Consultations with teachers

Approximately 200 questionnaires were sent out to three primary schools and four secondary schools across Scotland. Some individual teachers with an interest in anti-sectarian issues were also sent questionnaires.

44 (22%) were returned.

The comments in this section draw from these questionnaire and e-mail responses as well as points raised by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act Education Network officers on 4 February 2004.

Overall, the comments were very positive and welcoming of the resource. We have not drawn comments from every single questionnaire returned as some comments were duplicated.

Teachers said they wanted:

• clear guidance for those who do not regard this issue as a problem for their geographical area
• learning activities and approaches for teaching anti-sectarianism (especially for younger children)
• examples for use in Early Years - use of festivals from other countries to promote other cultures
• resources - books for a range of primary age children, fiction/non-fiction for young children, novels and non-fiction for older pupils
• a structured programme of learning and lesson plans for P1-P7
• ideas on how to raise the issue in areas that just do not relate to issues of religious prejudice
• information about resources, e.g. videos, big books and also lesson plans for various stages
• topics to be presented in lesson plan format / downloadable lesson plans which teach or raise issues of sectarianism
• differently presented material according to region, e.g. Glasgow / Highland
• posters to raise awareness and to cover different age groups
• ideas on raising anti-sectarianism in situations such as 'Circle Time'
• a definitions section with slang terminology used by young people around the country when talking about sectarianism in their peer groups
• a historical account of sectarianism and its current impact
• guidance on how to work with parents
• the website to be compatible for use with a speech interpreter
• a resource that is not Central Belt in focus
• a clear message to those teaching Religious and Moral Educaiton that pupils need to understand that Christianity includes both Catholics and Protestants as some pupils still think Catholicism is another religion
• the resource to articulate with Education for Citizenship
• an induction pack for shared campuses
• an awareness that not all schools yet have access to broadband
• a highlighting of the issues of asylum seekers, reasons they have sought asylum, problems encountered, e.g. racial abuse, isolation, unemployment, detention
• activities for use within classrooms and schools to be checked by Catholic representatives to ensure acceptability in denominational schools
• as little emphasis on football as possible
• a 'multifaith' check on materials
• training and education materials for adults

Emerging issues for consideration:

• a need to raise teacher awareness about sectarianism, in all its forms and how this applies to contemporary Scotland
• teachers would like downloadable lesson plans for different stages
• teachers would like a reading list and guide for different stages
• materials for working with parents
• a need to consider how the context section includes (or not) Scottish linkages with Northern Ireland
• website must be accessible under the Disability Discrimination Act
• materials should link with Education for Citizenship
• resource needs to have a balance between being relevant for the Central Belt and also in areas where sectarian issues are less obvious
• resource needs to be clear that the focus is on sectarianism