Derbyshire school shows support for LGBT+ youth during Diversity Week

Heritage High School, in Clowne, held a range of awareness activities to broaden students’ horizons during School Diversity Week 2021, which ran from June 21 to 25.

To kick off the week and in honour of Pride Month, Year 8 student Alix Rogers designed a rainbow inspired logo for the school’s social media accounts that represented and celebrated the LGBTQI+ community – with the logo changing each day during the week to feature a different student’s diversity design.

The students also went that extra mile to showcase the importance of acceptance, with a group of Year 8 and 9 pupils making and distributing 200 origami hearts which each contained a special message inside that helped to spread kindness and love across the school.

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Headteacher Richard Marlow said: “We believe that promoting diversity and inclusion is absolutely paramount to keeping our school a happy and safe place for all of our students.

"That is why we embed the values of equality and diversity into everything we do and while we have been celebrating diversity throughout June, it always remains a top priority all year round.

“I am incredibly proud of our students for getting fully involved in Diversity Week and coming up with their own ideas on how to make the week extra special. Our students are always trying their best to make everyone feel welcome and included.”

Year 7, 8, and 9 students at the school, which is part of the Two Counties Trust, also put their historical knowledge to the test as part of a Diversity Week inspired quiz while the spirit of Diversity Week continued into Year 8 girls’ PE classes with an obstacle course to learn about the importance of teamwork and being a good ally.

In addition to the activities the students have been involved in, the school also sold rainbow ribbons as a symbol of solidarity and commitment to diversity.

The money raised has been donated to the charity ‘Just Like Us’ which offers a range of support to LGBT+ youth and runs Diversity Week as an annual celebration of LGBT+ inclusion in primary schools, secondary schools and colleges across the UK.

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