Bringing down the barriers to promote equality in schools

Amid seismic changes in education, issues of equality and diversity have never been more important, as Helen Leith, CCMS Equality Officer tells Jane Bell

Helen Leith: 'I believe passionately that people should not be treated differently or discriminated against because of who they are'

Helen Leith, Policy Development Officer at the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools

What does your job entail?

As CCMS Equality Officer it's my job to keep the council and our 500-plus schools aware of the current equality issues and to work in partnership with them to ensure that we tackle inequalities in our society effectively.

How did you become an Equality Officer?

I came to this job in a rather roundabout way.

I used to work as a researcher in higher education and I became aware of the different experiences that people have because they are either male or female, or have a disability, or grew up in different communities.

I also discovered a lot about how we stereotype people and hold prejudices that are sometimes so entrenched that they are not questioned.

I believe passionately that people should not be treated differently or discriminated against because of who they are or where they come from and I feel very lucky that I am in a job that helps to influence that.

Is equality and diversity really that important?

I think that more so than ever before equality issues have come to the forefront of our attention. There is a greater acceptance by our society of the need for equality and recognition of the contribution that all citizens make regardless of their differences.

There is now legislation that protects the rights of people not to be discriminated against, whether they are of different race, gender, religious belief, political opinion, age, sexual orientation or disability.

Equality, in my view, is about ensuring that we understand the needs of everyone in our society and where we find disadvantage, trying to do something about it.

What has CCMS done to address equality and diversity issues in the Catholic Schools sector?

There is an awful lot going on in our schools in which principals and teachers are dealing every day with new challenges from equality issues.

These are to do with, for example, differences in attainment between boys and girls, meeting the needs of children with special needs, supporting pupils whose first language is not English and the different aspects of bullying. CCMS continues to address Equality issues.

Last year we published an important document entitled "Diversity and Inclusion in Catholic Maintained Schools" which was about welcoming children from different backgrounds, faiths and abilities.

More recently in June of this year we launched a welcome pack for people whose first language is not English.

How important is it that schools and educational organisations sign up to equality issues?

In this day and age I feel it is vital. We now have our own devolved Assembly and we have the opportunity to influence more than ever how we tackle the inequalities faced by many people who live here. Schools by definition are learning institutions which have a huge influence on our children.

There is an understanding of the importance of equality.

It is at the heart of the ethos, culture and philosophy of Catholic education. Education is undergoing huge change in Northern Ireland and this change has cascaded to all the educational organisations as a result of the Review of Public Administration.

Effectively CCMS along with the Education and Library Boards and other bodies will cease to exist and will be replaced by a new Education and Skills Authority. It will be up to that body to take forward the work that has been achieved so far by all our educational bodies.

I am sure that the new authority will ensure that equality is at the centre of all that it does.

What do you see as the current pressing issues within equality?

As I see it, the major equality issues are to do with eliminating, or at the very least reducing, the barriers faced by people with disabilities in accessing education and taking part in public life and addressing the many stereotypes that lead to prejudice and discrimination in our society.

Bullying has become a major issue within our schools and research has shown that bullying has elements that relate to differences between people, differences that some people cannot deal with - differences due to stereotypes about race, disability and sexual orientation.

Traveller children, for example, have referred to bullying as contributing to an unwillingness to take part in mainstream education.

A recent report has highlighted the negative experiences in schools of people with different sexual orientations. Northern Ireland has a growing number of people from different countries and different faiths.

We need to ensure that people whose first language is not English can have full access to our education system and that our schools welcome pupils from different backgrounds and faiths.

Gender differences in attainment of pupils and within employment patterns in teaching is another issue.

What is the most demanding part of your job?

I think it's trying to ensure that my reading in-tray doesn't get out of control.

It's important to keep up-to-date with changes in equality legislation and any new research on the main issues.

And the most satisfying?

It's hard to define one thing in particular.

I'm privileged to be working in a job that I'm passionate about, in an organisation that is working hard to address equality issues and working with colleagues for whom I have so much time and respect.