Community Celebration and Cultural Learning

Mulberry Academy Shoreditch is an inclusive school in a diverse and thriving community. We are proud to celebrate this diversity and champion equality.

This academic year Mulberry Academy Shoreditch is home to students:

• From 57 different ethnic backgrounds
• Speaking 34 different home languages and 55 different first languages
• Practising 11 different religions

Through the curriculum, special celebrations, clubs and trips and our newsletter, we support our students to talk and learn about their own and other cultures and to recognise the richness and value of our multicultural community.

Statement Against Racism 2024-5

As staff and students, we stand together against all forms of discrimination, including racism.

We recognise that racism is not always overt but also manifests in structural and systemic inequalities which we must confront and address.

In the academic year 2024-25, we are committed to actively seeking to identifying, addressing and removing barriers to progression for students and staff. We plan to do this by:

• Supporting our Student Diversity Leaders to lead the learning of others and drive improvements to our practice
• Working towards increasing the representation of ethnic minority staff within middle and senior leadership:
  • Racial literacy training for Senior Leaders, including practical guidance for active sponsorship to support the progression of global majority staff
  • Ensuring all global majority staff have access to career progression coaching if they want it
  • Yearly analysis of HR data to ensure that global majority staff have equal access to training and promotion, and are not disproportionately involved in grievances, disciplinaries or leaving education
  • Advertising job roles with diversity networks and through local community groups
• Responding to staff, pupil and parent voice to shape the inclusion and diversity training we deliver around anti-racism
• Returning to our 2021-22 project on representation in the curriculum to ensure that diverse identities are positively represented, providing training for teachers and curriculum leaders and directed time for the revision of curriculum materials
• Hosting governor visits with a focus on diversity and inclusion, including anti-racism
• Acting swiftly to address any incidents of discrimination and prioritising care and support for the victims of discrimination
• Continuing to partner with Fig Tree International in the Race and Conscious Equality Charter Mark process. Remaining an active member of the Race Mark Community and attending their termly conferences to share with and learn from other schools. Applying for Beacon status and pledging to work proactively with other schools to share our practice.
• Offering broad opportunities for cultural learning for our staff, students and parents including our Proud to Be KS3 showcase, Culture Day and Culture Fair, Bangladesh Independence Day Celebrations, Somalia Celebration Day, Mother Language Day and the Community Corner of our newsletter where staff and students share about their cultures and backgrounds.

If you have any concerns about discrimination, would like to hear more about our approach to tackling it or would like to work with us, please contact our Senior Equalities leads:

Richena James, Associate Assistant Principal, rjames@mulberryschoolstrust.org
Shahanaz Akthar (Maternity Leave), Associate Assistant Principal, Sakthar@mulberryschoolstrust.org