Equality Objectives 2021/22

As a Church school all we do is underpinned by Scripture, striving to ensure that everyone within our community is supported and encouraged to always give of their best irrespective of their situation or starting point; this is embodied in Romans 2:11:

‘“For God shows no partiality.”

The Equality Act 2010 was introduced to ensure protection from discrimination, harassment and victimisation on the grounds of specific characteristics (referred to as protected characteristics). For schools, this means that it is unlawful to discriminate against individuals or treat them less favourably because of their gender; race; age; disability; religion or belief; gender reassignment; sexual orientation; pregnancy or maternity.

Under the Act, the school is expected to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). This requires us to:

• Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
• Advance equality of opportunity between different groups
• Foster good relations between different groups

As a public organisation, we are required to:

• Have due regard to the PSED when making decisions, taking action or developing policy and practice.
• Publish information to show compliance with the Equality Duty. This is done via our Equalities Policy.
• Publish Equality Objectives which are specific and measurable.

Our Equalities Policy is in line with national guidance and contains information about how the school complies with the Public Sector Equality Duty. We also give guidance to staff and the wider school community on our approach to promoting equality.

Our Equality Objectives reflect the school's priorities, our Cooperative values and draw upon available data and other evidence. Careful analysis of this is undertaken in order to ensure that we are working to achieve improved outcomes for different groups.

For 2021 - 2022, our Equality Objectives are:

• To continue to provide a school environment that welcomes, protects and respects diverse people.
• To continue to close the gaps in attainment and achievement between students and all groups of students through rigorous tracking, monitoring and personalised intervention; groups include disadvantaged students, students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, Looked After Children, and students from different heritage groups; achievement and progress for these groups will be monitored on a termly basis via the school’s assessment calendar
• To eradicate the use of homophobic, sexist, racist and other discriminative language by students in the school.
• To embed, within the school’s discrete PSHCE & SRE curriculum and lessons, opportunities to address discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality act 2010
• Monitor staff appointments, promotions, disciplinary and grievance cases and turnover by relevant protected characteristics and identify any trends for actions and improvements
• Develop the structures related to ‘Student Voice’ in order that student perceptions of inequality can be analysed, responded to and addressed
• Encourage students to consider ‘non-stereotypical’ career options through the curriculum, careers based events in school, dedicated individual CIAEG with an independent careers advisor and outside events
• To narrow the gap between vulnerable groups of students and other students regarding access to remote learning support and in this way reduce or remove inequalities in attainment throughout the school, particularly inequalities relating to the protected characteristics listed in the Equality Act

Specific tasks relating to these objectives can be found within the School Improvement Plan