Public Sector Equality Duty

How do we comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty?

1. Aims
Our vision and values are rooted in equalities and inclusion. Children are recognised as individuals and have the right to learn in a safe and caring environment. Our goal is to inspire a love of learning, nurture positive emotional and social wellbeing, empowering all to be their personal best and thrive within our community
Our values of Contribute, Aspire, Respect and Equality are taught and support children’s development as learners and people; preparing them for life in a global society. Relationships are key to this development and the schools are characterised by warm, respectful relationships.
We take our responsibility to broaden the horizons of children seriously and strive to overcome disadvantage and stand up against all forms of discrimination.
We know that we must meet our 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

2. Legislation and guidance
• This document meets the requirements under the following legislation:
• The Equality Act 2010, which introduced the public sector equality duty and protects people from discrimination
• The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011, which require schools to publish information to demonstrate how they are complying with the public sector equality duty and to publish equality objectives
• This document is also based on Department for Education (DfE) guidance: The Equality Act 2010 and schools.

3. Roles and responsibilities
The governing body will:
• Ensure that the equality plan 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
The equality link governor will:
• Meet with the designated member of staff for equality 3 times a year and other relevant staff, to discuss any issues and how these are being addressed
• Ensure they’re familiar with all relevant legislation and the contents of this document
• Attend appropriate equality and diversity training
• Report back to the full governing board regarding any issues
The Federation 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
The designated member of staff for equality will:
• Work with the Head Teacher in promoting knowledge and understanding of the equality objectives amongst staff and pupils
• Meet with the Equality Link governor 3 times a year to raise and discuss any issues
• Support the Head Teacher in identifying any staff training needs, and deliver training as necessary
• All school staff are expected to have an understanding of the information in this document and to work to achieve the objectives as set out in section 10.

4. 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. Where this has been discussed during a meeting it is recorded in the meeting minutes.
New staff receive training on the Equality Act as part of their induction, and all staff receive refresher training annually.
The school has a designated member of staff for monitoring equality issues, and an equality link governor. They regularly liaise regarding any issues and make senior leaders and governors aware of these as appropriate.

5. Advancing equality of opportunity
As set out in the DfE guidance on the Equality Act, the school aims to advance equality of opportunity by:
• Removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people which are connected to a particular characteristic they have (e.g. gender, disability, etc)
• Taking steps to meet the particular needs of people who have a particular characteristic (e.g. enabling Muslim pupils to pray at prescribed times)
• 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 societies)
In fulfilling this aspect of the duty, the school will:
• Publish attainment data each academic year showing how pupils with different characteristics are performing
• Analyse the above data to determine strengths and areas for improvement, implement actions in response and publish this information
• Monitor and support the attendance of all groups of pupils
• Ensure the school environment is as accessible as possible to pupils, staff and visitors
• Make evidence available identifying improvements for specific groups where necessary

6. Fostering good relations
The school aims to foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share it by:
• Promoting tolerance, friendship and understanding of a range of religions and cultures through different aspects of our curriculum. This includes teaching in RE, citizenship and personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, but also activities in other curriculum areas. For example, as part of teaching and learning in English/reading, pupils will be introduced to literature from a range of cultures
• Challenge stereotypes or prejudices as they arise
• Holding assemblies dealing with relevant issues, both planned across the year and reacting to any specific incident or issue. Pupils will be encouraged to be involved in such assemblies and we will also invite appropriate external speakers to contribute
• Working with our local community. This includes inviting leaders of local faith groups to speak at assemblies, and organising school trips and activities based around the local community
• Encouraging and implementing initiatives to deal with tensions between different groups of pupils within the school. For example, our school council has representatives from different year groups and is formed of pupils from a range of backgrounds. All pupils are encouraged to participate in the school’s activities, such as sports clubs. We also work with parents to promote knowledge and understanding of different cultures
• Building networks with and seeking advice from relevant organisations and providers who are able to provide expert support
• Welcoming members of the community into the school with due respect to their identified gender which will include supporting use of toilet facilities and use of preferred pronouns

7. Equality considerations in decision-making
The school ensures it has due regard to equality considerations whenever significant decisions are made and considers the impact of these decisions on particular groups. For example, when a school trip or activity is being planned, the school considers whether the trip:
• Cuts across any religious holidays
• Is accessible to pupils with disabilities
• Has equivalent facilities for boys and girls
• The school keeps a written record (known as an Equality Impact Assessment) to show we have actively considered our equality duties and asked ourselves relevant questions. This is recorded at the same time as the risk assessment when planning school trips and activities. The record is completed by the member of staff organising the activity and is stored electronically with the completed risk assessment.

8. Equality objectives
We have identified our Equality Objectives based using feedback from stakeholders and analysis of information available to us about our school and community. These objectives will be supported by an action plan that will be led by the Federation Head Teacher
1. To promote cultural understanding and awareness, valuing and celebrating various culture and religious beliefs amongst different ethnic groups within our school community
2. To actively close gaps in attainment and achievement between pupils and all groups of pupils; especially those with Special Educational Needs and those eligible for Pupil Premium
3. To provide appropriate early pastoral interventions for pupils to promote positive behaviour and inclusion, especially for pupil groups identified in behaviour monitoring (boys and pupils with Special Educational Needs)
4. To diversify the curriculum in all areas to ensure the positive representation of all protected characteristics so that pupils can see and be seen
5. To educate staff about equalities so that recording, reporting and action by staff following incidents is consistent and appropriate
6. To review relevant school policies and publication to ensure that they reflect our value of equality

9. Monitoring arrangements
This policy will be monitored by the Link Governor as set out above. The policy will be reviewed and updated annually with a summary published on the school website.