Teach-Primary-Issue-19.4

www.teachwire.net | 29 we are teaching them that showing their emotions is bad. If we use language such as “toughen up”, “man up” or “boys will be boys”, we are setting boys up to fail. To overcome this, a school culture of being open to challenge and being challenged is imperative. Regular and targeted staff training around language, pedagogy and backing it up with relevant research is a way to battle to and to grow together. And of course, always linking it back to the overall aim of the curriculum is important, too. For example, in our school we are Amisconception when thinking about tackling misogyny is that it is a women’s problem. It’s not. It’s everyone’s problem. However, we need to be mindful when educating children about this issue, so that the message given to children isn’t women = good, men = bad. It is important to teach pupils about harmful stereotypes about masculinity, however, if the first time we teach and name masculinity is calling it toxic , that could do more damage than good to our boys. It is extremely important to teach about positive masculinities, and to encourage empathy, kindness, showing emotions, listening to alternative points of view, and developing emotional literacy. If we tell a child to “stop crying” when they are feeling upset, Undoing the deeply ingrained gender stereotypes in our society takes time and is certainly not a quick fix. We have seen a significant improvement in children’s awareness of key issues surrounding gender equality, and how to use their voice to advocate for others. Children ask each other for consent regularly (to use equipment, play games, give high fives or hugs, etc), and understand that no means no. This development in children’s oracy means that we are seeing improvement in children’s speaking and listening, and in their happiness at school (we measure this through pupil voice surveys). But there are always gains to be made, and so moving forward, we are going to continue to work on representation in our curriculum; not just representation of the amazing, strong women who have shaped global history, but also representation of positive masculinity, showing that to be a man is not to be simply one thing. To do so we highlight well-known figures such as Harry Styles and Elliot Page, showing that masculinity can mean softness and strength, and everything in between. streathamwells.lambeth.sch.uk “We need to be sure not to suggest that women = good, and men = bad” ALL FOR ONE ONWARDS AND UPWARDS TEACH POSITIVE MASCULINITES This helps to battle aspirational misogyny, which is where some boys and men aspire to be like those who are famous for misogyny, e.g. Andrew Tate. AUDIT YOUR CURRICULUM It’s not simply about highlighting an equal number of women and men, but delving into what messages the role models you choose communicate. Do they perpetuate stereotypes, or fight them? Sarah Wordlaw is the headteacher of Streatham Wells Primary, chair of the Lambeth VAWG Forum, and author of Time to Shake Up the Primary Curriculum. ASIEL “It is important to learn about misogyny so we can stop it and be great allies to each other. We are the people who can make a difference in the future!” LILY “We learned that consent is when you ask for or give permission, freely. The word freely is really important because consent has to be given without threat and helps us to protect ourselves.” FILIPPA “On White Ribbon Day everyone is encouraged to wear white to symbolise their respect for all women. This shows our allyship, which helps to respect and protect people. It feels good to know that we’ve got each other’s backs.” F EATURE S L E ARN I NG J OURNE Y