2019 - Great Get Together … · L8: to resolve differences by looking at alternatives, seeing and respecting others’ points of view, making decisions and explaining choices L9:

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2019

Teacher guidance

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This guidance has been written to accompany the assembly and classroom activity ideas created by the Jo Cox Foundation to promote The Great Get Together community events held on the weekend of 21st-23rd June.

The assemblies and in-class activities are designed to acknowledge the differences but celebrate the similarities that we all share, using as inspiration the quote from Jo’s maiden speech: “We have more in common than that which divides us.”

Please ensure you read and consider this guidance first, before delivering the assembly or classroom activities.

Preparing to teachSchools can use this resource flexiblyfor example, as part of drop-down activities in a day commemorating the life of Jo Cox, during tutor time or general topic time. It may also be delivered as part of a school’s PSHE education curriculum, in which case it could be embedded in a series of lessons looking at issues around diversity, equality, community and celebrating difference. The activities enable learners to celebrate diversity whilst identifying and responding to the unacceptability of prejudice and discriminatory behaviours.

The resource also provides opportunities for PSHE teachers in secondary schools to work alongside their Citizenship colleagues to deliver learning about politics and the law in relation to Jo Cox’s work as an MP. Secondary schools may also choose to use this resource as a route into exploring issues related to extremism and hate crime.

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Core theme Learning opportunities at key stage 1

RelationshipsR6: to listen to other people and play and work cooperatively (including strategies to

resolve simple arguments through negotiation)R8: to identify and respect the differences and similarities between people

Living in the Wider World

L4: that they belong to different groups and communities such as family and schoolL8: ways in which they are all unique; understand that there has never been and will

never be another ‘them’L9: ways in which we are the same as all other people; what we have in common with

everyone else


Relationships

R13: that differences and similarities between people arise from a number of factors, including family, cultural, ethnic, racial and religious diversity, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability (see ‘protected characteristics’ in the Equality Act 2010)


L8: to resolve differences by looking at alternatives, seeing and respecting others’ points of view, making decisions and explaining choices

L9: what being part of a community means, and about the varied institutions that support communities locally and nationally

L11: to appreciate the range of national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom


Relationships

R1: the qualities and behaviours they should expect and exhibit in a wide variety of positive relationships (including teams, class, friendships etc.)

R3: to further develop the communication skills of active listening, negotiation, offering and receiving constructive feedback and assertiveness

R4: to explore the range of positive qualities people bring to relationships


L3: the similarities, differences and diversity among people of different race, culture, ability, disability, sex, gender identity, age and sexual orientation and the impact of stereotyping, prejudice, bigotry, bullying and discrimination on individuals and communities


RelationshipsR2: the characteristics and benefits of positive, strong, supportive, equal relationshipsR29: the role peers can play in supporting one another (including helping vulnerable

friends to access reliable, accurate and appropriate support)


L3: to recognise the shared responsibility to protect the community from violent extremism and how to respond to anything that causes anxiety or concern


RelationshipsL25: recognise and celebrate cultural diversity; understand what is meant by the

global market

Links to the PSHE Association programme of studyThe table on the next page identifies the learning opportunities from each of the three PSHE education core themes from KS1-5 which are most relevant to learning about communities, diversity and discrimination.

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A safe learning environment helps pupils feel comfortable with sharing their ideas, values and attitudes without attracting negative feedback, and will help teachers to manage discussions on sensitive issues with confidence. As well as promoting a more open discussion, it also helps to ensure that teachers are not anxious about unexpected disclosures or comments and that neither pupils or teachers are put on the spot. It also protects pupils from possible distress and enables them to feel comfortable about exploring their values, attitudes and beliefs.

Creating a safe learning environment

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In addition, the concepts of confidentiality and anonymity should be covered at the beginning of the lesson. Ground rules are most effective when they have been negotiated and agreed with pupils rather than imposed. They are particularly effective when they are: written in a pupil-friendly way, displayed in the classroom, in some cases physically signed by pupils (like a formal contract), monitored by pupils themselves, revisited throughout the lesson and followed consistently by the teacher as well as the pupils.

It is good practice for teachers to:

work with pupils to establish ground rules (or a class contract or working agreement) about how they will behave towards each other in discussions, such as:

- Everyone has the right to be heard and respected.

- We will use language that won’t offend or upset other people.

- We will use the correct terms for the things we will be discussing, and if we don’t know them, we’ll ask our teacher.

- We will comment on what was said, not the person who said it.

- We won’t share our own, or our friends’, personal experiences.

- We won’t put anyone on the spot and we have a right to pass.

- We will not ask questions to deliberately try to embarrass anyone else or make fun of them

- We won’t judge or make assumptions about people’s values, attitudes, behaviours, life experiences or feelings..

- If we need further help, advice or need to talk to someone, we know how to get further support, both in school and in the community. We will encourage our friends to seek help or advice if we think they need it.

offer opportunities for pupils to discuss issues in small groups as well as sharing views with the class

make boxes available in which pupils can place anonymous questions or concerns, to avoid having to voice them in front of the class

provide balanced information and differing views to help pupils clarify their own opinions (making clear that behaviours such as discrimination and bullying are never acceptable in any form)

use the The Great Get together resources as part of a planned PSHE education curriculum.

