Equality and Protected Characteristics

Equality

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.

Clowne Infant & Nursery 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 approach to equality is based on the following key principles:

All learners are of equal value
We recognise and respect difference
We foster positive attitudes and relationships and a shared sense of cohesion and belonging.
We observe good equalities practice in staff recruitment, retention and development.
We aim to reduce and remove inequalities and barriers that already exist.
We have the highest expectations of all our children.

Our aim is to:

Ensure that everyone is treated fairly and respectively

Make our school a safe and secure place for everyone
Recognise that people have different needs, and we understand that treating people equally does not always involve treating them the same
Ensuring that no-one experiences less favourable treatment or discrimination because of age, disability, ethnicity, colour or national origin, gender identity (reassigned or plan to reassign), marital or civil partnership status, being pregnant or recently having had a baby, religion or belief, sexual identity and orientation.
We recognise that some pupils need extra support to help them to achieve and be successful
We try to make sure that people from different groups are consulted and are involved in our decisions, especially children, parent/carers and those of us who can be treated less favourably.

Our duties are:

To promote community cohesion (under the Education and Inspections Act 2006).
To eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations (under the Equality Act 2010).
To recognise and act upon the importance of accelerating the progress of pupils from groups who are underachieving

Equality Objectives

Equality Objective 1: The attendance of disadvantaged pupils will increase over the next four years to 96% by working in partnership with parents.

Why we have chosen this objective: The attendance of disadvantaged pupils typically falls between 1% and 4% lower than non-disadvantaged pupils. At the end of the Autumn Term 2023 the attendance of disadvantaged pupils was 91.3% compared with 94.4% for non-disadvantaged pupils. As attendance has a significant impact on the attainment, progress and wellbeing of pupils, we recognise the importance of ensuring good attendance and punctuality at school for all pupils.

To achieve this objective we plan to:

Share details and data with parents about the impact of poor attendance and lateness
Send targeted attendance letters home to parents to highlight poor/declining attendance and in some instances invite parents to an attendance meeting to offer support.
Monitor and analyse data to identify any possible attendance issues and persistent absentees. This will be discussed with SLT and Governors.
Have open and clear discussions with parents around attendance and help to overcome any barriers to good attendance and punctuality.
Offer rewards and incentives for pupils with good attendance
Publish weekly attendance figures on the school website, entrance to school and Dojo.

Equality Objective 2: The cultural awareness and understanding of pupils will improve through a rich range of experience both in and beyond school.

Why we have chosen this objective: The local school community is primarily White British families from a mixed class background and is not representative of the cultural diversity in Britain. It is important that as a school, we actively ensure that pupils are presented with a wide range of experiences and opportunities beyond those available in their daily lives to allow pupils to develop awareness, tolerance and an understanding of equality and diversity.

To achieve this objective we plan to:

Ensure SMSC and British Values are firmly embedded within the school ethos and culture.
Plan opportunities for pupils to learn about other cultures and faiths across the curriculum including in core subjects.
Provide opportunities for all pupils during their time at Clowne infant and Nursery School to have first-hand experiences and opportunities to interact with a diverse range of different cultures, ethnicities, faiths and backgrounds.
Address and discuss openly issues of equality and diversity through direct teaching, assemblies and stories.
Visit different places of worship in the local community and beyond and invite a wide range of visitors into school.
Further develop the teaching and learning of PHSE and Relationships Education throughout school.

Protected Characteristics

How we teach about the protected characteristics at Clowne Infant and Nursery School

We work to ensure that our children understand that:

There are no outsiders at Clowne Infant and Nursery School

Everyone belongs and has a place here

Everyone is different

We celebrate our differences

We are all equal in our differences

The Equality Act became law in 2010. It covers everyone in Britain and protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation. Everyone in Britain is protected. This is because the Equality Act 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

5. Religion or belief

6. Marriage or civil partnership

7. Sex

8. Sexual orientation

9. Pregnancy and maternity

Under the Equality Act you are protected from discrimination:

When you are in the workplace
When you use public services like healthcare (for example, visiting your doctor or local hospital) or education (for example, at your school or college)
When you use businesses and other organisations that provide services and goods (like shops, restaurants, and cinemas)
When you use transport
When you join a club or association (for example, your local cricket club)
When you have contact with public bodies like your local council or government departments

Clowne Infant & Nursery School

‘We take our children on a journey of discovery, giving them aspirations and engaging them in lifelong learning’

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