In a ground-breaking initiative to champion inclusivity in education, Hemisphere Education has joined forces with Muswell Hill Primary School, to deliver a pioneering program designed to dismantle unconscious bias and enhance racial literacy.
What is Hemisphere?
Hemisphere is a brain-training platform that disrupts bias and improves racial literacy. From hair to names to cultural norms, Hemisphere is a whole-school approach to building belonging. It provides staff with a toolkit to understand, safeguard and nourish students from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds, and empowers pupils in their peer-to-peer interactions.
Hemisphere Education has been developed by Rare, experts in race equity, and helps school leaders, teachers and staff combat bias by helping all to better understand Black children’s school experiences. Our aim for this project is to foster belonging and create an environment where every student can thrive. Rare has been working with prestigious institutions including Oxford and Cambridge Universities since 2012, providing school students access to role models already studying at Oxbridge. Its aim is to inspire students, inform them on how to develop their subject knowledge through external activities and encourage students to aim for top GCSE grades. Rare is also working with major corporations such as JP Morgan and McKinsey, and key players in the legal and finance sectors, helping these organisations recognise, deal and overcome obstacles to diversity and eliminate discrimination.
Hemisphere has been developed on the basis of extensive research and evidence of bias in UK schools, and the effect of that bias on outcomes for children of Black and minority ethnic heritage. It blends government data, Rare’s original research into the school experiences of hundreds of the UK’s highest achieving students, animations and interactive exercises to distil Rare’s 18 years’ experience and knowledge into CPD for staff, and sessions for secondary-aged students.
Muswell Hill Primary School, is an inclusive school which lives and breathes its ethos ''Everyone belongs here...' and recognises that there is always more which can be done to support, encourage and inspire all its students to aim high and achieve the best possible outcomes.
The partnership aims to create a successful learning environment and empower educators and pupils alike with the tools to break down barriers to inclusion. By integrating Hemisphere into our professional development framework as part of our Racial Equity commitment for successful educational practices that prioritise diversity, equality, and inclusion.
This collaboration isn't just about successful schooling; it's about creating a comprehensive training ground where inclusivity permeates education. Through this partnership, Muswell Hill and Hemisphere aim to shape a future where every child feels seen, heard, and valued, helping pave the way for a more inclusive society.
The first year of our training focused on the school experiences of children of Black heritage, this year we have focused on British South Asians and next year will be on British Chinese. Research and planning is underway into the school experiences of British Jews, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children which will inform future Hemisphere training modules.
