Equality & Diversity Charter launch
Together we can change the world!
Over 100 students and staff from the schools in the Collaborative Learning Trust came together to celebrate the launch of the Trust’s Equality and Diversity Charter with a rousing concert. As a massed Choir, Collaborative Voices, they ended the concert singing “Together we can change the world” and meant every word.
CEO Janet Sheriff, OBE, said “This Charter is just the beginning of our commitment to making a real difference in each of our schools and communities. Working together, we can all do our bit to make a difference and make our world a better place. We pride ourselves on the diversity and inclusivity of our Trust – right from the start our aim was to create a diverse Trust, where both Church and non-Church schools in a variety of socio-economic contexts would work together. An innovative approach to creating a multi-academy trust. This inspirational event was extremely moving, as children from across our Trust sang together with such energy and enthusiasm. You could see in their faces, and hear in their voices how much this meant to them. ”
At the concert, as well as singing together as Collaborative Voices, pupils sang in their schools’ choirs, singing songs which included “Roar”, “Anything Can Happen If You Let It”, “Different Drums”, “Drop in the Ocean” and “This is Me”. Students were asked to say what the event meant to them.
"It's really good to come here today. It doesn't matter how old you are - if you are in primary or secondary. It's great to sing together. (Trinity)
"Music is for everyone. This is a great way to celebrate equality and diversity. We have been excited all morning." (Ashfield).
"We are singing with joy and hope. We get to express our emotions. It is great to sing with all the other schools." (All Saints).
"It's experiences like this that you never forget, and it inspires the musicians of the future." (Prince Henry’s)
"This is an inspirational event bringing all our schools together. It helps us to learn from each other. This event shows how we are all different and special and anyone can do whatever they put their mind to." (Bramhope).
The schools in the Collaborative Learning Trust are: All Saints All Saints CE Primary School (Bradford); Ashfield Primary School (Otley, Leeds); Bramhope Primary School (Bramhope, Leeds); Micklefield CE Primary Academy (Micklefield, Leeds); Prince Henry’s Grammar School (Otley, Leeds); St Mary’s CE Primary Academy (Hunslet, Leeds); Trinity All Saints CE Primary School (Bingley, Bradford). CEO Janet Sheriff was the first BAME secondary headteacher in Leeds. She was awarded an OBE in 2020 for services to education.
Watch the video here:
And you can listen to our CEO Janet Sheriff on Radio Leeds below.