Equality Objectives

This Equality information has been written to meet the requirements of schools to carry out the Public Sector Equality Duty in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

At William Byrd we will not discriminate against a pupil or prospective pupil, or any other member of our school community, by treating them less favourably on the basis of a ‘protected characteristic’ The protected characteristics are:

Race
Disability
Sex/Gender
Gender reassignment
Sexual orientation
Religion or belief
Pregnancy or maternity
Marriage or civil partnership

A person’s age is also a protected characteristic in relation to employment, and in regard to the provision for goods and services. It does not however apply to pupils, and so the school is free to arrange pupils in classes based on their age group with materials appropriate to them.

The Equality Act 2010 introduced a single Public Sector Equality Duty (2011), which applies to public bodies, school including both LA maintained and Academies. The school must have due regard to the need to:

Eliminate discrimination and other conduct that is prohibited by the Act
Advance equality and opportunity between people who share a prohibited characteristic and people who do not share it
Foster good relationships across all characteristics, between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.

Having due regard in this context means that when significant decisions are being taken, thought must be given to the equality implications.

William Byrd Primary Academy does not tolerate any form of prejudice-related incident. Whether direct or indirect, we treat discrimination against all members of our school with the utmost seriousness.

Our pupils are taught to be:

Understanding of others
Celebratory of cultural diversity
Eager to reach their full potential
Inclusive
Aware of what constitutes discriminatory behaviour

The school’s employees will not:

Discriminate against any member of the school
Treat other members of the school unfairly

The school’s employees will:

Promote diversity equality
Encourage and adopt an inclusive attitude
Lead by example.

The Leadership Team and Governors will annually review how well we achieve our aims with regard to the protected groups under the Equality Act by:

Implementing required policies and procedures
Ensuring appropriate training for our staff
School assemblies and special events
Our curriculum and interaction with all members of our school community
Our communications, website and publications
Our ethos and values (5 Guiding Powers)
Appropriate oversight by school leaders and Governors
Discussions with and feedback from our pupil voice
Opportunities to reflect the multicultural nature of our school community
Our use of display and development of an accessible learning environment
Visits to museums, places of worship and places of local interest
A focus on the involvement of parents and carers
Our identified school improvement objectives – published separately
Feeding back to our Governing Body
The close monitoring and response to any incidents of inappropriate behaviour towards others as reflected in the Equalities Act 2010

SMSC

We aim to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development, with special emphasis on promoting equality, 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. Creating a prejudice-free environment where individuals feel confident and at ease is a commitment of the school:

Being kind and respectful
Always treating all members of the school community fairly
Developing an understanding of diversity and the benefits it can have
Adopting an inclusive attitude
Adopting an inclusive curriculum that is accessible to all
Encouraging compassion and open-mindedness

Curriculum

We are committed to having a balanced 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 instead promotes inclusive attitudes.

Our Equality Objectives

To close gaps in attainment and achievement between students and all groups of students; especially boys and girls, students eligible for free-school meals, students with special educational needs and disabilities, looked after children and students from different heritage groups
To improve the quality of support to raise levels of attainment in core subjects for vulnerable learners.
To promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through all appropriate curricular and extra-curricular opportunities. We aim to meet this objective with particular reference to issues of equality and diversity
To reduce prejudice and increase understanding of equality through direct teaching across the curriculum
To provide an environment that welcomes, protects and respects diverse people
To promote cultural development and understanding through a rich range of experience, both in and beyond the school
To raise awareness of the impact of bullying, especially where this relates to protected characteristics
To reduce any incidence of the use of homophobic, sexist or racist language by students in the school
To monitor and promote the involvement of all groups of students in the extra- curricular life of the school, including leadership opportunities, especially students with special educational needs