Public bodies, including schools, have a duty, under the 2010 Equality Act, to ensure that they promote equality within their organisation and this statement sets out how we try to achieve this at St. Helen’s Church of England Primary School.  We fundamentally believe that it is the right of every person to be treated with equal dignity and respect which is integral to our school ethos and underpins all that we do.

Equality Statement

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.

 ‘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.’ 

The Equality Act 2010 makes it explicit that we have a responsibility to have due regard to the need to:

• eliminate discrimination and other conduct that is prohibited by the Act
• 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

A protected characteristic could be one of a multitude of factors that are shared by particular groups of people, but will include characteristics such as sex, age, race, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity. 

Central to a commitment to fulfil our responsibility is a recognition that all groups with protected characteristics fall within the human race as a whole and therefore have equal status and equal rights in light of this.  As a result, we believe that success can be achieved by realising the uniqueness of individuals.  As far as we possibly can, we ensure that we have a prejudice-free environment where no one will discriminate against, harass or victimise any member of our community or the wider human race for any reason linked to their individual characteristics, circumstances or beliefs.

Governing Body

Our governors, in their work to uphold their responsibility 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 Head Teacher

Head Teacher

Our Head Teacher will:

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

Classroom Staff

Our classroom staff will:

• Teach a balanced and fair curriculum that challenges knowledge and promotes understanding
• Support every individual to achieve highly and progress well from their individual starting points
• Promote a culture of mutual trust and support where everyone feels valued, comfortable and listened to in all aspects of school life, including when sharing concerns or worries, no matter how small
• Work effectively with a range of people who support our children eg. parents, medical colleagues and education support staff, to maximise potential and to overcome barriers to progress

Whole Staff Group

Our whole staff group will:

• Promote equality and inclusivity
• Lead by example

Children

Our children will:

• Be encouraged, taught and supported to understand one another and to accept respect and celebrate individual difference
• Be encouraged and supported to include everyone
• Be reminded of what to do if someone is unkind to another person in order to effectively support one another

St. Helen’s Church of England Primary School prides itself of being a school where inclusion and equal opportunity is important, indeed central to our work with every individual.  Evidence of our impact can be seen in our monitoring and assessment outcomes, including statutory assessment outcomes at the end of Key Stages, Ofsted reports, local authority visits outcomes and pupil, staff and parent questionnaires.

Examples of our compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty can be seen in, but are not limited to, the following examples:

• Policies that deal with equality issues eg. Accessibility Plan, Equality Policy; SEND Policy, Behaviour Policy
• Promotion of understanding, respect, individual liberty and tolerance in assemblies, religious education lessons and through our curriculum
• Strong and consistent Code of Conduct
• Equal access to the curriculum including through the use of online teaching if needed
• Monitoring and evaluating the attainment and progress of cohorts, groups and individuals and support mechanisms and strategies to address underperformance or vulnerability
• Effective working with outside agencies such as counselling services, medical professionals and education support services
• Equal access to wider school activities such as clubs, visits and residential trips
• Charitable support and fundraising