Equity Policy
September 2016 - This is a working document that will be
monitored and reviewed annually thus next review date will be
September 2017.
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Equity Policy
1. Philosophy
At Hardingstone Academy the spiritual, social, moral and cultural (SMSC)
development of all our children and being safe is paramount. We believe that
the most important function of the school is to maintain an environment in which
every member of the school is able to achieve success and self- fulfilment.
There must be a total consistency of expectation that everyone (irrespective of
gender, race or culture) should feel safe and secure, have empathy for all
others, and place a high value upon individual achievement and personal
development.
2. Mission Statement.
Hardingstone Academy is committed to ensuring equality of education and
opportunity for all pupils, staff, parents and carers, service providers and
teacher training students, irrespective of race, gender or gender identity,
disability, faith or religion, sexual identity or socio-economic background. We
foster a culture of inclusion and diversity, in which all those connected to the
school feel proud of their identity and feel able to participate fully in school life.
The achievement of pupils will be monitored by race, gender and ability and we
will use this data to support pupils, raise standards and ensure inclusive
teaching. We will tackle discrimination by the positive promotion of equality,
challenging bullying and stereotypes and creating an environment which
champions respect for all. At Hardingstone Academy we believe that diversity is
a strength, which should be respected and celebrated by all those who learn,
teach and visit here.
Hardingstone Academy continuously strives to foster warm, welcoming and
respectful environments, which allow us to question and challenge
discrimination and inequality, resolve conflicts peacefully and work and learn
free from harassment, violence, prejudice and/ or discrimination.
We recognise that there are similarities and differences between individuals and
groups but we will strive to ensure that our differences do not become barriers
to participation, access and learning and to create inclusive processes and
practices, where the varying needs of individuals and groups are identified and
met. We therefore cannot achieve equality for all by treating everyone the
same. We will build on our similarities and seek enrichment from our differences
and so promote understanding and learning between and towards others to
create cohesive communities.
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3. Introduction:
A new Equality Act came into force on 1 October 2010. The Equality Act brings
together over 116 separate pieces of legislation into one single Act. Combined,
they make up a new Act that provides a legal framework to protect the rights of
individuals and advance equality of opportunity for all. The Act provides a new
discrimination law that protects individuals from unfair treatment and promotes a
fair and more equal society.
The nine main pieces of legislation that have merged are: •
the Equal Pay
Act 1970 • the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 • the Race Relations Act 1976
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the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 • the Employment Equality (Religion
or Belief) Regulations 2003 • the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation)
Regulations 2003 •
the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 • the
Equality Act 2006, Part 2 • the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations
2007
The Act includes a specific Public Sector Equality Duty (General Duty) that
commenced on 6th April 2011 and applies to all state schools, giving them legal
responsibilities to demonstrate that they are taking action on equality in
policymaking, the delivery of services and public sector employment. The duty
requires public bodies to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation,
advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations. The Duty covers nine
protected characteristics: age, disability, gender and gender reassignment,
pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation,
marriage and civil partnership.
Public bodies are required to take steps not just to eliminate unlawful
discrimination and harassment, but also to actively promote equality. The
provisions of the Equality Act mean that harassing someone or treating them
less favourably because of the age (applicable to employees only), disability,
gender (including gender reassignment), ethnicity, sexual orientation or age of
someone that they are associated with is unlawful. It will also be possible for a
third party to bring a claim of harassment related to age, gender, disability,
sexual orientation, religion, marriage and civil partnership, ethnicity or gender
re-assignment even if they were not the subject or recipient of the actions of
behaviour.
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4. Rationale for Developing this Equality Policy.
This Equality Policy brings together all previous policies, schemes and action
plans around equality including those that we had previously for Race, Gender
and Disability. It includes all the protected characteristics covered under the
Equality Act 2010 as well as other aspects that have the potential to
discriminate against or to devalue any individuals within our community. We are
further 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 wellbeing outcomes, and notes the rights set
out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Our Equality Policy is inclusive of our whole school community –
pupils/students, staff, parents/carers, visitors and partner agencies - who we
have engaged with and who have been actively involved in and contributed to
its development.
The purpose of this Policy is to set out how our practice and policies have due
regard to the need to:
- eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation; - advance equality
of opportunity and - foster good relations between groups.
It explains the emphasis we place on ensuring and maximising potential for all
and the involvement for pupils, staff, parents and the community in achieving
better outcomes for our children and young people.
