DIVERSITY DAY 2024
Thursday 27th June 2024
WOW!!! What a spectacular Diversity Day year 9 have had, one of the best ever! IGS was incredibly lucky to welcome people from all walks of life for this special day and to also celebrate the rich diversity that exists within our own community.
There was a real buzz from Year 9 who were treated to a huge range of experiences over the course of the day - from a ‘Guide Dog’ puppy called Jenny, who wanted to join in with everything, to the wonderful Judge Cousins who raised awareness of racism in her thought-provoking workshop. Students jumped into the world dance workshop and then body popped their way to the Japanese Art workshop to create their very own paper cranes before hitting some African beats and vibes in the African Drums workshop. Students immersed themselves in discussions about faith with representatives from 7 different world religions, and then had the opportunity to converse in British sign language. Students learnt about the importance of Pride for the LGBTQ+ community and busted stereotypes in the gender equality workshop whilst also channelling some zen via during the Mindfulness and Mental Health workshop before checking out how to stamp out bullying in our ‘RESPECT – anti-bullying’ workshop. Groups also celebrated and explored neurodiversity in a session run by our specialist autism team and then created a beautiful collage mural by building stencils of ‘Who We Are’ in the Art workshop.
13 workshops and only one day!
A huge thank you to our 12 external visitors on the day, to the 55 IGS staff who either led or supported one of the sessions, and to the 20+ incredible student leaders who supported the day and co-ran many of the sessions.
Mr Gutch Deputy Headteacher i/c of Personal Development said:
“I had the privilege of helping out with the World Religions session today which were run by a mixture of IGS staff and visitors to the school and year 9 were an absolute credit to IGS in every way – thoughtful, open-minded, respectful and curious. It can sometimes feel nowadays that there are forces trying to push people apart, but it is days like this that give us all hope for a future in which everyone can be recognised and celebrated for who they are.”
Ilkley Grammar School certainly had an explosion of diversity on this special day of celebration and respect. We can’t wait to do it all again!
Mr Kehoe | Associate Assistant Headteacher
