Our school aims to meet its obligation under the public sector equality duty by having due regards to the need to:
As a school we welcome our duties under the Equality Act 2010. The general duties are to:
We understand the principal of the act and the work needed to ensure that those with protected characteristics are not discriminated against and are given equality of opportunity.
A protected characteristic under the act covers the groups listed below:
In order to meet our general duties, listed above, the law requires us to do some specific duties to demonstrate how we meet the general duties. These are to:
We will not publish any information that can specifically identify any child or employee of the school
To do this we will collect data related to the protected characteristics above and analyse this data to determine our focus for our equality objectives. The data will be assessed across our core provisions as a school. This will include the following functions:
Our objectives will detail how we will ensure equality is applied to the services listed above however where we find evidence that other functions have a significant impact on any particular group we will include work in this area.
We also welcome our duty under the Education and Inspections Act 2006 to promote community cohesion.
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.
Through rigorous tracking and monitoring, alongside outside multi-agency involvement, we strive to ensure equality of delivery of services.
In fulfilling our legal obligations we will:
This document meets the requirements under the following legislation:
The Equality Act 2010, The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011, The Equality Act 2010 and Schools.
Our school will continue to motivate young children in their development leading to a positive participation in society.
We are committed to raising educational achievements and standards in a welcoming, caring and safe environment.
At St-Mary’s Fields Primary School we are committed to ensuring that each child reaches their potential and develops an enthusiasm for lifelong learning. Our vision is for the children to leave St Mary’s as confident, independent, respectful and self-motivated young people equipped with the academic, social and emotional skills to take on their next challenge. During the children’s school they will take part in our ‘Route to Resilience’ work where children work on 35 character muscles.
At St Mary’s Fields we aim for children to be:
| Creative | Independent Learners | Problem Solvers |
| Curiosity – EYFS | Independence | Problem solving |
| Imagination | Risk taking | Perseverance |
| Inventive – KS2 | Enthusiasm | Reasoning |
| Questioning – KS1 KS1 | Concentration Attention | Adaptable |
| Imitation | Making links |
| Team-Player | Resilient | Reflective Learners |
| Inclusiveness | Resilience | Honesty |
| Listening / Communicating | Confidence | Self-efficacy |
| Friendship | Positivity | Improving |
| Cooperation | Self-control | Self esteem |
| Empathy | Feeling Safe & Secure | |
| Respect | ||
| Kindness | ||
| Good humour | ||
| Humility | ||
| Gratitude |
This school is opposed to all forms of prejudice and we recognise that children and young people who experience any form of prejudice related discrimination may fair less well in the education system. We provide both our pupils and staff with an awareness of the impact of prejudice in order to prevent any incidents. If incidents still occur we address them immediately and report them to the Local Authority using their guidance material. The Local Authority may provide some support.
We believe that promoting Equality is a whole school responsibility:
| School Community | Responsibility |
| Governing Body | Involving and engaging the whole school community in identifying and understanding equality barriers and in the setting of objectives to address these. |
| Head teacher | As above, including: Promoting key messages to staff, parents and pupils about equality and what is expected of them and can be expected from the school in carrying out its day to day duties. Ensure that staff have appropriate skills to deliver equality, including pupil awareness. Ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibility to record and report prejudice related incidents. |
| Senior Management Team | To support the Head / Principal as above. Ensure fair treatment and access to services and opportunities. Ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibility to record and report prejudice related incidents. To monitor curriculum planning and design to ensure an inclusive curriculum, which takes into account our school’s objectives, is being delivered. |
| Teaching Staff | Help in delivering the right outcomes for pupils. Uphold the commitment made to pupils and parents/carers on how they can be expected to be treated. Design and deliver an inclusive curriculum. Ensure that you are aware of your responsibility to record and report prejudice related incidents. |
| Support Staff | Support the school and the governing body in delivering a fair and equitable service to all stakeholders. Uphold the commitment made by the head teacher/principal on how pupils and parents/carers can be expected to be treated. Support colleagues within the school community. Ensure that you are aware of your responsibility to record and report prejudice related incidents. |
| Parents/Carers | Take an active part in identifying barriers for the school community and in informing the governing body of actions that can be taken to eradicate these. Take an active role in supporting and challenging the school to achieve the commitment given to the school community in tackling inequality and achieving equality of opportunity for all. |
| Pupils | Supporting the school to achieve the commitment made to tackling inequality. Uphold the commitment made by the head teacher on how pupils and parents/carers, staff and the wider school community can be expected to be treated. |
| Local Community Members /Visitors | Take an active part in identifying barriers for the school community and in informing the governing body of actions that can be taken to eradicate these. Take an active role in supporting and challenging the school to achieve the commitment given to the s |
| Volunteers | Take an active role in supporting and challenging the school to achieve the commitment made to the school community in tackling inequality and achieving equality of opportunity for all. |
We will ensure that the whole school community is aware of the Equality Policy which is published on the School Website.
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. Where this has been discussed during a meeting it is recorded in the meeting minutes.
New members of staff are required to read the Equality Act alongside our policy during their induction period
Our designated member of staff for monitoring equality issues is the Assistant Head Teacher for SEND. As part of this role, they will regularly liaise with the Head Teacher regarding any issues and make senior leaders and governors aware as when appropriate.
If any member of staff is concerned that discriminative behaviour or conduct has taken place they must report this to the designated member of staff for further investigation.
As an employer we need to ensure that we eliminate discrimination and harassment in our employment practice and actively promote equality across all groups within our workforce. (Refer to Staff Code of Conduct). Equality aspects such as age, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender re-assignment and faith or religion are considered when appointing staff to ensure decisions are free of discrimination – we want a balanced work force reflective of our community and the society in which we live. Actions to ensure this commitment is met include:
The school applies the LEA admissions criteria fairly and consistently to ensure we do not discriminate because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and socio-economic factors.
Information about pupils’ ethnicity, first language, religion, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), diet etc, is included in all admission forms.
School attendance is monitored by gender, ethnicity, special educational needs, free school meals and appropriate actions are taken to reduce any disparities between different groups of pupils.
Exclusions will always be based on our Behaviour and Exclusions Policies. We will closely monitor exclusions to avoid any potential adverse impact or bias; and ensure any discrepancies are identified and dealt with. Exclusions are only used when all other channels to support a child’s needs have been exhausted.
As set out in the DfE guidance on the Equality Act, the school aims to advance equality of opportunity by:
The school aims to foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share it by:
The following are suggestions only and will need to be adapted depending on your school’s circumstances.
The school ensures it has due regard to equality considerations whenever significant decisions are made.
The school always considers the impact of significant decisions on particular groups. For example, when a school trip or activity is being planned, the school considers whether the trip:
This links to the following policies:
Complaints with regard to this policy will be dealt with via the school’s complaints procedure, a copy of which is available from the school office. Further guidance for parents and carers and school governors on the Equality Act 2010 can be found on Leicester City Council’s Website
Complaints with regard to this policy will be dealt with via the schools complaints procedure, a copy of which is available from the school office. Further guidance for parents and carers and school governors on the Equality Act 2010 can be found on Leicester City Council’s Website: http://schools.leicester.gov.uk/equalityguidance/
