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Public Sector Equality Duty

Aims

Our school aims to meet its obligations under the public sector equality duty by having due regard to the need to:

  • Eliminate discrimination and other conduct that is prohibited by the Equality Act 2010
  • Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it
  • Foster good relations across all characteristics – between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it

 

 What is the Public Sector Equality Duty (the PSED)?

The Public Sector Equality Duty requires public bodies to promote equality.  The relevant protected characteristics are-

  • age
  • disability,
  • gender reassignment
  • pregnancy and maternity
  • race
  • religion or belief
  • sex
  • sexual orientation

 

 Legislation and guidance

This document meets the requirements under the following legislation:

This document is also based on Department for Education (DfE) guidance: The Equality Act 2010 and schools.

 

 Roles and responsibilities

The governing board will:

  • Ensure that the equality information and objectives as set out in this statement are published and communicated throughout the school, including to staff, pupils and parents, and that they are reviewed and updated at least once every four years
  • Delegate responsibility for monitoring the achievement of the objectives on a daily basis to the Headteachers.

 The Headteachers will:

  • Promote knowledge and understanding of the equality objectives amongst staff and pupils
  • Monitor success in achieving the objectives and report back to governors

 

 The Assistant headteacher will:

  • Support the headteachers in promoting knowledge and understanding of the equality objectives amongst staff and pupils
  • Support the headteachers in identifying any staff training needs, and deliver training as necessary

 

 All school staff are expected to have regard to this document and to work to achieve the objectives as set out in section 7.

 

Eliminating discrimination

The school is aware of its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and complies with non-discrimination provisions.

Where relevant, our policies include reference to the importance of avoiding discrimination and other prohibited conduct.

Staff and governors are regularly reminded of their responsibilities under the Equality Act, for example during meetings.

 

Advancing equality of opportunity

As set out in the DfE guidance on the Equality Act, the school aims to advance equality of opportunity by:

  • Share attainment data each academic year showing how pupils with different characteristics are performing
  • Removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people which are connected to a particular characteristic they have (e.g. pupils with disabilities)
  • Taking steps to meet the particular needs of people who have a particular characteristic
  • Encouraging people who have a particular characteristic to participate fully in any activities (e.g. encouraging all pupils to be involved in the full range of school activities and removing potential barriers)

 

In fulfilling this aspect of the duty, the school will:

  • Analyse data to determine strengths and areas for improvement.  Implement actions in response.
  • Make evidence available identifying improvements for specific groups (e.g. declines in incidents of homophobic/racist language being used)

 

 How does Elveden C of E Primary Academy comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty?

The Public Sector Equality Duty aligns with our Christian Vision of Education ‘Let your light shine’ and associated Christian values. We encourage all children to be the best they can be in whatever they are passionate about and where their strengths lie. We also support them to overcome challenges through our ‘Building learning power’ aims; resilience, resourcefulness, reciprocity and reflectiveness. This encourages them to take ownership of their own learning.

 

 

 A Christian Vision of Education

The Christian vision of education has, at its heart, Jesus’ promise of ‘life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10).  So we seek to educate our children for fullness of life, to work to fulfil their God-given potential, whether they or their family identify with a faith or not, and with special consideration given to those who are disadvantaged.

 

Each child is to be understood as respectfully and deeply as possible: to be believed in and to be cherished.  As the Archbishop of Canterbury said: ‘A Christian school is one in which the entire atmosphere is pervaded by a conviction that there is… something potentially wonderful in everybody’. 

 

Our task as a Church of England school is to deliver an education that seeks human flourishing, so we set academic rigour within a wider framework, to prepare pupil’s for life’s journey. 

  

The school has a range of policies which make explicit the school’s long established commitment to actively promoting equality of opportunity for all. The main policies that deal with equality of opportunity are:

  • British Values
  • Accessibility plan
  • Equality policy
  • SEND policy
  • Behaviour policy
  • Anti-bullying policy
  • Religious Education Policy
  • Curriculum Statements

 

Elveden C of E Primary Academy prides itself on being an inclusive school that cares for every individual child.  In doing so, we promote and deliver a range of strategies to ensure that we comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty.  Some of these are;

 

  • Active promotion of Christian values whilst remaining inclusive for all.
  • Promoting the rights of each individual through our ethos, behaviour policy and curriculum content.
  • Promoting tolerance, individual liberty, friendship and understanding by actively promoting British Values through Collective Worship and activities in family groups.
  • Promoting tolerance, mutual respect and understanding through social, moral, spiritual and cultural days, throughout the year.  Working with the community by inviting in leaders of local faith groups to speak in Collective Worship and deliver class workshops.
  • Promoting tolerance and mutual respect through projects and celebrations i.e. International Women’s Day, Autism Awareness day, ‘Be Yourself day’  and Black History Month.
  • Taking steps to meet the needs of individuals – through our pastoral support approach, for example Mental Health First Aider support, Thrive (CISS), ELSA, Zones of regulation.
  • Promoting inclusion, tolerance, friendship and understanding through different aspects of our curriculum.  This includes teaching in RE, PSHE, History and other subjects.  In history in LKS2, we teach a whole unit on LGBTQ+ and the origins of this and its relevance today. This prepares them for life in modern Britain. In English, a variety of texts from different cultures are used including different religions in R.E. Literacy weeks.   Scientists, historians, artists, poets, engineers and designers who represent the protected characteristics have been embedded within the curriculum and the school have invested heavily in books to support this.
  • The new building work will incorporate disabled access and we have a hearing loop in the school hall if needed. We also have an Evac chair on sight and staff have been trained to use this.
  • Fundraising for many charities throughout the year and raising awareness of different groups that need support.
  • Monitoring and evaluating the attainment and progress of all pupils; looking at the performance of particular groups who share a protected characteristic to compare their performance with those who do not share it.
  • Supporting all staff and children to reach their potential and to remove barriers to learning as much as possible.
  • Interventions to maximise the progress of all groups of children
  • Encouraging children who have a particular character strength to participate fully in all activities – for example; after school clubs, sports leaders, choir, school council, eco warriors, musical performance.
  • Curriculum trips that enhance cultural capital including the ‘Elveden Explorers’ programme and ‘Treasured Memories’
  • Active promotion of Elveden C of E Primary Academy’s Behaviour policy
  • Active promotion of the Anti-bullying policy
  • Restorative justice – supporting any tensions between different groups of pupils within the school and making time for restorative practice.
  • Service level agreement with SENCo and Inclusion support
  • Working alongside the  NHS Mental Health Support Team

 

Equality objectives (2021-2025)

Under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) the school is required to set Equality Objectives.

Our published information must be updated annually and objectives published at least once every four years.

 

Objective 1: To narrow the gap of progress made between boys and girls across the school.

 

Objective 2: To analyse statistical data (Attendance, SEN, EAL, PP) to ensure that there are not any trends that could be the cause of discriminatory behaviour or actions.

 

Objective 3: To ensure that staff induction includes raising awareness of, and staff understanding their responsibilities under, the Equality Act.

 

Objective 4: Adopting a whole-school approach which will provide staff with guidance on how to deal with homophobia in school.