Creating a safe learning environment

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Using distancing techniques such as stories, scenarios, clips from TV programmes or case studies can provide fictional characters and story lines that stimulate discussion whilst ‘de-personalising’ discussions. This enables pupils to engage more objectively with the suggested activities. If pupils are asked to reflect on and share their own experiences, they may feel strong emotions that hinder the ability to learn from, or derive insight from the example. It is therefore safer and more effective to invite pupils to think about someone other than themselves – ‘someone like them’ for example, a simple profile of a child or young person about their age, who goes to a school like theirs. Pupils will then gain more from discussing questions like ‘what might they think, feel, do?’ and giving advice to characters in the role of a friend, sibling, classmate, agony aunt or uncle.

Ideas that work well include:• Fictional scenarios which pupils may identify with

but which are distanced from them as individuals

• Role play and story boarding

• Puppets

• Images

• Short film clips

Safeguarding pupils at risk of vulnerabilitiesIt may be the case that there will be at least one or more pupils in the class who are personally affected by the lesson content. With this in mind it is important to ensure that the lesson is made safe for everyone.

Suggested safeguards that can be put in place are:

Alert mental health/wellbeing other relevant pastoral and safeguarding staff about the topic you will be covering and encourage them to discuss the lesson content with any pupils who are accessing support for related issues. It can be helpful to alert parents too, ensuring they know how to provide appropriate support.

Provide pupil(s) with the opportunity to withdraw from the activities if appropriate. Consider ways to follow up the missed learning with the pupil(s) as this learning may be particularly relevant to them.

Always signpost sources of support before, during and after the activities.

distancing the learning

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Learning about the life and work of Jo Cox may lead to discussions on sensitive issues, such as discrimination or extremism, Teachers should be clear about the age appropriateness of these discussions and feel confident discussing such topics through the use of ground rules, distancing techniques and a shared staff protocol about ways of managing potentially tricky questions. The resources are intended to celebrate difference and promote community cohesion and to emphasise the positives of living in a diverse society, and teachers should make clear that discriminatory or extremist views are never acceptable.

Further guidance on creating a safe learning environment is available from the PSHE Association. https://www.pshe-association.org.uk

Signposting support:The following websites are recommended for teachers and pupils wishing to seek further advice and information, or for those who seek to support the campaign.

www.greatgettogether.org

www.jocoxfoundation.org

www.pshe-association.org.uk

distancing the learning

2019

Pre-school assembly and activity pack

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using this pack

The activities in this Great Get Together activity pack are designed to commemorate and celebrate Jo Cox MP, using her life and work to help young children develop their understanding of identity, diversity, community and equality.

Feel free to use and adapt the information for the assembly to suit the needs of your pupils – we’ve included some suggestions on how you can make it more suitable for pre-school pupils. Alternatively, you can pick and mix the assembly and activity suggestions in a way that you feel is most effective for your own communities and children.

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1. Slide 1. “We have more in common than that which divides us.”

Invite 5 pupils up to the front of the assembly and ask them to share an example of a food they like, a colour they like and a song that they like. Ask the rest of the children to give a thumbs up if that is a food, colour or song that they also like. Remind pupils that we have lots of things in common, things that we may like or do. These things remind us that we have lots of things about us that are the same as other people. Ask the pupils in assembly if they can think of other things that make them similar to others, e.g. same name, hair colour, live in the same street, have the same teacher, etc.

Present the assembly with examples of things we have in common e.g. get pupils to find examples of food that they and the person sat next to them like.

Slide 2: Telling Jo’s story:

Key points about Jo’s life • Jo grew up in Yorkshire and she loved learning

and sports – she once won every race at a swimming competition.

• Jo worked really hard at school and loved dancing and singing. She performed routines to dances in her pyjamas at school.

• After she finished school, Jo went on to university. She found it difficult and didn’t feel like she fitted in because she couldn’t find things that she liked that were the same as other people. She noticed that she spoke differently to everyone else and that also made her feel a bit different. However, she learnt a lot and it was there that she became interested in different countries.

• After university, Jo travelled around the world visiting different places trying to help people around the world. She noticed that there were lots of things that other people liked or did that she also liked and did.

• In 2015, Jo got a job in the government and she became a Member of Parliament. In this job, she helped people with their problems in the town she grew up in.

• Jo worked very hard at her job as an MP but she also worked really hard to look after her two children and she tried to made sure she was always back in time to put them to bed.

• In her short time as a Member of Parliament, Jo did a lot of amazing things to help other people. She didn’t want people to be lonely or afraid. She liked to help people and noticed that lots of people liked the same things or were worried about the same things.

2. Reflection question

Jo believed in looking after everybody all over the world. How can we look after other people? Invite the pupils to think of one thing they could do today to help look after other people.

Assembly

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3. Great Get Together

Introduce The Great Get Together and the ideas behind it

• Jo’s birthday was the 22nd June. Sadly Jo died three years ago. People who knew her and her work want to remember her by getting people together because bringing people together is something that mattered to Jo. So, the plan is to have parties all over the country called Great Get Togethers.

• Get Togethers of all different shapes and sizes are being organised, from street parties to bake-offs, football matches to village fairs and rowing races to picnics – hopefully you can be a part of the fun!

