RAISING CULTURAL AWARENESS WHILE CONNECTING FOUNDATION SUBJECTS: A CASE STUDY IN PRIMARY EDUCATION

Abstract: This paper discusses the impact of an original cross-curricular approach called the Significant Individual Power (SIP). Chetty's (2020) research showed that providing students with an inclusive curriculum could enable them to be part of a more welcoming learning environment where they could encounter more opportunities to develop their critical thinking, and maximise their potential and engagement during lessons. This scheme used an ethnically diverse group of significant individuals as its core to promote cultural awareness while creating more meaningful connections within some of the marginalised foundation disciplines (Ofsted, 2018). The empirical research spanned from January 2023 to June 2023 and followed the national curriculum guidelines (DfE, 2013). The participants included pupils from multilingual backgrounds, a year 2 class (6-7 years old) in a state primary school in Camden (London). Two groups were involved: one followed the SIP scheme, and the other exclusively followed the school-wide approach. The study's results were analysed using a contrastive method and they revealed that the SIP positively influenced pupils' comprehension of inclusiveness and diversity and significantly enhanced their academic performance. Keywords: Significant individuals, cultural awareness, cross-curricular approach, inclusiveness, diversity.