At Break Through School, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is brought to life through a carefully planned and engaging Core Skills programme that supports learners to broaden their understanding of the world around them.
Weekly EDI Core Skills sessions are thoughtfully embedded across the curriculum, ensuring learners are regularly introduced to cultural celebrations, identities and experiences they may not otherwise encounter. Topics are chosen with care to ensure they are meaningful, age-appropriate and reflective of a wide range of lived experiences, helping learners build knowledge, curiosity and respect.
The school also benefits from a shared Melrose cultural calendar, developed collaboratively by EDI Leads across the group. This calendar highlights key themes and awareness months throughout the year, which are explored during Core Skills sessions. At Break Through School, these themes are often shared with subject teachers, who enrich learning further by weaving relevant topics into their lessons wherever possible.
This week, learners also took part in Dress to Express as part of Children’s Mental Health Week, an initiative that encourages children and young people to express themselves through their clothing in a way that reflects their identity and feelings. The event provided a fun, engaging way for learners to explore self-expression and emotional wellbeing, complementing the school’s wider EDI work. Learners were excited to showcase their creativity while discussing the importance of recognising and celebrating individuality, diversity, and mental health.
To support engagement, the EDI programme has evolved to reflect what works best for learners. Bespoke, visually engaging and informative resources have been developed to replace generic materials, resulting in a noticeable and sustained increase in learner participation. Learners now contribute confidently to discussions and show clear pride in what they have learned.
Understanding is reinforced through end-of-term quizzes, giving learners the opportunity to showcase their knowledge in a fun and motivating way. Friendly competition adds to the excitement, with a small prize awarded to the winning group. A simple but effective way of celebrating effort, teamwork and commitment to learning.
Principal Ruth Elliott praised the impact of the programme, saying:
“It’s fantastic to see our learners at Break Through School engaging so confidently with EDI topics. They are proud of what they have learned, enjoy sharing their knowledge, and are developing an understanding and respect that will stay with them beyond the classroom. Dress to Express this week was a wonderful way to connect our EDI work with supporting learners’ emotional wellbeing, and the creativity they showed was brilliant to see.”
Across the school, learners are increasingly confident in discussing EDI topics, demonstrating strong retention of knowledge, and enjoying the opportunity to learn in a respectful, inclusive, and supportive environment.