Equalities Information

The Public Sector Equality Duty 2011 has three aims / arms of the general equality duty. These have to be taken into account. They are:

1. Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act. By removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics

2. Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. By taking steps to meet the needs of people from protected groups where these are different from the needs of other people.

3. Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. By encouraging people from protected groups to participate in public life or in other activities where their participation is disproportionately low.

At Freezywater St. George's we have looked at how well we currently achieve these aims with regard to the eight protected equality groups: race/disability/sex/gender reassignment/age/pregnancy and maternity/religion and belief and sexual orientation, to set objectives to further improve our practice. These are:

To ensure a deeper understanding of pupils with SEND and their individual needs.

• Up skill current and any new staff regarding areas of SEND found within the school.
• Support all pupils understanding of similarities and differences linking to SEND.
• Support parents in understanding their children’s needs and how to access opportunities inside and outside of school.
• Work with staff and parents to ensure LSP targets are SMART and outline individual provision.

To actively prevent any incidents of the use of homophobic, sexist and racist language by students.

• To assign an ambassador within the staff who can advise other staff / parents on how to talk to children about these issues. (Linking to the text ‘Valuing all God’s Children’)
• Provide workshops for children on understanding difference linking to the British Value of Tolerance & Respect.
• Continue to monitor and record any incidents and address any patterns or concerns.
• Continue to embed the updated RSE curriculum.

To support all pupils in understanding and respecting different family groups and their makeup within our school.

• Challenge, support and address misconceptions of the stereotypical family and teach children about different types of families.
• Make sure resources within the school reflect the different families within our community.
• Encourage children and give them the opportunity to talk about their families looking at similarities and own experiences.

Please also refer to our Equal Opportunities Policy.