Equality Objectives

Public Sector Equality Duty (Updated April 2023)

The Equality Act 2010 requires us to publish information that demonstrates that we have due regard for the need to:

Eliminate unlawful  discrimination, harassment, victimisation  and any other conduct 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 between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.

St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School is an inclusive school where we focus on the well-being and progress of every child and where all members of our community are of equal worth.

We believe that the Equality Act provides a framework to support our commitment to valuing diversity, tackling discrimination, promoting equality and fostering good relationships between people. It also ensures that we continue to tackle issues of disadvantage and underachievement of different groups.

Our school vision statement is:

Children in our school will value everyone as unique individuals and celebrate the distinctive and diverse nature of our community and the wider world. They will aspire to greater heights and continue to flourish beyond our school community. They will use the powerful knowledge they have gained to grow into valuable citizens whilst demonstrating resilience, determination, adaptability and being shining lights to others. Our school is laying the foundations for pupils to flourish and ‘live life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10).

Our approach to equality is based on the following areas within our school values:

  • We love our neighbours; showing friendship towards all. We show dignity and respect towards the beliefs of others and the environment.
  • We create a safe and secure, encouraging Christian environment and have high hopes so that children and adults can aspire to greater heights.
  • We build opportunities to develop wisdom, knowledge and skills including within local and global communities.
  • We encourage pupils to serve others within and outside our school community.
  • We develop and maintain a positive and fulfilling partnership between children, parents, teachers and all others working within and alongside the school.
  • We are content and appreciate what we have, and understand how our lives may differ from others.

Equality Objectives

At St Francis of Assisi C of E Primary School, we are committed to ensuring equality of education and opportunity for all pupils, staff, parents and carers, irrespective of race, gender, disability, belief, religion or socio-economic background.

Our approach to equality is based on the following key objectives:

Objective 1: To reduce and remove inequalities and barriers for pupils and adults connected with the school.

Objective 2: To recognise and respect difference.

Objective 3: To ensure pupils with a disability access curriculum fully and the building meets their needs.

Please see our policies page for our accessibility plan and full Equality Policy.

Information on pupils by protected characteristics

The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics. Every person has several of the protected characteristics, so the Act protects everyone against unfair treatment.

In order to ensure that all pupils are protected from discrimination, the school collects information on protected characteristics.

PROMOTING THE NINE PROTECTED CHARACTERISITICS

The Equality Act 2010 protects people against discrimination because of the protected characteristics that we all have. 

Under the Equality Act, there are nine protected characteristics: 

  1. Age 
  2. Disability 
  3. Gender reassignment 
  4. Race – including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin 
  5. Religion or belief 
  6. Marriage or civil partnership 
  7. Sex 
  8. Sexual orientation 
  9. Pregnancy and maternity No form of discrimination is tolerated at St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School and our pupils show respect for those who share the protected characteristics.  Pupils in Upper Key Stage 2 have been introduced to these protected characteristics through the PSHE curriculum.

Eliminating discrimination and other conduct that is prohibited by the Equality Act 2010

We give careful consideration to equality issues in everything that we do at St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School. We work towards eliminating discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct that is prohibited by the Equality Act.

We are committed to working for equality for all our staff, parents/carers and children to meet our duties under the Equality Act 2010.

We eliminate discrimination by:

  • Adoption of the single Equality Scheme
  • Effectively implementing our behaviour policy to ensure that all pupils feel safe at school and any form prejudicial bullying is addressed
  • Reporting, responding to and monitoring all racist incidents
  • Regularly monitoring the curriculum to ensure that the curriculum meets the needs of our pupils and that it promotes respect for diversity and challenges negative stereotyping
  • Ensuring that all pupils have the opportunity to flourish and are given equal entitlement to success
  • Tracking pupil progress to ensure that all children make rapid progress, and intervening when necessary
  • Ensuring that all pupils have the opportunity to access extra-curricular provision
  • Listening to and monitoring views and experiences of pupils and adults to evaluate the effectiveness of our policies and procedures.

Advancing equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it

We advance equality of opportunity by:

  • Using the information we gather to identify underachieving groups or individuals and plan targeted intervention
  • Ensuring participation of parents/carers and pupils in school development
  • Listening to parents/carers
  • Listening to pupils at all times

Fostering good relations across all characteristics – between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it

We foster good relations by:

  • Ensuring that St Francis of Assisi C of E Primary School is seen as a school for everyone within our local community.
  • Ensuring that equality and diversity are embedded in the curriculum and in collective worship.