• The message behind The Great Get Together is a simple one: that we all have more in common than that which divides us. People have lots of things about them that are the same as well as lots of things that are different.

4. Video

To promote The Great Get Together


Which of the ideas we have just watched would you enjoy doing?

Assembly

Adaptions for pre-schoolUse a picture book with younger children which celebrates diversity, or illustrates a friendship between characters who appear to be very different. Letterbox Library, Booktrust and Inclusive Minds all have suggested book lists which you may find useful.

• The Linking Network suggests ‘My World, Your World’ by Melanie Walsh [ISBN 978-0- 552-55055- 0] to look at Similarities and Differences with children in Early years or Pre School.

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Below are two activities that could be used by pre-school children to reinforce and revisit messages delivered in the assembly. The activity includes suggested timings, but these are flexible.

Changing Places game (10-15 mins):Pupils form a circle, and move into the middle when the teacher says something that they like. It’s worth explaining to young children that everyone is different so everyone will go into the middle of the circle at different times:

“Change places if you... have/are/like...” “Change places if you like sunny days.” “Change places if you like oranges/apples.” “Change places if you like playing outside.” “Change places if you like snowy days.” etc.

Teachers should aim to make sure everyone steps into the middle at some point and that they keep changing the type of question, whilst ensuring that no one is put ‘on the spot’ or encouraged to make an overly personal disclosure. The teacher can talk as the game progresses about things that are similar and different between the group and help the children feel comfortable with these ideas.

Creative Activities:Invite each pupil to draw something they like doing or eating, providing pictures as examples, and create a collage of things that they like to do and another of things they like to eat. This can be put on display in the classroom or shared in assembly as a talking point for similarities and differences. It could also be shared with parents via the school website or newsletter as a way of promoting participation in The Great Get Together.

Encourage pupils to think about the different kinds of ways that the children in their class care for and help each other. Ask them to think of one person in the class (it could be someone they sit next to or who sits on their table) and to choose a way of showing that person that they care during the coming week. Invite them to draw a picture of what they will do to show they care and to share their ideas and pictures with the rest of the class.

classroom activities

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Sport is a fantastic way for young people to be physically active and be the best they can be irrespective of their age, gender, ability, religion and environment. The Chief Medical Officer’s recommendation is 180 minutes a day for pre-school pupils. Here are some ideas from the Youth Sport Trust on activities to bring pupils together through sport:

International Inspiration (30 mins):Use these resource cards

(https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/ default/files/ international_inspiration_traditional_games_resources_full_set_part1.pdf)

to engage pupils in traditional games from across the world, teaching them about different cultures and games and encouraging them to build communities that allow people to help and support each other to lead happier, healthier and productive lives.

National School Sport Week:Celebrate playing and learning together by signing up for free resources (https://www.youthsporttrust.org/national-school-sport- week) as part of the Youth Sport Trust’s National School Sport week. The resources contain lots of ideas for bringing an active element to your school’s Get Together.

National School Sport Week is an initiative for all early year providers to celebrate playing and learning together. Run by children’s charity the Youth Sport Trust, it provides free resources and activity ideas for your pupils to get active.


sport and physical activity

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2019

Primary assembly and activity pack

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The activities in the Great Get Together activity pack are designed for primary schools to commemorate and celebrate Jo Cox MP, using her life and work to help children and young people develop their understanding of identity, diversity, community and equality.

Feel free to pick and mix activity suggestions in a way that allows you to use what is most suitable for your own communities, learners and ages.

using this pack

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Slide 1. “We have more in common than that which divides us.”

Reflection questionWhat does this mean? Do you agree? What things can you think of that we do in school that bring people together? Invite pupils to think of things that they like to do as a hobby or pastime outside of school that they enjoy doing with other people.

Slide 2 Telling Jo’s story:

Key points about Jo’s life and work: • Jo always dreamed of being a Member of

Parliament for the area in which she lived.

• At school Jo worked very hard and her favourite subject was Geography.

• Jo was really sporty – she loved swimming, tennis and running and she once won all the medals at a swimming gala!

• Jo loved dancing and singing. She performed routines to dances at school and took part in a production of Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat.

• Jo was quite shy and focused on working hard and made the decision herself to apply to Cambridge University.

• Jo found university difficult and didn’t feel like she fitted in because she sounded different to everyone else. However, she persevered and in the end made some great friends. She studied politics and learned about the world we live in.

• After university, Jo travelled and worked in some of the world’s most dangerous war zones. She got involved in doing things to make the world a fairer place.

• During Jo’s career working at Oxfam she spent many trips volunteering across the world, including in an orphanage in Bosnia.

• In 2015, Jo made the decision to become an MP. The decision wasn’t easy to make and she deliberated long and hard about whether she could be a good mother as well as a good MP.

• In 2015, Jo was elected as the MP for Batley & Spen in Yorkshire. She went back to work there and loved having the connection with the place where she grew up..

• Jo worked extremely hard but always put her children first – she even voted in the Chamber in the House of Commons wearing her cycling gear so she could get home in time to put her children to bed.

• In her short time as an MP, Jo did many things

to bring people together. She achieved so much and was loved across all parties in the Houses of Parliament.

