Our values at SuMS lead our thinking on EDI and beyond.

Integrity

We believe in acting with integrity and being true to ourselves. All members of the SuMS community are encouraged to be their authentic selves, expressing their identity without fear of prejudice or discrimination.

Aspiration

We aspire to be a truly inclusive and diverse community; a community in which we respect and celebrate one another and actively seek to learn about members of different communities. We want to lead in developing anti-racist and anti-sexist A-Level curricula.

Collaboration

We work together to create the SuMS community and a space in which all members feel safe, seen and heard; a space in which no one faces discrimination for simply being themselves.

Compassion

We treat each other with kindness; we listen with empathy, we ask questions to deepen our own understanding of equity and diversity and we seek to be inclusive in all we do, fostering a sense of community and belonging for all. We endeavour to see the best in people and help each other to grow.

Innovation

We believe in doing things differently; SuMS will be progressive and welcoming to all members of society. From the very start, we will seek to embed EDI at the heart of our teaching and learning.

We know that in recent years EDI has become a major focus in schools, businesses and the wider society.

Sadly, whilst many positive changes have taken place, the discourse around EDI is often at the centre of political point-scoring. The emotive language associated with EDI along with unchecked spaces in social media means that it is now more important than ever to ensure we are at the forefront of innovation in the EDI arena.

At SuMS, a community of over 100 staff and students, we expect a wide spectrum of opinions, values and beliefs. In school, we aim to provide access to balanced information and differing views in PSHEE lessons to help students clarify their own opinions (whilst making clear that behaviours such as racism, homophobia, bi-phobia, transphobia, discrimination and bullying are never acceptable in any form). Often, issues may be contentious or nuanced; they may not be black or white and it may be important to discuss, navigate and explore more deeply. We would like to provide all members of our SuMS community with a platform to discuss EDI related issues. We are delighted that Mr George will be leading an EDI council from September. This will be a safe space in which we can all listen, question, debate and discuss current issues in a respectful manner.

At SuMS, it is our goal to place EDI at the heart of all that we do. We believe it plays an integral part in the wellbeing of our community and we aim to be a school which leads the way for others in the work that we do. Discrimination, prejudice and intolerance of any kind will not be accepted and we will encourage everyone to be allies to the EDI cause.

There are, of course, a myriad of factors that influence a school culture and it would be naïve to believe it is as simple as setting up an EDI council and ticking a box. In this climate of cynicism and tokenism, we know that, as an institution and as individuals, we believe in our cause to create a community that welcomes diversity and actively promotes inclusion for all.