Equality Information and Objectives Statement

We welcome our duties under the Equality Act 2010. The school’s general duties with regard to equality are:

• Eliminating discrimination.
• Fostering good relationships.
• Advancing equality of opportunity.

We will not discriminate against, harass or victimise any staff member, pupil, prospective pupil, or other member of the school community because of their:

• Sex.
• Age.
• Race.
• Disability.
• Religion or belief.
• Sexual orientation.
• Gender reassignment.
• Pregnancy or maternity.
• Marriage and civil partnership.

Here at Ashley Down Primary School we believe it is important to live and breathe equality through everything we do.  We aim to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, with special emphasis on promoting equality and diversity, and eradicating prejudicial incidents for pupils and staff. Our school is committed to not only eliminating discrimination, but also increasing understanding and appreciation for diversity.  We are a school that focuses on eliminating prejudices and stereotypes to ensure everyone fosters positive attitudes and relationships and in general a shared sense of belonging to one diverse community.

Aims to eradicate discrimination

We believe that a greater level of success from pupils and staff can be achieved by realising the uniqueness of individuals. Creating an inclusive environment where individuals feel confident and at ease is a commitment of the school. This environment will be achieved by:

• Educating our children on the importance of being empowered to embrace who they are physically, socially and culturally.
• Enabling our children and staff to be respectful and educated on other pupils’ differences. Each child is educated to respect everyone’s opinions, faiths, races and gender.
• Understanding of others.
• Celebratory of diversity.
• Eager to reach their full potential.
• Inclusive and can talk about what equalities mean in an age appropriate way:Explicitly teaching and modelling our school values of:
• Always treating all members of the school community fairly.
• Developing an understanding of diversity and inclusion and the benefits it can have.
• Adopting an inclusive attitude and ensuring that the whole school community understands what inclusive behaviour looks like in the school and how this aligns with the school’s values.
• Adopting an inclusive curriculum that is accessible to all.
• Encouraging compassion and open-mindedness.
• Challenging bias and calling it out in order to move the conversation forward.

We are committed to having a balanced, diverse and fair curriculum. We believe that our pupils should be exposed to ideas and concepts that may challenge their understanding, to help ensure that pupils learn to become more accepting and inclusive of others. Challenging and controversial concepts will be delivered in a way that prevents discrimination and promotes inclusive attitudes.

Dealing with prejudice and celebrating diversity  

We do not tolerate any form of prejudice-related incident. Whether direct or indirect, we treat discrimination against all members of our school with the utmost severity. When an incident is reported, our school is devoted to ensuring appropriate action is taken and a resolution is put into place which is both fair and firm.

Our pupils are taught to be:

• Understanding of others.
• Celebratory of diversity.
• Eager to reach their full potential.
• Inclusive and can talk about what equalities mean in an age appropriate way 

Phase 1  

Phase 2

Phase 3

• Aware of what constitutes discriminatory behaviour.

The school’s employees will not:

• Discriminate against any member of the school community.
• Treat other members of the school community unfairly.

The school’s employees will:

• Promote diversity and equality.
• Encourage and adopt an inclusive attitude.
• Lead by example.
• Seek training if they need to improve their knowledge in a particular area.

Throughout the year, the school provides a variety of opportunities to celebrate diversity, including:

• Planning activities for key diversity awareness days.
• Inviting guest speakers to talk to pupils about diversity.
• Incorporating lessons about diversity into the curriculum.

Equality and dignity in the workplace

We do not discriminate against staff with regard to their:

• Age.
• Disability.
• Gender reassignment.
• Marital or civil partner status.
• Pregnancy or maternity.
• Race.
• Religion or belief.
• Sex.
• Sexual orientation.

Equality of opportunity and non-discrimination extends to the treatment of all members of the school community. All staff members are obliged to act in accordance will the school’s various policies relating to equality.

We will guarantee that no redundancy is the result of direct or indirect prejudice. All disciplinary procedures are non-prejudicial, whether they result in warnings, dismissal, or any other disciplinary action.

Diversity and representation

In order to ensure that the work we are doing on equalities meets the needs of the whole school community:

• We review relevant feedback from parent/carer questionnaires, parents’ evening and parents’ feedback opportunities.
• We analyse responses from staff surveys, meetings and training events.
• Review feedback and responses from children, groups of children and the school council on children’s attitudes to self, to learning and to school life.
• Analyse issues raised in Annual Reviews and progress at SEN reviews.
• Ensure that we secure responses and feedback at governing body meetings and from link governors’ meeting with coordinators

Inclusion

In order to foster good relationships and an inclusive environment for all members of the school community:

• We prepare our pupils for a life in a diverse society and ensure that there are activities across the curriculum that promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our pupils.
• We use materials and resources that reflect the diversity of the school population and local community in terms of race, gender, sexual identity and disability, avoiding stereotyping.
• We promote a whole school ethos and values that challenge prejudice-based discriminatory language, attitudes and behaviour.
• We provide opportunities for pupils to appreciate their own culture and celebrate the diversity of other cultures. (eg assemblies and events focus on a range of festivals and cultural events throughout the year).
• We provide opportunities for pupils to listen to a range of opinions and empathise with different experiences.
• We promote positive messages about equality and diversity through displays, assemblies, visitors and whole school events.

Closing statement

Prejudice is not tolerated and we are continuously working towards a more accepting and respectful environment for our school community.

Links:

Ashley Down Primary School Equality Objectives 2023-26

Ashley Down Schools Federation Equality Information and Objectives Policy

This equalities statement links to the Bristol equalities charter.