HEADLINES
By James SaundersI have always been a fan of grassroots sport and the benefits that come with being part of a team. Teamwork; collaboration; tolerance; character; empathy. All are things that sport can develop within us. Scaled up, sport can be a powerful vehicle for change. Sport is big business these days which can be both positive and negative. With such a high profile sport has a lot of responsibility resting on its shoulders.
We have seen over the last few years the many positives that sport can bring to society and our values. We saw a sporting movement form out of the Black Lives Matter which had an impact across many disciplines, including Formula 1 and Football. We have also seen Formula 1 taking a moral stand against Russia in response to their invasion of Ukraine. We have seen the positive impact that the Lionesses have had on Women’s football in the UK after their stellar performance during the Women’s 22 Euros. Back at Honywood Girls football is thriving and they are achieving much success.
Sport is great at highlighting the inequalities and injustices in society. I remember Andy Murray in an interview back in 2017 had to remind a reporter that women exist.
At Honywood equality and inclusion is important to us. We have a deliberate focus on this aspect of our school this year and our aim is to eradicate all forms of discrimination so that everyone is free to be who they are, free from the worry of being discriminated against or treated differently. I have often used sporting examples in my assemblies to illustrate our values as a school.
That brings me to the next spectacle on the global sporting calendar (after this weekend’s Formula 1 that is - and don’t get me started on the dynamics between Verstappoen, Red Bull and Perez and what that says about teamwork and character).
The FIFA World Cup is an exciting tournament for football fans as well as occasional patriotic football watchers alike. When our national teams get to compete in high level sport it can bring a real sense of occasion
for the whole country. Watching sportspeople at the top of their game is inspiring, no doubt about it.
The 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup is being held in Qatar. There have been many concerns about human rights issues such as the low pay and dangerous working conditions of the migrant workers who built all the new stadiums. I have read some shocking stories about the treatment of Nepalese workers. Building the stadiums for this World Cup has literally killed people. Families have said goodbye to their children who have left for work only to be returned in body bags.
A large majority of people in Britain think the World Cup should not be held in Qatar because of its position on LGBTQ+ rights. 62% of British people believe Qatar’s stance on homosexual rights should have been enough to disqualify it from hosting the event. Qatar is one of 60+ countries around the world where being LGBTQ+ is illegal, it could land a person in prison for 7 years. Worse though is that Qatar is one of 11 countries that could use the Death Penalty for LGBTQ+ people they consider to have broken the law. They still sentence Trans people to conversion therapy. Last week a World Cup ambassador explained that homosexuality was haram (forbidden) in Islam as it was a sign people were mentally unwell.
Even David Beckham has faced further criticism for his role as an ambassador for Qatar after claiming the World Cup would be a platform for progress, inclusivity and tolerance. Beckham is reported to be receiving £150m from the Qataris.
For this reason some of us may find ourselves conflicted between supporting our national teams in an exciting event and sticking to our principles about equality and inclusion. If you know someone who isn’t supporting their national team this time, it may well be due to their worries or moral conflict about the values of the host country.
I hope that you don’t think that I am lecturing here but I do feel it is our responsibility as a school committed to equality to call things out when we see it. We expect
our learners to do so and it would be wrong to not role model this behaviour for them. Our job is to inform and educate but it is up to the individual to take action. We will be providing space for learners to watch the England game on Monday but feel that we should ensure they are well informed about what sits behind our love of sport as well as those things that can often get in the way of our enjoyment. As I said at the start, sport has a lot of responsibility resting on its shoulders and the fan’s will ultimately express how they feel.
I wish you all a safe and restful weekend.
James SaundersIn the spirit of today’s theme I would like to take this opportunity to share our equality objectives with you and invite any feedback from the wider community. These objectives do not sit on their own - they form a working strategy that we are constantly revising.
HONYWOOD EQUALITY OBJECTIVES
1. We will work to remove any barriers faced by individuals as a result of their protected characteristics. We will work with other stakeholders and agencies as appropriate to address individual needs, regardless of their characteristics.
Protected Characteristics are:
• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage and Civil Partnership
• Pregnancy and Parental Leave
• Race
• Religion or Belief
• Sex
• Sexual Orientation
2. Have in place a reasonable adjustment agreement for all staff with disabilities to meet their needs better and make sure that any disadvantages they experience are addressed.