• Jo cared about a whole range of issues and spoke out about them in parliament – from loneliness to people living in countries affected by war and about the role of women in the world as well as the importance of making sure that we had enough hospitals to take care of people when they were sick.

Assembly

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Reflection question

Turn to the person next to you and find three things you have in common

Great Get Together: Introduce The Great Get Together and the ideas behind it

• On Friday 21st June it will be about three years since Jo was killed because of her beliefs. Jo believed everyone has the right to their own beliefs and opinions but that we all have the responsibility to respect those of other people. The person that killed Jo was put on trial and found guilty and is now in prison. Jo’s friends and family wanted to remember her by getting people together because bringing people together is something that mattered to Jo.


• The message behind The Great Get Together is a simple one: that we all have more in common than that which divides us.

• J o’s family say that Jo would have been thrilled by the idea of The Great Get Together because it’s a chance to bring our communities together and celebrate what unites us. They say there could be no more fitting tribute to Jo’s memory than The Great Get Together.

Video


Reflection question

What will you tell someone at home about The Great Get Together? What can we do in our school or community to enjoy getting together with lots of different people?

Adaptions for primary school Use a picture book with younger children which celebrates diversity, or illustrates a friendship between characters who appear to be very different. Letterbox Library, Booktrust and Inclusive Minds all have suggested book lists which you may find useful.

Include a song with a message about diversity and friendship (e.g. Lean on Me/Ain’t No Mountain High Enough).

Incorporate participation by having members of the school or local community speak in the assembly about some similarities and differences they share (e.g. the head teacher and one of the lunchtime supervisors; members of two different faith communities).

Reflection questions could be pre-discussed by one class and ideas presented to the assembly.

Assembly

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Below is a range of activities that could be used with pupils in the classroom to reinforce and revisit messages delivered in the assembly. These may be suitable for use, in PSHE or Citizenship lessons . The activities include suggested timings, but these are flexible.

Changing Places (10-15 mins):Pupils form a circle, and swap places based on aspects of their identity. The teacher reads various instructions:

“Change places if you... have/are/like..” “Change places if you like chocolate.” “Change places if you like football.” “Change places if you like sunshine” “Change places if you like fruit.” etc.

Teachers should aim to make sure everyone crosses the circle at some point and that they keep changing the type of question, whilst ensuring that no one is put ‘on the spot’ or encouraged to make an overly personal disclosure. The teacher can comment as the game progresses about the ways in which we all have things in common and things that are individual about us.

While playing the Changing Places game, ask pupils to reflect on questions such as the following:

What did most/lots of/not many people change places for? Why do you think this was? What does this mean about us in this class?

Were you surprised that not many of us liked/changed places for…? Why do you think this was?

From this game, which thing do most of us have in common?


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Invisible Similarities and Differences (15 mins):Explain that we all have similarities and differences, but that some of these can only be discovered by talking to and getting to know one another by asking questions.

Examples of invisible similarities and differences might be hobbies, food, favourite subjects at school, favourite films, where you were born, how old you are.

Working in pairs, children interview each other to find three invisible similarities, and three invisible differences between them. They could do this in several different pairs if appropriate. Finally, bring the class together, and ask for volunteer pairs or groups to share the similarities and differences they have found.

Possible adaptations (additional support): You may need to spend some time explaining

examples of invisible similarities and differences.

You could model the game with another adult (or through the assembly) in advance of playing it with the class.

Possible adaptations (additional challenge): After working in pairs, ask children to get into

increasingly larger groups (e.g. of 4, 6 or 8) and try to find two similarities between all of them.

Class link: arrange 20-min class swap at some point in the day so that older and younger pupils from different classes visit one another. Ask them to find two similarities and two differences (apart from age difference!). Make a class list of similarities and differences..

School link: if feasible, organise a visit to a class in another school and play the Invisible Similarities and Differences game or invite grandparents into school and ask them to share what is similar and different about their school experiences with that of their grandchildrens.

Invisible Similarities and Difference follow up questions (10 mins):

Did you find out anything that surprised you about your partner, or anyone else in the class or another class?

Did you find something in common with someone else that you didn’t know about?

What sorts of things do we have in common with each other?

What is important about us/makes us unique?


What would life be like if everyone was the same?

What are really good ways of finding out about other people if we don’t know them very well?


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Creative Activities (30-45 mins):After the assembly and playing the Invisible Similarities and Differences game, ask children to make #moreincommon posters illustrating the things they found in common in their pairs or groups. Photograph pairs holding their poster.

Posters could be used on a ‘Community Wall’ or ‘More in Common Wall’ displayed in school and decorated using red gingham to create bunting, which is part of The Great Get Together logo. Pupils could also create their own school personalized bunting using the posters they have created depicting all the things they have in common. This could decorate the school’s Great Get Together event if they are holding one or be part of a more formal display in the school’s entrance. Some of the activities undertaken could be shared via the school website or blog to demonstrate the work that pupils have undertaken to celebrate what they have in common with each other.

NB: Schools will be invited to upload photographs to Twitter using the hashtag #moreincommon or #greatgettogether if they wish to.