5. Our School within the Wider Context.
The national demographic presents an ever-changing picture in terms of age,
ethnicity, disability and social deprivation. Hardingstone Academy, is a small,
one-form entry primary school that is popular. Pupils come from a wide range
of social and cultural backgrounds.
Whole school Information.
The full school context for June 2015 , for both staff and pupils, is currently: 201
pupils and 29 staff
• Three pupils have been adopted from care
• The performance and progress of all vulnerable groups are
monitored, analysed and subsequently appropriate targets and action points
implemented to ensure all children are reaching their full potential.
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• Pupil Premium data is as follows:
• A proportion of our children are from low-income households and the school
is aware that there is a possible relationship between low income and full
participation in education. Thus, this is a vulnerable group we monitor as the
point above. We also monitor the subgroups within this group including (PP
boys and girls, PP 3b and SEN) to ensure all children within this group make
good and outstanding progress.
• Parental involvement is very high and attendance at parent evenings is
excellent.
6. Key Aims and Objectives of our Equity Policy.
At Hardingstone Academy our overarching aims are to:
• To eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
• To promote equality of access and opportunity within our school and
within our wider community.
• To promote positive attitudes to difference and good relationships between
people with different backgrounds, genders, cultures, faiths, abilities and
ethnic origins.
• To ensure that equality and inclusive practice are embedded across all
aspects of school life.
Issues relating to adults within the school community can be embraced under
these themes and reflected in the action plan.
7. Our approach
We seek to embed equality of access, opportunity and outcome for all members
of our school community, within all aspects of school life.
a). We actively seek out opportunities to embrace the following key
concepts:
• Shared Humanity. Identifying commonality and shared values, aspirations
and needs underpins our approach to equality. We value our fundamental
similarities and universality.
• Valuing difference and diversity. We appreciate the richness within our
differences and look for ways of celebrating and understanding them better.
• Interdependence, interaction and influence. We recognise that, as they evolve,
distinct cultures, beliefs and lifestyles will impact on and inform each other.
• Social cohesion within our school and within our local community.
• Excellence. We aim to inspire and recognise high personal and collective
achievement throughout our community, the UK and the wider world.
Excellence is to be found throughout all areas of school life.
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• Personal and cultural identity. We will provide opportunities to explore and
value the complexity of our personal and cultural identities.
• Fairness and social justice. We will develop our understanding of the
inequality that exists in society and explore ways of individually and
collectively promoting a more equitable society.
b). As well as the specific actions set out in our Equity Action Plan, the school
operates equality of opportunity in its day to day practice in the following
ways:
Teaching and learning
We aim to provide all our pupils with the opportunity to succeed, and to reach
the highest level of personal achievement. To do this, we will:
• Use contextual data to improve the ways in which we provide support to
individuals and groups of pupils;
• Monitor achievement data by ethnicity, gender and disability and action
any gaps;
• Take account of the achievement of all pupils when planning for future
learning and setting challenging targets;
• Ensure equality of access for all pupils and prepare them for life in a diverse
society;
• Use materials that reflect the diversity of the school, population and local
community in terms of race, gender and disability, without stereotyping;
• Promote attitudes and values that will challenge racist and other
discriminatory behaviour or prejudice;
• Provide opportunities for pupils to appreciate their own culture and celebrate
the diversity of other cultures;
• Seek to involve all parents in supporting their child’s education;
• Encouraging classroom and staffroom discussion of equality issues which
reflect on social stereotypes, expectations and the impact on learning;
• Including teaching and classroom-based approaches appropriate for the
whole school population, which are inclusive and reflective of our pupils.
We also operate equality of practise in the following ways:
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Ensuring all activities, including before and after-school activities, are open
to all, making reasonable adjustments where appropriate.
The school adheres to recruitment and selection processes that are fair,
equitable and in line with statutory duties and Northamptonshire County
Council guidelines.
Ensuring all staff receive annual performance reviews (Performance
Management policy).
Training and development opportunities are available to all staff, subject
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to budget constraints.
Admissions and exclusions.
Our admissions arrangements are fair and transparent, and do not discriminate
on race, gender, disability or socio-economic factors.
Exclusions will always be based on the school’s Behaviour Policy. We will
closely monitor exclusions to avoid any potential adverse impact and ensure
any discrepancies are identified and dealt with.
8. Equal Opportunities for Staff.
This section deals with aspects of equal opportunities relating to staff at
Hardingstone Academy.
We are committed to the implementation of equal opportunities principles and
the monitoring and active promotion of equality in all aspects of staffing and
employment. All staff appointments and promotions are made on the basis of
merit and ability and in compliance with the law. However, we are concerned to
ensure wherever possible that the staffing of the school reflects the diversity of
our community.