3. Increase the representation of teachers, support staff and governors to reflect the diversity within the body of learners over a 4-year period (from this September to September in 4 years’ time), so that these groups increase as a percentage of the teaching workforce and learners are able to better see themselves represented within the workforce.
4. Continue to develop our systems to maintain high standards of behaviour and respect for others throughout the School and that any incidents of discrimination are recorded, monitored and addressed appropriately. Information will be reported to other stakeholders where appropriate.
Eradicate the use of discriminative language towards protected characteristics, in line with the equality act, in the school. Where any incidents occur of discrimination we will support both victims and perpetrators in addressing unacceptable discriminatory attitudes. Systems will be put into place to evaluate effectiveness of any intervention put into place.
Actively challenge all incidents of hatred or discrimination. Where appropriate we will work with the Police/Prevent in relation to such concerns.
5. Ensure that the wider school curriculum makes explicit and implicit provision to promote and celebrate diversity and a cohesive community. The school will promote role models inside and outside the curriculum of different ability, gender, sexual orientation, race or religion or representing any protected characteristic. Provide opportunities for learners and staff to engage with members of the wider community and support raising awareness of different cultures, faiths and lifestyles.
Provide every opportunity for learners to embrace British Values; Democracy, Rule of Law, Respect and Tolerance, and Liberty. The school will support national events and themed weeks to promote equality and diversity; including but not exclusive to; Red Card Against Racism, Black History Month, Pride; Antihomophobia week and anti-bullying week.
6. Ensure that appropriate intervention is put into place if necessary in order to overcome any barriers to learning, ensuring that there are purposeful means to evaluate effectiveness of the interventions, actions or support put into place to support all learners regardless of micro-populations.
Thank you to the following learners who supported our Year 5 Creative Primary Learning Day this Tuesday. They were excellent ambassadors for our school, teaching and supporting the younger learners as they developed their creative skills in Dance, Drama and Art:
Sophie Baker 10CWa, Eleanor Brady 10LST, Chloe Challis 10CWa, Frank Chapman 10CWa, Kiera Cornish 10LSt/CKh, Jenson Galvin 10CWA, Faye Glover 10CMI, Kyrah Hyman 10AMA, Weston Joe 9SPl, Alex Mills 10AHA, Maisie Nash 10NPO, Karis Newman 9Spl, Milley Peters 10AMA, Sophie Pinder 10MJA, Tallulah Powell 10AMa, Mia Ramsay 10AHA, Megan Roffe 10ATo, Ruby Shingles 10ATo, Hannah Stevens 10MJa, Nathan Succamore 10CMI, Rosa Swain 10NPo, Zach Thorogood 10AMa, Harriet Trustrum 10ATo, Kiera Woods 10CMi.
Is your child a budding writer? Essex County Council have launched a competition for spectacular young storytellers across Essex. Using our beautiful county as inspiration, your child can submit a piece of writing in any genre. Whether it’s catchy lyrics that stick in your head all day, a heroic comic book, a funny poem, epic drama, inspiring folktales or something else, enter now.
A selection of winning entries will be published in the Essex Year of Reading book and the free Essex Year of Reading app which will be available next year. The competition closes on 31st January 2023. Get Inspired! Everyone has a great story in them!
C10 ESSEX CUP - Monday 14th November Clacton County High vs Honywood
On a very foggy afternoon the Honywood football team travelled away to Clacton for an Essex Cup match. After a long journey and a few years since the lads have all played together as a team the match began. The first half was a close affair with a few good chances going begging for both teams. It was a physical and well competed game with the score -0-0 at half time.
Honywood took an early lead in the second half with Logan Humphreys tapping in from close range after Khaled Sheriff’s shot was blocked. Clacton quickly equalised with a well taken goal after breaking through on a well worked counter attack. With 10 minutes remaining Theodore McQuillan slotted home with hopes of progressing into the next round. With pressure mounting Clacton managed to score with minutes left on the clock from a corner. With the final score 2-2 and the light fading and fog rolling in from the East coast the game went straight to penalties.
All of the penalties were taken with class and composure under pressure with Rhys Rowley (GK) producing some world class stops. Theodore McQuillan, Logan Humpreys, Sammy Taylor and Rhys Rowley all converted sending the team into wild celebrations winning 4-2. On to the next round! Well played – a great team performance.
Mr Briggs