Planning a Great Get Together (20-30 mins to draft initial ideas and then allocated time to plan and prepare for the different events):If a school is planning to hold a Great Get Together, you could set up a working party and invite a representative from each class/or members of the School council/House Council to help plan the event. Alternatively, classes may wish to prepare their own separate contribution which is then shared at a whole school assembly to which parents are invited Some of the key questions for consideration in planning for an event could be:

What kind of event should it be?

Set dates and timings for the event

Who shall we invite? What about inviting in parents or friends of the school?

What do we need for the event?

How and to whom will we advertise/promote it?

Where will the event take place?

Who will we need to ask to help us (parents/adults in school/teachers/governors?


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Sport is a fantastic way for young people to be physically active and be the best they can be irrespective of their age, gender, ability, religion and environment. The Chief Medical Officer’s recommendation is 60 minutes a day for primary students. Here are some ideas from the Youth Sport Trust on activities to bring students together through sport:


(https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/ default/files/ international_inspiration_traditional_games_resources_full_set_part1.pdf)

to engage pupils in traditional games from across the world, teaching them about different cultures and games and encouraging them to build communities that allow people to help and support each other to lead happier, healthier and productive lives.

National School Sport Week:Celebrate playing and learning together by signing up for free resources (https://www.youthsporttrust.org/national-school-sport-week) as part of the Youth Sport Trust’s National School Sport week. The resources contain lots of ideas for bringing an active element to your school’s Get Together.

Why not consider a sports festival with an opening and closing ceremony celebrating different cultures or set up a range of inclusive sports activities giving all pupils the opportunity to take part and to understand the importance of coming together through leading, coaching and officiating.

How will we ensure that everyone is involved?

How can we make it a celebration? Do we need food? Is there a fun activity we can include?

What further meeting dates will we need to set in order to check that everything is progressing well for the event/going to plan?

What different responsibilities will people on the working group have? Who will oversee all the different aspects of the event?

By involving parents, children could also be asked to contribute food that they like toeat at home, and be involved in the serving if appropriate. Schools might like to consider a class swap across their school for children of different ages. Class buddies (younger pupils paired with older pupils) could work together to do something or make something for the day.


2019

SECONDARY assembly and activity pack

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using this pack

The activities in this Great Get Together activity pack are designed for secondary schools to commemorate and celebrate Jo Cox MP, using her life and work to help children and young people develop their understanding of identity, diversity, community and equality.

Feel free to pick and mix activity suggestions in a way that allows you to use what is most suitable for your own communities, learners, ages and participation levels.

Learning about the life and work of Jo Cox may lead to discussions on sensitive issues, such as discrimination or extremism., Teachers should read through the information contained in the teacher guidance booklet which provides advice on how to establish a safe teaching and learning environment before commencing any activities. Following the guidance will ensure that teachers feel confident about handling questions and know how to manage potentially sensitive issues through the use of distancing techniques and ground rules. The resources are intended to celebrate difference and promote community cohesion by emphasising the positives of living in a diverse society.

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Reflection questionWhat does this mean to you? What do you think you have in common with family and friends? How can we ensure that the differences we have with others cannot divide us?

2. Slide 2 and so on: Telling Jo’s story

Key points about Jo’s life and work:• Jo always dreamed of being an MP in her home

constituency.

• At school, Jo worked very hard and herfavourite subject was Geography. Jo’sGeography teacher was the son of BernardKenny, the man who tried to ward off Jo’smurderer.

• In Jo’s last year at school, she campaigned tomake the case for cancelling lessons ahead ofexams and replacing them with home studytime so that pupils could be under less stressand have more time to prepare.

• Jo was really sporty – she loved swimming,tennis and running and she once won all themedals at a swimming gala.

• Jo loved dancing and singing. She performedroutines to dances at school and took part ina production of Joseph and the TechnicolourDreamcoat.

• When Jo was 15, she went to London on aschool trip and this was the first time shevisited No. 10 Downing Street.

• Jo was quite shy and focused on workinghard, and made the decision herself to go toCambridge University to study Politics.

• Jo found it difficult and didn’t feel like shefitted in because she felt her accent made hersound different to everyone else. However,she persevered and in the end made somegreat friends and, of course, learnt a lot aboutpolitics and the global political situation.

• After university, Jo travelled and worked insome of the world’s most dangerous warzones, campaigning to make the world a fairerand more equitable place.

• During Jo’s career working at Oxfam shefound a love of travelling and spent many tripsvolunteering across the world including in anorphanage in Bosnia.

• In 2015 on a car journey, Jo made the decisionto become an MP. The decision wasn’t easy tomake and she deliberated long and hard aboutwhether she could be a good mother as wellas a good MP.

• In 2015, Jo was elected as the MP for Batley& Spen in Yorkshire. She went back to workthere and loved having the connection withher hometown.

• Jo worked extremely hard but always put herchildren first –she even voted in the Chamberin the House of Commons wearing her cyclinggear so she could get home in time to putthem to bed.

• In her short time as an MP, Jo achieved somuch and was held in high esteem across allpolitical parties in the Houses of Parliament.

• Jo cared about a whole range of issues andspoke out about them in parliament – fromloneliness to civilians in conflict zones andwomen in politics to the NHS

Assembly

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Reflection question

What strikes you about Jo’s life and the causes she cared about? Which causes matter most to you?

