Ideas for topics and themes

In dealing with violent behaviour and bullying close to a child’s own experience, for instance at home and school, there are procedures and agencies already in place (see www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/behaviour/tacklingbullying/racistbullying and www.bullying.co.uk). For teaching and learning around Article 19 of the Convention, and by extension Articles 38 and 39, this section provides introductory ideas.

Elsewhere, for KS2 the ‘Transact!’ section of ‘Coming Unstuck’ provides a simple way of identifying motives and checking types of behaviour.

The NSPCC website (www.nspcc.org.uk) has several resources for teachers including the SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) materials – friendly ‘All join in’ for KS1 plus a range of assemblies. They also offer material on ‘Help bullying stop!’, ‘Learning to protect’ and ‘Peer mediation’. They provide training for teachers in child protection.

Perhaps the most powerful stimuli of all are to be found among the campaign archives in the ‘Media centre’ section: www.nspcc.org.uk/whatwedo/mediacentre/mediacentrehub_wda36424.html. These include posters and TV/radio advertisements. ‘Don’t hide it’, ‘Someone to turn to’, and ‘Talk till it stops’ are especially informative and affecting.

• Raising children's awareness of how they can be protected against violence and abuse  41kb
• Using an illustration to introduce protection from violence, cruelty and abuse  39kb
• Hands are not for hitting: introducing ideas of protection with younger learners  36kb
• Violence at home  52kb

Armed conflict

The suggested stimuli and possible responses in this section are intended to reflect the notion of the ‘ladder of hate’. That is to say there is a continuum which starts with aggressive or prejudiced language, and can move on to physical aggression. These can intensify into campaigns of bullying, persistent abuse and even, on a macro scale, armed conflict.

According to War Child International (www.warchild.org) and UNICEF, some 2000 children per day are killed or injured in armed conflict. These children may face some of the problems listed above, of course, but wars bring exceptional tragedy. It is estimated that 10 million children were traumatised by wars during the last decade – that number is not falling. Yet the idea of armed conflict can still be treated as glamorous or inevitable, or treated matter of factly in news and films, for instance.

In fact, it serves the purpose of the aggressor-governments to sanitise war by hiding its impacts on children. ‘The colour of home’ by Mary Hoffman (Frances Lincoln Children's Books, ISBN: 978-0711219915, 2003) is the best stimulus we know of for KS1. It is also excellent for work on refugees. The ‘Using drama to introduce an Article’ lesson plan (link directly to doc) fits well as an introduction for KS2. ‘Playing war’ by Kathy Beckwith (Tilbury House Publishers, ISBN: 978-0884482673, 2005) brings us closer to home in making connections about conflict. The powerful and tragic images from Iraq are provided without political comment, except to say that all armed aggression is inevitably an attack on children and their rights.

You could use UNICEF UNCRC poster number 17 (‘I shouldn’t have to experience this’) as a montage or for drawing round to allow pupils a large-scale visual input around this issue.

• The gap between ideas of war and real experience  36kb

• Trying to understand the impact of war on children  296kb

• For every child illustration  104kb

• Considering autism and Asperger's Syndrome  42kb

• Considering stammering  179kb

Questions about participation and race equality

Participation

• How is the school promoting Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child? Children have the right to say what they think should happen when adults are making decisions that affect them, and have their opinions taken into account.
• How do you find out how well you are doing this?
• What systems are in place for children to express their feelings and opinions about school?
• To what extent are learners involved in change and development in the curriculum, teaching and learning, and ethos and leadership in their school?

Race equality

• How have you analysed ethnic minority achievement, set targets and used specific strategies to ensure children are achieving as much as they can at your school?
• How well are you preparing all pupils for life in a culturally and religious diverse society?
• How well are you developing pupils’ ability and commitment to understand and challenge stereotyping, prejudice and racism?
• Is the race equality policy and action plan in place and the impact of the five outcomes monitored and reported to the governing body?

'The right to light?' – rights, freedoms and tobacco

• Introduction  42kb

• Suggested lesson plans  53kb

• Images to accompany the lesson plans  12mb

• Texts to accompany the lesson plans  115kb

• 'The right to light?' - advantages and disadvantages  81kb