WELLBEING NEWS

Year 3-6 Respectful Relationships update from Mrs Miller and our students

This term our students have been learning about Topic 7 of Respectful Relationships - Gender and Identity. Below are some reflections on the learning from the children and we are very proud of the depth of their thinking. Have a read for yourself…

During our Respectful Relationships subject this term, we are learning about gender and identity. The Year 3 students have been learning all about why children have a right to have fun while being safe at the same time. We also learnt ways we can talk to a safe person about problems so we all feel happy and safe. We have recently enjoyed looking at various fairy tales to learn more about how gender and identity have changed over the years. 

By Charlotte, Natalee and Niamh in Year 3

In Term 4, we have been doing relationship activities to get to know each other a bit more. We played a human bingo game with questions to pair up with someone that likes the same thing. It showed us how different and unique we all are and how to respect each other's identities. We analysed some fairy tales and noticed the difference in gender roles today compared to the past. We learned to not judge each other’s appearance, opinions and preferences.  

By Mackenzie Duddy in Year 4

In Term 4, we are learning about gender and identity as part of our Respectful Relationships subject. It is a topic aimed at teaching and understanding that everyone is different and has a different identity. We have learnt and understood how identity defines you, for example your hobbies, so basically things that make you, you. We have been looking at gender stereotypes in the media, books and history. Gender stereotypes also affect how people are raised with everyone saying, ‘boys do this, girls do that’ or, ‘you can't do that because it's a girly thing’. This affects people by changing how they think and not following their true talent/joy and how we should let people label themselves how they want to be labelled. In Respectful Relationships we have been learning how we can respect and show empathy for each other in challenging situations. One of the activities we do to practice this is as follows: the teacher makes groups of two and gives students a card with a tough situation, then the partner has to find a way to solve it.

Angelo Pendleton-Browne in Year 5 

In Term 4 of Respectful Relationships, we have been learning about how we shouldn't stereotype people on how they look and sound. We read a story called, 'My shadow is pink'. It is about a boy that likes all the things that people stereotype as 'for girls', like ponies, dresses and dancing. The father is very sad that his son is crying and says that he will go with him to school and they will wear matching dancing costumes. The next day they both go to school and everyone laughs at them but the boy and his father are not bothered by this and don't care that they are laughing. The story suggests that you can be whatever you want to be and you can like things that girls like, same goes for boys. The teachers read us this book to make us understand how it is not nice to stereotype people. 

By Lucas Atsis in Year 6

This term we've been learning about gender and identity. We've been taught that there are often stereotypes for men and women and how they make people feel. We watched Little Red Riding Hood and our teacher showed us that both the female and male characters can be the hero. Also that the woman doesn’t always have to be the damsel in distress. We also watched another video about a book called ‘My Shadow is Pink’. It showed us how even though someone's personality or how they act can be different, our relationship with them shouldn't change and we should respect them for who they are. 

By Wena Tucker in Year 6

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