4. Great Get Together: Introduce TheGreat Get Together and the ideas behind it

• J o was killed because of her beliefs. Jo believed everyone has the right to their own beliefs and opinions but that we all havethe responsibility to respect those of other people. The person that killed Jo was put on trial and found guilty and is now in prison.

• The weekend of the 21st-23rd June marks Jo’s 45th birthday and is around the third anniversary of Jo’s death. Jo’s friends and family didn’t want to mark her birthdayand anniversary with a sombre occasion.So, the plan is to hold celebrations to unite communities across the country.

• Get Togethers of all different shapes and sizes were organised in previous years and are being organised again, from street parties to bake-offs, football matches to village fairs and rowing races to picnics – hopefully you can be a part of the fun!

• The message behind The Great Get Together is a simple one taken from Jo’s maiden speech in the House of Commons: that we all have more in common than that which divides us.

• Kim, Jo’s sister, said Jo would have been thrilled by the idea of The Great Get Together because it’s a chance to bring our communities together and celebrate what unites us. She said there could be no more fitting tribute to Jo’s memory than The Great Get Together.

5. Video



What could you/we do to get involved in The Great Get Together or to celebrate diversity in our community?

Adaptions for SECONDARY school

Incorporate participation by inviting members of the school or local community to speak in the assembly about some similarities and differences they share (e.g. members of two different faith communities, governors or parents who represent different cultural heritages or representatives from two different charities which campaign for the needs of people who are disadvantaged or socially excluded).

Reflection questions could be pre-discussed in a lesson by one class and ideas presented to the assembly. Alternatively the school council or house council could produce a set of reflection questions for each form group to discuss and the feedback could then be collated and used as a launch pad for promoting further inclusion work in the school.

Reference social media as a way to promote the message (e.g. by using the #moreincommon, #greatgettogether hashtags).

Alternative videos to use could include: ‘Momondo: The DNA journey’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=tyaEQEmt5ls&t=2s) or ‘All That We Share’ (https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD8tjhVO1Tc&t=7s), both of which challenge the judgements we make about people and celebrate diversity. Please note: teachers should watch this video in advance to check it is in line with their schools policies.

Assembly

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Below is a range of activities that could be used with students in the classroom to reinforce and revisit messages delivered in the assembly. These may be suitable for use as part of an off-timetable day, in PSHE or Citizenship lessons or during tutor time. The activities include suggested timings, but these are flexible.

Invisible Similarities and Differences (15 mins):Explain that we all have similarities and differences, but that some of these can only be discovered by talking to and getting to know one another and by asking questions. Examples of invisible similarities and differences might be hobbies, food, favourite subjects at school, favourite films, music or where you were born. It works well to model the game first. Initially, working in pairs, pupils speak to one another to find three or more invisible similarities, and three or more invisible differences between them. Then in groups of 6 ask them to come together to create a checklist of invisible similarities and invisible differences. Invite the class to suggest practical ways in which the invisible similarities can be a force for good and bring people together, e.g. liking similar foods – set up a recipe swap blog on the school website, having similar hobbies – create film clips of pupils giving a 3 minute presentation showcasing their hobby and encouraging others to give it a go!

Teachers should aim to make sure everyone crosses the circle at some point and that they keep changing the type of question, whilst ensuring that no one is put ‘on the spot’ or encouraged to make an overly personal disclosure.


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Changing Places (10-15 mins):Pupils form a circle, and swap places based on aspects of their identity. The teacher reads various instructions:

“Change places if you... have/are/like..” “Change places if you like chocolate.” “Change places if you like football.” “Change places if you like sunshine” “Change places if you like fruit.” etc.

Teachers should aim to make sure everyone crosses the circle at some point and that they keep changing the type of question, whilst ensuring that no one is put ‘on the spot’ or encouraged to make an overly personal disclosure. The teacher can comment as the game progresses about the ways in which we all have things in common and things that are individual about us.

Changing Places follow up questions (5mins):

Whilst playing the changing places game, ask young people to reflect on questions such as the following:

What did most/lots of/not many people change places for? Why do you think this was? What does this mean about us in this class?

Were you surprised that not many of us liked/changed places for…? Why do you think this was?

From this game, which 3 things do most of us have in common?

Celebrating Diversity (5-10 mins):Ask students to mind map or create a top tips list for what their school could do to promote and celebrate diversity or to tackle discrimination. Establish a student working party to develop some of these ideas further.

’More in common’ ambassadors (30 mins):After the assembly, invite pupils to consider becoming a ‘More in common’ ambassador. They would need to form a working party to devise a job description for the role but it would entail being a mentor/’buddy’ for pupils who need extra emotional/social support in school.

Project Planning (15-20mins):In groups, students can work together to plan a Great Get Together event in their year group, thinking about what the event would be and where it would be held, who they would invite, how they would advertise, and the resources and deadlines they would need to meet their aims.


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Creative Activities (30-45 mins):Having taken part in the assembly, Invisible Similarities and Differences game or Changing Places game, students make #moreincommon and #greatgettogether checklists representing things they found in common with others in their community. Teachers could photograph examples of students’ work. Students could use their checklists to create displays around the school and to do a write up for the school website/newsletter. Parents could be invited in to look at the displays and to take part in events that the pupils are running as part of The Great Get Together Day in school.. NB: shools will be invited to upload photographs to Twitter using the hashtag #moreincommon or #greatgettogether if they wish to.

