain and develop training opportunities for leadership and staff in current issues relating to EDI |
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Discuss EDI at Governance/leadership level, including SHG meetings |
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Policies, Procedures and strategy |
Monitor and review all WMEHS policies, plans, procedures, observation and appraisal processes ensuring a range of perspectives are considered, including from an EDI perspective and support individual needs |
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Regularly review strategy and consider how the strategic priorities are moving forward |
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Employment practices |
Oversee employment practices to maintain and develop a skilled and competent workforce that is responsive to ever changing EDI needs |
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Create new opportunities for more diverse leadership within the Hub, such as, mentoring programmes, coaching, networking opportunities |
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All staff receive regular support and have regular contact with line management including progress meetings, annual appraisals, regular monitoring of staff performance to ensure staff are supported and able to develop professionally and support for wellbeing |
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Community and partnerships |
Maintain and develop understanding of the issues in Walsall’s diverse community and represent a range of perspectives |
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Utilise local partner organisations to engage under-represented communities and improve EDI |
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Review partnership agreements to ensure inclusivity and promote EDI |
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EDI Culture |
Provide platforms for diverse voices to be heard |
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Staff are actively engaged in auditing and influencing EDI plans as well as being EDI advocates, working together to embed EDI across the Hub |
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Encourage and support other key stakeholders to develop their EDI practice |
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Challenge unconscious bias and how it influences interactions in music education |
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Remove barriers and provide balance to address issues of equality versus equity in music education |
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Strategic Priority 2: Workforce
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Recruitment |
Aim for all aspects of recruitment practice to be inclusive, promote diversity and follow best practice as much as possible |
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Ensure the ability of applicants to work inclusively is considered in recruitment |
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Check recruitment adverts include diversity and inclusion statements |
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Develop recruitment to attract and achieve diverse representation on workforce |
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Training |
Ensure new Hub staff have access to full induction including musical inclusion training, where appropriate |
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Develop an inclusion CPD programme for hub staff that ensures all staff are equipped with EDI skills to work with and support all children and young people, especially those in challenging circumstances including specific inclusion knowledge, music specific knowledge as well as providing the opportunity for staff to have time for reflective EDI practice |
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Ensure employment practices are inclusive and nurture progression |
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Provide opportunities for EDI training/ professional development, including from local and national experts |
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Agree the use of appropriate and inclusive language in music education contexts, involving sector experts and youth representatives |
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Provide training for staff on the nature of the challenge and how to manage unconscious bias in the classroom |
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Ensure local and national EDI training opportunities, networking groups and sector-specific guidance and research is utilised and disseminated |
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Provide training opportunities in assistive technology or adaptive instruments with support given if required |
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Support/ Accessibility |
Continue to develop platforms to provide regular support for workforce including support for wellbeing and EDI needs |
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Encourage existing diverse voices within the Hub, Walsall schools and the local community |
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Ensure workplaces, meeting / learning spaces and performing venues are physically accessible and audits are undertaken as required with full consideration of EDI |
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Maximise support for participation and attendance, including online/ remote attendance |
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Monitor location and timings of events to make sure all are scheduled to promote attendance and participation for all |
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To help remove financial barriers to participation and to work with schools to ensure that fee remissions are available |
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Continue to review recruitment, training and support/accessibility to address the inequalities inherent in music education |
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Actively engage youth voice and develop community engagement to support these aims |
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Strategic Priority 3: Children and Young People
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Equity |
Monitor programmes to ensure that equity for children and young people run though all programmes |
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Create pathways for children and young people who attend alternative provision |
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Wider engagement |
Identify and strive to overcome barriers for our diverse communities |
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Increase awareness of musical opportunities provided by the Hub including the opportunity to perform in ensembles e.g. choirs, rock bands, orchestras and wind bands to children and young people from challenging circumstances and difficult socio-economic circumstances are increasingly supported |
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To ensure inclusion and equity work actively with diverse settings to increase and sustain engagement for those children and young people in challenging circumstances |
