POVERTY AND INJUSTICE
Why is there poverty and inequality in the world?
At St Katharine’s, our pupils have rich opportunities to develop their understanding of global responsibility. We have set out three strands of enquiry. In this strand, children are encouraged to think about what being a Global Neighbour means. In planned curriculum and wider cultural events children tackle the question – ‘What can I do to bring about greater justice for all?’
​
Learning about child labour and injustice in India
​
Early Years learned about the rights of children by watching a thought-provoking piece of theatre about a little girl called Jazz who is transported from the comforts of her life in London to the fields of Assam in India, where her new friend, Jagdeep, works in the tea fields with his mother. They learned about the global issue of child labour which allowed further classroom exploration into the concept of Fair Trade; children are now committed to persuading their families to buy Fair Trade products.
​
Taking action about the injustice of child labour
Culture is a powerful tool for learning. Children in Year 4 were introduced to the injustice of child labour through an interactive theatre performance which followed the story of Surya, a young girl who sews footballs in a sweatshop for the global market. Without education, dignity or safety, her life is one of injustice and drudgery. In the story, Surya runs away to protest about her lack of rights. In our school, Year 4 marched for the rights of children just like Surya and for fairer, ethical trading around the world.
​
​
Developing understanding about the injustice of child labour
​
At St Katharine’s, our ambition is that challenging ethical concepts are addressed deeply, with a progression of knowledge. In Year 5, children have the opportunity to grapple the issue of child labour in more detail. By following the story of Budi’s work in a football boot factory in Malaysia, children gain good insight into the daily life of a child working in dangerous conditions who has lost his right to education and true childhood. Our pupils research the reasons for child labour in the developing world and develop a mature understanding of these injustices. Our children wrote to some big hitters of production to ask them to persuade them to move towards ethical trading practices.
​
Welcoming Afghan Refugees to Bournemouth
​
Year 1 read the story of Rainbow Fish and were impressed by how generous he was to his neighbouring fish. They learned from his kindness and decided to take some action of their own. They coloured welcoming pictures with messages of hope and greetings to recently-arrived refugees from Afghanistan. These were taken to families in our community by the Bournemouth charity International Care Network as a sign of peace between children of the world.
