About us

Remit of the team

The past few years have been eventful in terms of issues of equality, diversity, and inclusion across the globe and within the UK:

Hate crime offences have more than doubled in five years. People are being targeted because of their real or perceived race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or disability. (Home Office, 2018)

In 2019, race hate crime against children reached a three-year high. (NSPCC, 2019)

Over half of those from Black and Black British backgrounds (55%) and mixed ethnic backgrounds (57%) had experienced racism at school, as had over a third (36%) of young people from Asian or Asian British backgrounds. (Not making the grade, Mind, 2021)

Of the ten young men from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities who were interviewed, all but one had directly experienced racism at school. Three spoke of their teachers being racist towards them and treating them differently. (Not making the grade, Mind, 2021)

90% of people with a learning disability have been bullied at school, two-thirds on a regular basis. (ABA, 2018)

83% of the most serious incidents experienced by LGBT+ individuals within educational institutions in the academic year 2017 - 2018 were not reported, primarily because they considered them too minor, not serious enough or that they 'happen all the time'. (GEO, 2019)

Over a third (37%) of female students at mixed-sex schools have personally experienced some form of sexual harassment at school. (NEU & UK Feminista, 2017)

11% of Islamophobic incidents happen in educational institutions. One in three Muslim students are living in fear of Islamophobic attacks or abuse on campus. More than half of Muslim students have been subjects to abuse online. (NUS, 2018)

Prejudice-based incidents and identity-based bullying cause damage to children, young people, and the wider school community. Research has found links between experiencing prejudice and a detrimental impact to physical and mental health and such experiences can impact heavily on attendance, engagement, and progress at school.

Prejudice-based incidents are not only damaging to the targets of the incidents, but also to those who witness them and the wider community who are impacted by them.  The perpetrator may be acting because of trauma and may carry anger and hatred which needs addressing to prevent further incidences and for their own wellbeing.

In Norfolk we define a prejudice-based incident as a one-off incident which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility, prejudice, or ignorance, based on a person's perceived or actual ethnicity, gender, disability, religion, beliefs, sexual orientation or gender identity or their association with someone from one of these groups. These can also include indirect prejudice driven behaviour that is not targeted at one individual. The impact of this expression of prejudice against an equality group whether intentional or not can be damaging and must therefore be responded to as a prejudice based or hate incident.

Effectively tackling prejudice-related incidents can help children and young people feel welcome, safe, and included and we know that there are barriers that prevent all children and young people from feeling that way.  Effectively tackling prejudice-related incidents will reduce or ideally remove those barriers, improving the school environment for everyone, increasing attainment and wellbeing for pupils and staff.

There are also legal drivers which oblige schools to respond effectively.

Only 61% of all teachers and only 35% of teachers who had graduated in the last 10 years had received any training at all in issues of tackling prejudice and promoting equality. (EqualiTeach, 2017)

We provide support for schools to help them manage prejudice-based incidents and identity-based bullying effectively.  To do this, schools need to continue to develop the follow aspects of practice:

• CPD around equitable, diverse, and inclusive practice including a deeper understanding of structural prejudice and how to deal with prejudice in educational settings
• Whole school approach to preventing, and intervening early with cases of, identity-based bullying and prejudiced based-incidents
• Age-appropriate understanding of the definitions of bullying, prejudice-based incidents, and the different forms of prejudiced behaviour
• Support for children and young people who have experienced identity-based bullying and prejudiced based-incidents
• Effective identification, response to, challenge and recording of identity-based bullying and prejudiced based-incidents
• Asking for help if a situation becomes too challenging and reflection when an incident has occurred to inform inclusive practice that challenges prejudice in all its forms

Impact and FLOURISH

We are working hard to ensure schools are learning communities where all children and young people feel safe and supported to achieve and which share and celebrate common values of welcome and inclusion.

The NCC Annual Prejudice-based Incident Returns form

We highly recommended that Schools and Academies use the NCC Annual Prejudice Based Incident Returns Form to record prejudice-based incidents, but they are not required to do so.

The Norfolk Managing Prejudice-based Incidents toolkit

This contains guidance to explain why the recording and reporting of bullying and prejudice-based incidents by type is important; provides tools to use to do this and provides working definitions to enable schools to effectively identify, monitor and respond to bullying and prejudice-based incidents.

Effectively managing prejudice-based incidents is one important part of a school's activities to develop effective strategies for preventing and responding to bullying and to:

• Foster good relations
• Advance equality of opportunity
• Eliminate discrimination

(Equality Act 2010)

The team RSHE equips children and young people with the knowledge, skills, and values to:

• Build healthy, positive relationships, including (as age and stage appropriate) intimate relationships
• Safely challenge bullying and discrimination

RSHE enables schools to effectively deliver their equalities and safeguarding duties and also support Norfolk County Council's Flourish ambition.

We also support schools to use RSHE as a tool to shape their school ethos and environment and create a space where the whole community feels welcome, safe, and included.

Ofsted has recognised the importance of a school has had in Norfolk schools.

To make sure you're not just ticking boxes we have created a comprehensive support package including online support; face to face training, networking and bespoke consultation if required.

Our universal and bespoke programme of training, guidance and support has everything you need to embed an effective provision of RSHE that makes a measurable positive impact to your children, young people, and whole-school improvement.

Great examples of ways to deliver healthy relationships to young people and now knowing the best ways to explain and guide young people.

Meet the team

Alice Ndiaye: Early Intervention and Prevention Adviser

Alice has worked in education for over 20 years. Her extensive experience includes teaching in a variety of primary schools in Brighton and Norfolk, and specialist provision. She has worked in an advisory capacity for over 10 years including within Children and Young People's Mental Health Service and Healthy Schools. She is a Trauma Informed Practitioner and uses Reflective Practice to solve problems and facilitate change.

How to contact us

If a child is at imminent risk of exclusion, call the inclusion Helpline on 01603 307736.

For all other queries, please complete the Inclusion and SEND Referral Form and we will respond within 3 working days.