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Work with other Hubs and partners to develop engagement with children and young people particularly from challenging circumstances and seek to have an effect through music and beyond |
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Youth Voice |
Consult with Walsall’s children and young people and their families on the education and opportunities the Hub provides in order to develop and celebrate diverse music education in Walsall |
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Actively engage with children and young people who do not currently take part in Hub activity to explore barriers to participation and strive to find solutions to overcome these barriers |
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Ensure a strong youth voice element in music programmes and initiatives so that young people have a say in what their music education looks like and can feel empowered to better reflect their own identity within this |
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Work with the Hub's youth representatives to consult and acquire feedback and views of children and young people |
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Strategic Priority 4: Programming Curriculum and Content (with Youth Voice embedded)
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Hub |
Promote, celebrate and provide musical experiences and programmes across a wide range of musical genres with equitable treatment for all |
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Showcase diverse musicians of all abilities and backgrounds reflecting the diversity of Walsall’s community, in Walsall and beyond |
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Create musical programmes and experiences with personal and social benefits and outcomes, as well as musical outcomes for all children and young people including those in challenging circumstances |
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Construct and develop musical and cultural opportunities for youth-initiated, shared decisions with adults |
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Generate opportunities for participants to evaluate and inform musical programmes and events including children and young people, leaders, schools, partners, parents and audience members, as appropriate |
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Maximise opportunities for programming for young people, building sustainable progressive pathways, nurturing musical talent and encouraging progression into the workforce including musical professions |
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Take pro-active steps to reach under-represented groups and ensure their participation |
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Celebrate the musical and cultural achievement of children and young people across Walsall |
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Schools |
Support schools with an appropriate adaptive and challenging curriculum |
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Agree, and challenge, the use of appropriate music education resources, material and content to diversify the curriculum |
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Work with staff to research and refresh the curriculum content to better reflect diverse music from different cultural contexts |
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Review the range of teaching resources used by Hub staff in music education |
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Be pro-active in encouraging school to take up innovative offers |
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Extend the Hub’s offer for children and young people with Special Educational Needs / Disabilities (SEND) |
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Work with Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs) and leadership teams to make whole class music as inclusive as possible, enabling all pupils in school to have the opportunity to participate in music regularly and that Hub staff are sufficiently informed and equipped to understand the children and young people they teach and be able to support them to embrace social and personal outcomes as well as musical ones |
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Marketing and Communications |
Encourage existing diverse voices within the Hub, Walsall's schools and the local community and look for opportunities to develop further new initiatives wherever possible, actively engage youth voice and community engagement to support these aims |
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Ensure all marketing materials, learning resources, website, photos, social media and all other channels are accessible and feature people and voices from diverse backgrounds and provide support for any needing access if required |
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Ensure publication of any future materials and publications use a minimum 11pt font size and provide support for any with accessibility requirements |
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Ensure resources are available digitally where possible |
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Ensure website conforms to accessibility standards |
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Ensure all events and musical opportunities (ensembles, bands etc.) are widely advertised and promoted |
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Networks and Partnerships |
Provide opportunities for musical excellence to flourish through maintaining the potential of collaborative working with diverse partner organisations |
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Consult with workforce, students, and the community to establish a true sense of ownership via regular network meetings |
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Ensure that partnership working meets the needs of appropriate programming of activity |
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WMEHS partners with others to strive to reach all sectors of children and young people, including those in challenging circumstances to enrich their lives through exciting music and cultural activities |
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Work with knowledgeable practitioners /local organisations to embed or signpost progression routes so that young people can gain an expert understanding and fluency in their music |
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Share best practice with and amongst other music, cultural and community organisations |
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Continue to develop and sustain cross-hub collaboration and to work on cross-hub programmes to develop EDI |
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Hub Programmes |
Create Hub programmes that are more broad-ranging and reflective, in response to identified need |
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Role models |
Develop meaningful links with positive role models in the music industry who affirm representation |