TES Annual Report

EMBRACING DIVERSITY

British Primary Section Following on from work to create a shared whole-school definition of Global Citizenship, BPS staff had a whole section goal this year of bringing the definition to life through planned lessons and activities. We see the development of truly ‘global citizens’ as key to how we celebrate, promote and embrace diversity. Helping our students develop global mindsets and tolerant and curious attitudes towards those who are different has been central to our lessons and activities this year. The introduction of the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), with its focus on International Mindedness, will further support our efforts in this area. French Section Following the success of last year’s trip, the cultural exchange to San Francisco, for the Premiere class, was again well received and a key experience for the students. German Section Our educational programme focuses on the individual needs of the students, so alongside expatriate German students, many Taiwanese students from the local area with little or no German language background who have also joined the German Section are supported by our language support staff in specialised and inclusive learning settings. Reading and spelling skills are specifically promoted through reading tandems and reading and spelling training. Reading aloud days and author visits actively promote the children's reading socialisation. British Secondary and High School Section A group of teachers in a professional learning community worked on devising an approach to diversity in the school, and the input of the secondary students was a vital part of this process. Their work informed the school’s new ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’ policy. The ASPIRE department is fully committed to catering for the neurodiverse needs of our students. In addition, the subject departments have been striving to provide different ways to assess the understanding of our students through different mediums. We have made a number of connections with local schools, and these engagements give our students a greater understanding of the different communities and peoples in Taiwan. Building local community engagement is part of our philosophy of embracing diversity in order to enable students to gain mutual understanding and knowledge of each other's cultures. For example, in April, our Year 9 students visited Datong Junior High School in Yilan County. The school is home to Atayal students, who strongly focus on learning about their culture and traditions. Maintaining this heritage is vital to keeping connections to their ancestry. It also enables their young people to use what their environment provides through the skills and knowledge they acquire. Additionally, this education is essential for the world because losing such knowledge and abilities would mean losing something valuable forever. The interaction between our students and the Atayal students was a rich cultural exchange where both sides could learn and appreciate each other’s traditions. This was beautifully demonstrated through performances, dances, and music. The collective dance, in particular, symbolised the power of genuine communication and mutual respect. Our students also receive intensive support in the area of special education needs. Our support staff liaise closely with the subject teachers, class teachers and the pastoral care leader. In offering an International Baccalaureate curriculum through the secondary school, we are responsible in our learning and teaching for recognising that others can also be right.

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