Here at Moreton Say C of E Primary School we are committed to the development of cohesive communities both within our school’s physical boundaries and within our local, national and global environments. Our school embraces the aim of working together with others to improve children’s educational and well-being outcomes. You can view the policy and action plan here.
The Equality Act 2010 was introduced to ensure protection from discrimination, harassment and victimisation on the grounds of specific characteristics (referred to as protected characteristics). This means that schools cannot discriminate against pupils or treat them less favourably because of their sex (gender), race, disability, religion or belief, gender reassignment, sexual orientation or pregnancy or maternity.
The Act introduced requires all schools to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty and two specific duties.
Public Sector Equality Duty requires us a school to:
Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation Advance equality of opportunity between different groups
Foster good relations between different groups
The Two “specific duties” requires us to:
-Publish information to show compliance with the Equality Duty. This can be found within our policy.
-Publish Equality Objectives at least every 4 years which are specific and measurable
We recognise that these duties reflect international human rights standards as expressed in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, and the Human Rights Act 1998.
Equality Statement:
Our Equality Statement is based on the principles above and aims to ensure that:
‘All pupils and members of staff at our School are provided with opportunities to fulfil their potential whatever their sex, race, colour ethnic or national origin, marital status, age, sexual orientation, disability or religious belief.’
These duties apply to all aspects of the school and members of the school community, including developing policies, making decisions, delivering services and employing people.
Children
Children are encouraged to participate fully in all school activities and have equality of opportunities irrespective of gender or identity. The school also actively seeks to avoid sex or gender stereotypes, promotes a culture of acceptance and will not tolerate bullying, harassment or marginalisation.
The school has policies covering special educational needs and disability, as well as children with socially disadvantaged backgrounds, and looked after children. The school works closely with parents and carers to ensure that children with particular needs and vulnerable children are suitably supported in their teaching and learning at school and at home.
Parents, carers and visitors
The school extends its principles of equality to all those using the school facilities and aims to accommodate their particular needs. People with protected characteristics are particularly encouraged to participate in the work of the school. The school building is considered accessible and accessibility requirements are considered in all aspects of policy and planning. The school web site is designed to be accessible to assistive technologies. While the school seeks to use online services where possible, information is also available and can be be provided in paper form on request.
Employees and governors
Like all employers, the school is legally obliged to provide equality of opportunity to all current and prospective employees. This also extends to school governors. The school ensures that its policies, procedures and practices do not discriminate against any people with protected characteristics, including age, disability, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, pregnancy and maternity. Best practice processes are applied to the recruitment and advancement of staff to ensure equality of opportunity.
Equality objectives
- To promote cultural development and understanding through a rich range of experiences both in and beyond the school, with particular reference to issues of equality and diversity.
- To keep children safe from prejudiced based bullying in relation to the protected characteristics listed in the Equality Act 2010.
- To review levels of parental and pupil engagement in learning and school life, across all activities to ensure equity and fairness in access and engagement.
- To monitor and analyse pupil progress and attainment by race, gender and disability and act upon any trends or patterns in data that require additional support for pupils.
The AddMore Federation are aiming to achieve the Educating for Equality quality mark and we have begun our journey in applying for the Allegiance Award. Schools that achieve the ‘Educating for Equality Awards’ © are nationally recognised for their ongoing commitment to eliminating injustices and creating an equitable society. The criteria and application process provides schools with a robust framework, informed by research principles, to guide their journey towards becoming an anti-racist and gender equal school.
Accessibility Plan