Employer duties.
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. Equality aspects such as gender, race, disability,
sexual orientation, gender re-assignment and faith or religion are considered
when appointing staff and particularly when allocating Teaching and Learning
Responsibilities (TLR) or re-evaluating staff structures, to ensure decisions are
free of discrimination.
Actions to ensure this commitment is met include:
• Monitoring recruitment and retention including bullying and harassment of
staff;
• Continued professional development opportunities for all staff;
• Eliminate racial discrimination,
• Promote equality of opportunity;
• Promote good relations between people of different racial groups.
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• Senior Leadership Team support to ensure equality of opportunity for all.
9. Equality and the law.
There are a number of statutory duties that must be met by every school in line
with legislation from the Race Relations (Amendment) Act (2000), Disability
Equality Duty (2005) and Equality Act (2006).
Our Equality action plan outlines the actions Two Mile Ash School take to meet
the general duties detailed below.
9a. Race Equality
This section of the plan reflects the general and specific duties of schools as
detailed in The Race Relations Act 1976 and as amended by The Race
Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.
The General Race Equality Duty requires us to have due regard to the need to:
- Eliminate racial discrimination;
- Promote equality of opportunity;
- Promote good relations between people of different racial groups.
Under our specific duty we:
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Prepare an Equality Plan which includes our written policy for race equality;
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Assess the impact of our policies, including this Plan, on pupils, staff and
parents by ethnicity including, in particular, the achievement levels of these
pupils;
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Monitor the impact our plans and policies have on such pupils, staff and
parents towards raising the achievement of minority ethnic groups.
9b. Disability.
This section should be read in conjunction with the school’s Inclusion Policy,
Special Educational Needs Policy, Disability Equality Scheme, Disability Policy
and Accessibility Strategy.
Definition of disability
The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (DDA) defines a disabled person as
someone who has ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial or
long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day
activities’.
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The DDA 2005 has also extended the definition of disability as follows:
- People with HIV, multiple sclerosis and cancer (although not all cancers)
are deemed disabled before they experience the long- term and
substantial adverse effect on their activities;
- Section18 has been amended so that individuals with a mental illness no
longer have to demonstrate that it is “clinically well- recognised”, although
the person must still demonstrate a long- term and substantial adverse
impact on his/her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
Our accessibility policy and plan details the improvements to access in relation
to the curriculum, delivery of written information and developing access to the
physical environment of the school.
Legal duties.
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 2005 placed a general duty on schools,
requiring them to have due regard for the following when carrying out and
delivering services:
• Promoting equality of opportunity between disabled people and other people;
• Eliminating discrimination and harassment of disabled people that is related
to their disability;
• Promoting positive attitudes towards disabled people; • Encouraging
participation in public life by disabled people; • Taking steps to meet disabled
people’s needs, even if this requires more favourable treatment. Under our
specific duty we will:
• Prepare and publish an Equality Plan which covers the requirements for a
Disability Equality Scheme identifying our disability equality goals and actions
to meet them;
• Review and revise this Scheme every three years.
9c. Gender Equality
The Gender Equality Duty 2006 places a general and specific duty on schools
to eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment on the grounds of gender
and to promote equality of opportunity between female and male pupils and
between women and men and transgender people.
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Under our general duty we will actively seek to:
• Eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment on grounds of sex and
gender reassignment;
• Promote equality between men and women. Under our specific duty we will:
• Prepare and publish an Equality Plan which covers the requirements for a
Gender Equality Scheme identifying our gender equality goals and actions to
meet them;
• Review and revise this Scheme every three years. 9d. Sexual Orientation.
The Equality Act 2006 made provision for regulations to be introduced to extend
protection against discrimination on grounds of religion or belief to sexual
orientation.
The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 came into force on 30
April 2007, and they make discrimination unlawful in the area of goods, facilities
and services on grounds of sexual orientation. For schools this means
admissions, benefits and services for pupils and treatment of pupils.
9e. Community cohesion.
The Education and Inspections Act 2006 inserted a new section 21(5) to the
Education Act 2002, introducing a duty on the governing bodies of state schools
to promote community cohesion. Community cohesion encompasses promoting
good relations between pupils from different races, faiths / beliefs and socioeconomic backgrounds. The duty came into force on 1 September 2007
Community Cohesion at Hardingstone Academy.
Our School Core Values are embedded throughout the school and is central to
our whole school ethos. We are committed to promoting equality and inclusion
within the school and local community.