Year group swaps (45 mins):One of the issues Jo cared deeply about was loneliness. After work carried on by Jo’s friends Rachel Reeves MP and Seema Kennedy MP, the UK government now has a Minister for Loneliness. The Great Get Together is one way to tackle loneliness as by meeting up with others we can reduce loneliness. In tutor time groups across school pupils could meet others from another year group e.g. sixth form tutor groups and Year 7 and give their perspective on how loneliness can affect pupils at different stages of their school live. The mixed groups could write Pledge Cards, find things they have in common and record similarities and differences. Sixth Form students could consider setting up a mini ‘mentor’ programme. These could be in the form of ‘drop-in’ sessions for younger pupils whereby they can have a quick chat, have help with homework, take part in one of the Youth Sport Trust activities, etc. Pupils could also think about what they could do to tackle loneliness in their community.

Jo’s voting record (15-20 mins):Citizenship (GCSE) students or students in a tutorial session may be interested in seeing examples from Jo’s voting record in order to facilitate a discussion about how Jo lived her beliefs through her actions.

Here’s a link to Jo’s voting actions. https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/25394/jo_cox/batley_and_spen


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Sport is a fantastic way for young people to be physically active and be the best they can be irrespective of their age, gender, ability, religion and environment. The Chief Medical Officer’s recommendation is 60 minutes a day for secondary school students.

Here are some ideas from the Youth Sport Trust on activities to bring students together through sport:


(https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/ default/files/ international_inspiration_traditional_games_resources_full_set_pa rt1.pdf)

to engage pupils in traditional games from across the world, teaching them about different cultures and games and encouraging them to build commu-nities that allow people to help and support each other to lead happier, healthier and productive lives.

National School Sport WeekCelebrate playing and learning together by signing up for free resources

(https://www.youthsporttrust.org/nation-al-school-sport- week)

as part of the Youth Sport Trust’s National School Sport Week. The resources contain lots of ideas for bringing an active element to your school’s Get Together.

Why not consider a sports festival with an opening and closing ceremony celebrating different cultures or set up a range of sports activities giving students the opportunity to understand the importance of coming together through leading, coaching and officiating.


2019

Sixth form assembly and activity pack

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using this pack

The activities in this Great Get Together activity pack are designed for secondary schools and sixth forms to commemorate and celebrate Jo Cox MP, using her life and work to help young people develop their understanding of identity, diversity, community and equality.

Feel free to pick and mix activity suggestions in a way that allows you to use what is most suitable for your own communities, learners, ages and participation levels.

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Reflection questionWhat does this mean to you on both a local, national and international level? Why is this such an important message to focus on in today’s society

2. Telling Jo’s story

Key points about Jo’s life and work: • At school Jo worked very hard and her

favourite subject was Geography. Jo’s Geography teacher was the son of Bernard Kenny, the man who tried to ward off Jo’s murderer.

• In Jo’s last year at school, she campaigned to make the case for cancelling lessons ahead of exams and replacing them with home study time so that pupils could be under less stress and have more time to prepare.

• Jo was really sporty – she loved swimming, tennis and running and she once won all the medals at a swimming gala!

• Jo loved dancing and singing. She performed routines to dances in her pyjamas at school and took part in a production of Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat.

• Jo always dreamed of being an MP in her home constituency in Yorkshire.

• When Jo was 15, she went to London on a school trip and this was the first time she visited No.10 Downing Street.

• Jo was quite shy and focused on working hard and made the decision herself to go to Cambridge University. She found it difficult and didn’t feel like she fitted in because she sounded different to everyone else. However, she persevered and in the end made some great friends and studied politics and the world we live in.

• After university, Jo travelled and worked in some of the world’s most dangerous war zones, campaigning to make the world a fairer place.

• Jo spent many trips volunteering across the world, including in an orphanage in Bosnia.

• In 2015 on a car journey, Jo made the decision to become an MP. The decision wasn’t easy to make and she deliberated long and hard about whether she could be a good mother as well as a good MP.

• In 2015, Jo was elected as the MP for Batley & Spen in Yorkshire. She went back to work there and loved having the connection with her hometown.

• Jo worked extremely hard but always put her children first – she even voted in the Chamber in the House of Commons wearing her cycling gear so she could get home in time to put the children to bed.

• In her short time as an MP, Jo achieved so much and was held in high esteem across all political parties in the Houses of Parliament.

• Jo cared about a whole range of issues and spoke out about them in parliament – from loneliness to civilians in conflict zones and women in politics to the NHS.

Assembly

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What strikes you about the way Jo lived her life and the causes she cared about?

4. Great Get Together: Introduce TheGreat Get Together and the ideas behind it

• J o was killed because of her beliefs. Jo believed everyone has the right to their own beliefs and opinions but that we all have the responsibility to respect those of other people. The person that killed Jo was put on trial and found guilty and is now in prison.

• The weekend of the 21st-23rd June marks Jo’s 45th birthday and is around the second anniversary of Jo’s death. Jo’s friends and family didn’t want to mark her birthdayand anniversary with a sombre occasion.So, the plan is to hold celebrations to unite communities across the country.


