Contacts
BME Achievement Standards and School Effectiveness SROB203 Robertson House Six Hills Way Stevenage Hertfordshire SG1 2FQ Tel: 01438 844387
Links
Early Years PSHE SEAL RE - Primary Scheme of Work - Use of Persona Dolls
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Persona Dolls – a Resource for PSHCE and SEAL in Primary Schools and for PSED in Early Years Settings

A Resource for Loan to Teachers and Practitioners

Six Persona Dolls of different ethnicities are available for short term loan to schools.
For two of the Dolls (of Pakistani and Polish origin) detailed Personas and accompanying materials have been developed.

Why Use the Dolls?

Persona Dolls visit classes, usually at Circle Time. They have individual personalities, life and family histories, likes and dislikes.  They tell stories and share information about events in their lives and they encourage children to respond with their own experience. They ask children to assist them to solve problems that have arisen.

Persona Dolls help children appreciate their own individuality, to feel good about themselves and their own cultural and family backgrounds while respecting, valuing and learning about those of others.  They help children notice and talk about the similarities and differences between them and learn that it is good to be different and not something to tease or harass each other about.  

Persona Dolls and the stories they tell provide a non-threatening way to combat prejudiced attitudes and discriminatory behaviour. They can be used to explore a wide range of issues and promote an inclusive ethos. They can:

• challenge the values, stereotypes and prejudices that underpin exclusion and discrimination
• help children recognise and understand that words and actions can be hurtful
• encourage empathy
• build confidence to stand up for people who experience discrimination and unfair treatment

Persona Dolls can be used as a resource to support SEAL at KS1 and 2 and SEAD in the Early Years Foundation Stage

Training about Using Persona Dolls in Your School/Setting

Before you decide to use the Dolls you may wish to book a training session for your staff. For further information about the training or about Persona Dolls please contact:

Chris Green
EAL Adviser

Tel: 01438 844387
Email: chris.green@hertscc.gov.uk

Suppliers of Persona Dolls

Babette Brown, 51 Granville Road, London  N12 OJH
Tel: 020 8446 7056, Fax: 020 8446 7591
E mail: personadoll@tiscali.co.uk

• www.persona-doll-training.org

Parrotfish Company, Laundry Cottage, Church Road, Nacton,
Suffolk IP10 0ES  Tel/Fax: 01473 655007
www.parrotfish.co.uk

Training Materials

Four training packs with DVD’s are available from:
Persona Dolls Training
www.persona-doll-training.org
An order form can be downloaded from the site:
    
     i) ‘Persona Dolls in Action’
     ii) ‘Celebrating Diversity : Inclusion in Practice’
     iii) ‘Citizenship For All; respect, rights, responsibility’
     iv) ‘Using Persona Dolls with Older Children’

Books

‘The Little Book of Persona Dolls’ by Marilyn Bowles 
publ.  Featherstone Education (2004)

‘Combating Discrimination, Persona Dolls in Action’
by Babette Brown
Publ. Trentham Books Ltd (2001)

‘Unlearning Discrimination in the Early Years’
By Babette Brown
Publ. Trentham Books Ltd (1998)

‘Equality in Action: a way forward with Persona Dolls’
By Babette Brown
Publ. Trentham Books Ltd (2008)

Useful Websites

• www.persona-doll-training.org/

This is the website of Persona Dolls Training – the organisation that promotes Persona Dolls and that has produced the training materials (DVDs, books and guidance for teachers/practitioners).

Portsmouth EMA website

Includes video clips of a practitioner using a Doll:

• www.blss.portsmouth.sch.uk/earlyears/eypdolls.shtml

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