Longden C of E (Aided) Primary School
Equality and Diversity Statement
 
Date of Approval 21/4/2015
Review Frequency 3 years
Date of next Review Summer 2018

Legal Duties
As a school we welcome our duties under the Equality Act 2010. The general duties are to:

• eliminate discrimination,
• advance equality of opportunity
• foster good relations

 

We understand the principle of the Act and the work needed to ensure that those with protected characteristics (or with whom the pupil or employee is associated) are not discriminated against and are given equality of opportunity. A protected characteristic under the act covers the groups listed below:

• gender
• disability
• ethnicity
• religion and belief
• age (for employees not for service provision),
• maternity and pregnancy
• Marriage and Civil Partnership (for employees)
• sexual identity
• gender reassignment

 

In order to meet our general duties, listed above, the law requires us to do some specific duties to demonstrate how we meet the general duties. These are:

• to publish equality information (we will not publish any information that can specifically identify any individual child or adult)
• to demonstrate compliance with the general duty across its functions
• to identify from the above any action necessary to fulfil our obligations under this policy.

Prepare and publish equality objectives
To do this we will consider any school development activity or planned changes in the light of possible outcomes for the protected characteristics above and take appropriate action if necessary to ensure compliance is maintained. We will also include in this review process the following core functions or indicators:

• Admissions
• Attendance
• Attainment
• Exclusions
• Prejudice related incidents

 

We also welcome our duty under the Education and Inspections Act 2006 to promote community cohesion. We recognise that these duties reflect international human rights expressed in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, and the Human Rights Act 1998.

Core Statements
In fulfilling our legal obligations we will be guided by seven core statements:

• Statement 1: All learners are of equal value.
• Statement 2: We recognise, welcome and respect diversity.
• Statement 3: We foster positive attitudes and relationships, and a shared sense of belonging.
• Statement 4: We observe good equalities practice, including staff recruitment, retention and development.
• Statement 5: We aim to reduce and remove existing inequalities and barriers.
• Statement 6: We consult and involve widely.
• Statement 7: We strive to ensure that society will benefit.

Our Mission Statement and Aims
Longden Church of England School, within the context of Christian belief and practice, aims to provide a quality learning environment that values all individuals in the school; that promotes the growth of community through relationships that are trustful, respectful and loving; that encourages children to develop their full potential as inquisitive, confident learners both for now and for their futures. We hopefully wish and actively work for the growth of spirit as a source of creativity that opens us all to life and to each other.”

Addressing Prejudice Related Incidents
This school is opposed to all forms of prejudice and we recognise that children and young people who experience any form of prejudice related discrimination may fare less well in the education system. We provide both our pupils and staff with an awareness of the impact of prejudice in order to prevent any incidents. If incidents still occur we address them immediately and report them to the Local Authority using their guidance material. The Local Authority may provide some support.

Responsibility
We believe that promoting Equality is the responsibility of everyone in the school community:

 
We will ensure that the whole school community is aware of the Equality & Diversity Statement by publishing this on the school’s website.