Diversity Day

Under Friday’s beautiful sun all of the Year 9 pupils from SPS and SPGS came together for our annual Diversity Day celebrations.

The day began with an address from the High Master and High Mistress Mrs Huang and Mrs Fletcher who underlined the importance of days like this for not only learning about important topics but also for furthering positive collaboration between the schools. The Diversity, Equality and Inclusion leads from both schools – Ms Stevenson and Mr John – then spoke to the pupils about what diversity and inclusion are, why they’re important, and how empathy, active listening, cultural competency and curiosity all factor into inclusivity and helping a diverse school community thrive. As part of that, Year 12 pupils from both schools said a little about the different affinity groups at the schools and how the Year 9s could get involved.

After a break, we were incredibly fortunate to be joined by Floyd Steadman OBE fresh from a visit to the palace and receiving his award for services to rugby, education and charity. Floyd spoke to the pupils about his life and the journey he has taken from being a young person in care to Saracens captain, ceiling-busting educator and now OBE recipient.

Indeed, part of this journey included him taking on the role of Head of Sport at SPJ and becoming the first-ever black teacher at SPJ or SPS. He also spoke about unconscious bias and not only how it had affected his life but also how the pupils can help become part of a world that acknowledges and works against it in positive and affirming ways. Four Year 12 pupils – Mustapha, Varen, Coco and Rolake – then had the opportunity to lead a Q+A with Floyd. Clearly, many people felt the impact of the talk and discussion:

• SPS Teacher: “Floyd’s life story is incredibly moving and inspirational but, more importantly, he uses it to deliver messages of hope, connection and self-improvement.”
• Lower Eighth SPS Pupil: “I was immediately prompted to reflect on myself and my life and what I can do differently.”
• Fourth Form SPS Pupil: “His story was really powerful. I don’t know what exactly it is yet, but something really clicked for me after hearing it.”

Then, after lunch, it was time to get active. Pupils were split into mixed teams and spent the afternoon up on Tankside in the gorgeous weather trying out a range of activities together. This included everything from bottle flipping to kickball, from slack lining to a weightless bamboo stick puzzle, and more! A huge thank you has to go to the Year 12 prefects from both schools who lead these teams, as well as to the Year 9s themselves who got stuck in with such gusto and worked together in good spirits.