As a school we understand that migration and economic change alter the shape
of our increasingly diverse local communities, thus making it more important
than ever that we play a full part in promoting community cohesion. We are
responsible for educating children and young people who will live and work in a
country that is diverse in terms of culture, faith, ethnicity and social backgrounds
back grounds. We strongly believe in a school community where there is a
strong sense of common identity via the school creed and supports diversity,
expecting and showing pupils how different communities can be united by
common experiences and values. We have a strong respect for diversity and for
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promoting this amongst pupils, staff and parents/guardians. We endeavour to
maximise opportunities and celebrate the diverse community within our school.
We embrace differences and respect for all is non-negotiable.
All areas across the whole school ranging from the overt to the covert
curriculum promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, emotional and social well-being
each and every child. Our school is a thriving cohesive community whereby we
actively encourage links with the local and global community. Community
cohesion is promoted at school, local, national and global levels, providing
comparisons with the local and national context, and all necessary actions in
relation to ethnicity, religion or belief and socio-economic background will be
implemented. (To be used in conjunction with our Community Cohesion Policy).
10. Tackling discrimination; hate or prejudice-based incidents and
bullying.
Harassment on account of race, gender, disability or sexual orientation is
unacceptable and is not tolerated under any circumstances within the school
environment.
• We recognise that hate incidents or prejudice –based bullying
We record all hate incidents and prejudice based bullying. All incidents are
reported to the Principal and racist incidents are reported to the governing body
and local authority on a termly basis. This information would be used to identify
trends and patterns, so that we have approaches in place to provide appropriate
responses in terms of support for victims and their families, sanctions and
support for perpetrators and their families and education for our children, young
people and communities.
All staff are expected to deal with any discriminatory incidents that may occur.
They are expected to know how to identify and challenge prejudice and
stereotyping; and to support the full range of diverse needs according to a
pupil’s individual circumstances.
Racist and homophobic incidents and other incidents of harassment or bullying
are dealt with by the member of staff present, escalating to a class teacher /
Principal where necessary.
What is a discriminatory incident?
Harassment on grounds of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation or other
factors such as socio-economic status, can take many forms including verbal or
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physical abuse, name calling, exclusion from groups and games, unwanted
looks or comments, jokes and graffiti.
A racist incident is defined by the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report (1999) as:
‘any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person’.
Types of discriminatory incident.
Types of discriminatory incidents that can occur are:
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Physical assault against a person or group because of their colour,
ethnicity, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or gender;
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Use of derogatory names, insults and jokes; •
Racist, sexist,
homophobic or discriminatory graffiti; • Provocative behaviour such as
wearing racist, sexist, homophobic or discriminatory badges or insignia;
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Bringing discriminatory material into school;
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Verbal abuse and threats;
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Incitement of others to discriminate or bully due to victim’s race, disability,
gender or sexual orientation;
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Discriminatory comments in the course of discussion;
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Attempts to recruit others to discriminatory organisations and
groups;
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Ridicule of an individual for difference e.g. food, music, religion,
dress etc;
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Refusal to co-operate with other people on grounds of race,
gender, disability or sexual orientation.
Responding to and reporting incidents
At Hardingstone Academy we have a clear and specific plan which pupils and
staff how they report incidents. We ensure that all staff, teaching and nonteaching, view dealing with incidents as vital to the well-being of the whole
school.
Incident
Member of staff to investigate further (if incident
reported) or challenge behaviour immediately
Response to perpetrator and
family
Response to victim and family
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Action taken to address issue with year group / school if
necessary e.g. through circle time / assembly, training
Incident form to be completed and
filed. Every incident reported to
SENCo and Principal
Incidents to be reported to
Governing body and local authority
on a termly basis.
11. The roles and responsibilities within our school community. The role
of governors
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The governing body has set out its commitment to equal opportunities in
this plan and it will continue to do all it can to ensure that the school is fully
inclusive to pupils, and responsive to their needs based on race, gender
and disability.
The governing body seeks to ensure that people are not discriminated
against when applying for jobs at our school on grounds of race, gender or
disability.
The governors take all reasonable steps to ensure that the school
environment gives access to people with disabilities, and also strive to
make school communications as inclusive as possible for parents, carers
and pupils.
The governors welcome all applications to join the school, whatever a
child’s socio-economic background, race, gender or disability.
The governing body ensures that no child is discriminated against whilst in
our school on account of their race, sex or disability.