• The message behind The Great Get Together is a simple one: that we all have more in common than that which divides us.

• J o’s family have said Jo would have been thrilled by the idea of The Great Get Together because it’s a chance to bring our communities together and celebrate what unites us. They feel there could be no more fitting tribute to Jo’s memory than The Great Get Together

5. Video



What could you/we do to get involved in The Great Get Together or to celebrate diversity in our community?

Adaptions for sixth form Incorporate participation by inviting members

of the school or local community to speak in the assembly about some similarities and differences they share (e.g. representatives from within the local community who represent different sections of society (University of the Third Age, staff from a charity which cares for disadvantaged children or young carers, the local Big Issue vendor/or a representative from the charity).

Reference social media as a way to promote the message (e.g. #moreincommon, #greatgettogether).

Alternative videos to use could include: ‘Momondo: The DNA Journey’ (https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyaEQEmt5ls&t=2s) or ‘All That We Share’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=jD8tjhVO1Tc&t=7s), both of which challenge the judgements we make about people and celebrate diversity. ‘All That We Share’ is a film made in Denmark about diversity.

Please note: teachers should watch this video in advance to check it is in line with your school’s policies.

Assembly

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Below is a range of activities that could be used with students in the classroom to reinforce and revisit messages delivered in the assembly. These may be suitable for use as part of an off-timetable day, in PSHE or Citizenship lessons or during tutor time. The activities include suggested timings, but these are flexible.

Jo’s voting record (15-20 mins):Students may appreciate looking at examples from Jo’s voting record in order to facilitate a discussion about how Jo lived her beliefs through her actions. Here’s a link to Jo’s voting actions:

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/25394/ jo_cox/batley_and_spen

Invite students to go through some recent bills in Parliament that have been voted on, e.g. statutory Relationships and Sex Education, Brexit. How would they cast their votes if they were an MP? Which way do they think Jo would have voted on these issues?

Pledge Cards (10-15 mins):Students write on a postcard explaining which of the issues Jo supported matters most to them and why. They could outline what they are going to do differently or how they will change their behaviour as a result of the learning they have taken part in. This could follow the assembly or other activities selected above. Completed pledge cards could be displayed on a ‘pledge wall’ in a communal space in school.

Celebrating Multiculturalism (45 mins):Ask students to mind map or list ideas about the many ways in which people are perceived to be different. How could they actively promote and celebrate diversity (age, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, disability) or raise awareness about discrimination within their Sixth Form? Who could they invite in to speak to them about it? What active steps could they take to promote ‘the more in common’ values that guided how Jo lived her life?

Year group swaps (30 mins):One of the issues Jo cared deeply about was loneliness. After work carried on by Jo’s friends Rachel Reeves MP and Seema Kennedy MP, the UK government now has a Minister for Loneliness. The Great Get Together is one way to tackle loneliness as by meeting up with others we can reduce loneliness.


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Invite a speaker in from The Campaign to End Loneliness.Ask students to consider how they could support the work of the organization. What outreach programmes could they get involved in to support older people who are lonely in the local community or how could they raise awareness of the problems people face who are suffering from loneliness?Invisible Similarities and Differences (15mins):

Creative Activities (30-45 mins):Having taken part in the assembly, students could make #moreincommon and #greatgettogether mini information films representing things they have found in common with others in their community and social issues that would benefit from greater community awareness in order to be addressed, e.g. loneliness across all ages. Examples of students shared work could be uploaded on the school website.

Projects Planning (15-20 mins):In groups, students can work together to contribute ideas to either plan a Great Get Together event or to support pupils at either KS 3 or KS 4 who are taking part in events. If they are organizing their own event they will need to, thinki about what the event would be and where it would be held, who they would invite, how they would advertise, how they could involve pupils further down the school and the resources and deadlines they would need to meet their aims. NB: schools will be invited to upload photographs to Twitter using the hashtag #moreincommon or#greatgettogether if they wish to.


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Sport is a fantastic way for young people to be physically active and be the best they can be irrespective of their age, gender, ability, religion and environment. The Chief Medical Officer’s recommendation is 60 minutes a day for sixth form students.

Here are some ideas from the Youth Sports Trust on activities to bring students together through sport:

International Inspiration (30 mins):Use these resource cards (https:// www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/ international_inspiration_traditional_games_reso urces_full_set_part1.pdf) to engage pupils in traditional games from across the world, teaching them about different cultures and games and encouraging them to build communities that allow people to help and support each other to lead happier, healthier and productive lives.

National School Sport WeekCelebrate playing and learning together by signing up for free resources

(https:// www.youthsporttrust.org/national-school-sport-week)

as part of the Youth Sport Trust’s National School Sport week. The resources contain lots of ideas for bringing an active element to your school’s Get Together.

Why not consider a sports festival with an opening and closing ceremony celebrating different cultures or set up a range of sports activities giving students the opportunity to understand the importance of coming together through leading, coaching and officiating.


Today we pledge to...

2019

Documents

2019 - Great Get Together … · L8: to resolve differences by looking at alternatives, seeing and respecting others’ points of view, making decisions and explaining choices L9: