lnclusion - Diversity, Equity and Anti-Discrimination
Table of Contents
Learn about our unique context as a British international school in the Kingdom of Thailand
Hear from our Head of School - Chris Sammons
Patana’s Diversity
Our current community
Looking Back
Key achievements and developments in 2023/24
Key goals for 2024/25 and beyond
The staff group who have volunteered to undergo specialist training Meet Our Patana Belonging Staff Steering Committee
Context
Bangkok Patana School is a British international school based in the Kingdom of Thailand As such we are governed by Thai law and the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand B.E.2560 (2017) Sections 4,27 and 68.
We reference the following global laws and conventions to inform our approach to DEIJ work:
United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948
United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child 1959
International Labour Organisation Convention No. 111
Our school accreditation bodies include: Office of the Private Education Commission(OPEC); Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment (ONESQA); Council for International Schools (CIS); International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO)
Foreword
Chris Sammons Head of School
A high proportion of students join in Foundation Stage and remain with us for their entire school journey to Year 13, so too do many staff remain here for large parts of their career. Alumni often return to Bangkok Patana School with their own children seeking the same standards of care and education which they enjoyed
As a result, the values of the Bangkok Patana Community have been passed to each new generation since 1957 DEI work sits at a key intersection between those values of WellBeing, Learning and Global Citizenship.
Well-Being
The school itself is born from a caring relationship between Rosamund Stuetzel and the education she wanted to build for her own children Such maternal care is the foundation for learning. This means focusing on both physical and psychological safety in designing the environment where all can thrive; learning about respect for self and others, modelling empathy and compassion Our aim is to affirm each member of our community as they grow into the full expression of who they are and what they strive to become The diversity of our school population is an incredible resource to teach each other about the value of difference and how to honour and respect it
Learning
Our school community has over 60 different nationalities. We commit resources to build a curriculum that enables learners to honour their home language, to acquire new languages and to become fluent in English as our medium of instruction Our parents also volunteer their time freely to share each other’s language and culture in classes which are frequently held on our site We have drawn from the best aspects of the British Curriculum and the International Baccalaureate to guide our planning of learning opportunities that are rigorous, develop different types of thinking and can be modified to suit a range of learners. To the best of our ability, inclusion and equity is achieved by considering each individual’s needs, creating pathways of learning and removing barriers as they are encountered
Global Citizenship
“Each to his upmost” was the first school motto created in 1961 and may draw ire through the lens of DEI. School leaders at the time wanted to reflect the diversity of their international classrooms and recognised the importance of honouring progress in all its forms for all of their children This vision was right for our community then and now, updated to ensure its fullest intention, that “students of different nationalities grow to their full potential” As social, political and economic change continues to shape the world, our curriculum develops knowledge and skills which enable our community to be curious and critical global citizens, throughout their lives
Bangkok Patana
There remains as much to do today as there was in 1957 and this was expected from our founder Rosamund Stuetzel. As well as the values, she left us the imperative in our very name as a School. For those who don’t know, I won’t steal your fun, ask your Thai friends for a translation of the word Patana
Thank you to advocates who have used thinking tools which the DEI agenda has given us in this next iteration of Bangkok Patana School. To paraphrase Roosevelt, it is not the critic who counts, the credit belongs to the people in the arena who are marred by their toil. Your work will provide thinking and actions which we are deeply grateful for Thank you also to the generations past and future who continue to give freely of their time to shape this incredible community, and; thank you Rosamund
Guiding Statements
2345 Students, 695 Staff
PATANA’S
We have 7 specialist teams, comprising 76 staff, who help to personalise learning for students with diverse needs.
(Teacher Assistants, SfL, LS, EAL, SALT, Enrichment, Extended Learning and Counselling)
67 Passport Nationalities
Largest Groups: Thai, British, USA and Chinese
DIVERSITY
28.53% of our Students are Dual Nationality
50% Boys and 50 % Girls
Looking Back
Throughout the last academic year our achievements included:
Culture Campus
Curriculum Community
Ongoing development of the Patana Diversity calendar and linked greetings.
Creation of guidance for school leaders of I-DEA iniativies and those managing incidents.
Whole school communications review.
Expanded programme of DEI learning linked to International Day, entitled, “Our Story”.
Curriculum I-DEA pilot audit in Secondary Geography
Development of explicit I-DEA themed units in Primary
PSHE and Secondary Well-being
A highly successful and moving diversity themed spoken word poetry showcase in Secondary.
Launch of the staff weekly Diversity Digest to build our collective DEI IQ.
Development of a policy for the management and reporting of Identity Based Harm, along with linked training for staff
We hosted a diverse range of guests at Patana including; I-DEA specialist Angela Browne, AntiRacism advocate Dr Stuart Lawrence, Music Educator Marcel Pucey and Kliptown Youth Programme performance artists.
Click here to view:
Our Pathway and Milestones toward being “Diverse and Inclusive”
Our Pathway and Milestones toward being “Protected, Safe and Secure”
Campus
Curriculum Community Looking Forward
As we look ahead, here are our key goals:
To deliver staff training to equip our staff to review our instructional materials and pedagogical approaches to ensure they meet the needs of our diverse student body.
To offer a cross campus student art competition, entitled, “Our Story” linked to International Day.
To encourage shared ownership of the weekly staff Diversity Digest by facilitating guest contributors from across the campus.
To conduct a review of the written, taught and hidden curriculum communited by our major I-DEA themes school events - International Day, World Peace Day and International Mother Tongue Day.
To continue our popular World Cafe series for staff, this time exploring the question, “How does our curriculum guard against Identity Based Harm?”
To consider the Primary School uniform through the lens of inclusion and student choice, with an aim to evaluate the need for additional uniform items.
To develop a bespoke library collection to support the IBDP World Studies EE’s located in Secondary Humanities.
To work alongside admissions to ensure our online application portal and any hard copy forms, including those used during academic assessments are as inclusive and accessible as the law allows.
To consider ways in which we can support students and staff who express an interest in engaging in personal religious worship and fasting whilst on campus
To continue to develop our culturally sensitive guidance for the community around how to support students through difficult local and global events.
To better understand the knowledge, skills and practice of our staff and leaders around Menopause better.
Click here to view:
Our Pathway and Milestones toward being “Diverse and Inclusive”
Our Pathway and Milestones toward being “Protected, Safe and Secure”
Anthony Casey ancs@patana ac th
Joe O’Neil joon@patana ac th
Emma Willinger emwi@patana ac th
Stephen Murgatroyd stmu@patana ac th Primary Secondary Cross Campus/Business
Lisa Steciuk list@patana ac th
Celine Corenq ceco@patana ac th
Purnima Ghogar pugh@patana ac th
Jack Davison jada@patana ac th
Blackman cobl@patana ac th
Carly Peart cape@patana ac th
Cindy Adair ciad@patana ac th
Roshanak Lashkari rola@patana ac th
Collette
Definitions
Diversity
The acknowledgement that our community has many different individuals, who have their own unique strengths and perspectives to share These perspectives will be shaped by their intersecting identities, which may include; Race; Nationality; Age; Sexuality; Disability/Neurodiversity; Language Background; Gender; Faith, Socio-Economic Class and life experiences more generally
Equity Justice
Equity refers to the goal that each community member receives access to the resources, opportunities, and educational support they need to succeed, regardless of their background or circumstances It involves creating a learning environment where all students can thrive and reach their full potential Equity differs from equality, which suggests all community members need the same provision; however, we know that this is not the case
Inclusion
Inclusion is the act of ensuring all members of our community feel welcome and over time develop a sense of belonging This means we commit to ensuring everyone has a voice, feels safe and that there is equity of opportunity in our curriculum, when moving around our campus and when participating in our extra-curricular and community activities
Justice involves making sure everyone is treated fairly This usually means following a set of agreed rules, so that everyone feels respected and cared for When a community member is careless with their words or actions, we enact a process of restorative justice to help them understand the harm that may have been caused and the actions for resolution This may also involve age-appropriate education about history and global geo-politics as we aim to develop global citizens