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The role of the Principal (or senior leader responsible for Equalities)
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It is the Principal’s role to implement the school’s Equality Plan and she is
supported by the governing body in doing so.
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It is the Principal’s role to ensure that all staff are aware of the Equality
Plan, and that teachers apply these guidelines fairly in all situations.
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The Principal ensures that all appointments panels give due regard to this
plan, so that no-one is discriminated against when it comes to employment
or training opportunities.
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The Principal’s promotes the principle of equal opportunity when
developing the curriculum, and promotes respect for other people and
equal opportunities to participate in all aspects of school life.
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The Principal’s treats all incidents of unfair treatment and any incidents of
bullying or discrimination, including racist incidents, with due seriousness.
The role of all staff: teaching and non-teaching
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All staff will ensure that all pupils are treated fairly, equally and with
respect, and will maintain awareness of the school’s Equality Plan.
All staff will strive to provide material that gives positive images based on
race, gender and disability, and challenges stereotypical images.
All staff will challenge any incidents of prejudice, racism or homophobia,
and record any serious incidents, drawing them to the attention of the
Principal.
Teachers support the work of ancillary or support staff and encourage them
to intervene in a positive way against any discriminatory incidents.
12. Conducting Equality Impact Assessments.
Equality Impact Assessment templates will be used to monitor the potential
impact of school policies and practice in terms of ethnicity, religion or belief,
socio-economic background, gender and gender identity, disability, sexual
orientation and age.
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13. a. Choosing Equality Objectives.
The equality objective-setting process will involve gathering evidence as
follows:
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From equality impact assessments as above
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From parental questionnaires
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From small group consultations e.g. with SEN children, School Council etc.
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By involving relevant people (including disabled people) through informal
discussions (including parents of disabled children and representatives
from outside agencies when visiting the school).
The evidence will be analysed in order to choose objectives that will: •
Promote equality of opportunity for members of identified groups •
Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
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Foster good relationships between different groups in terms of ethnicity,
religion or belief, socio-economic background, gender and gender identity,
disability, sexual orientation and age
13.b. Our Hardingstone Academy Equity Objectives.
Using the views of pupils, parents, staff and community and analysis of the
information as outlined above we have set ourselves specific and measurable
objectives that will help us achieve the aims of the general equality duty.
Review of our equity objectives 2013 to 2014 and our new equity objectives for
2014 to 2015 are stated within the appendices of this policy.
14. Consultation, Implementation, monitoring and reviewing.
This policy was reviewed in September 20124 and it will be actively promoted
and disseminated via a number of sources including the school website,
newsletter, governors meeting, staff meetings and discussed in child friendly
language with the Student council.
Implementation, monitoring and reviewing are the responsibility of our Senior
Leadership Team and our governors who have agreed and published this policy
that sets out our priorities and supports these with specific and measurable
objectives.
We will report annually on the policy and analyse whether our policy and related
objectives have furthered the aims of the general equality duty and in particular
educational outcomes for all within our school community with reference to the
protected groups.
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15. Reporting and Reviewing Progress and Impact.
Our Governing Body has agreed the Equity Policy and objectives. We have a
rolling programme for reviewing our school policies and their impact. In line with
legislative requirements, we will review progress against our Equality Plan
annually and review the entire plan and accompanying action plan on a threeyear cycle.
This Equality policy, the Disability Equality policy and supporting equality
schemes fulfil the statutory requirements under the terms of legislation referred
to above. The Governors publish these policies on the school website and by
making the policies available on request.
Equity policy reviewed and shared September 2016.
(All other relevant policies include: Accessibility, Admission, Anti-Bullying,
Attendance, Behaviour and Discipline, Children in Care, Complaints and
procedures, Collective Acts of Worship, Community Cohesion, Disability
Equality Scheme, Disability Policy, Equal Opportunities, Inclusion, Pay, Race
Equality, Special Educational Needs).
7. Safeguarding:
At Hardingstone Academy, safeguarding and child protection is paramount and
we are fully committed to ensuring the welfare and safety of all our children. We
believe that pupils have a right to learn in a supportive, caring and safe
environment which includes the right to protection from all types of abuse;
where staff are vigilant for signs of any student in distress and are confident
about applying the processes to avert and alleviate any such problems. If any
behaviour is a concern in relation to safeguarding Hardingstone Academy
procedures and processes will be followed at all times in accordance with the
Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy. Any concerns will be referred to the
Child Protection Safeguarding Officers; Zoe McIntyre or Sue Neighbour as
procedures state. Our safeguarding AIB Member is our Chair George Gyte.
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