Legal Duties

We welcome our duties under the Disability Discrimination Acts 1995 and 2005; the Race Relations 1976 as amended by the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000; the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 as amended by the Equality Act 2006; and the expectation in the Equality Bill 2009 that we should promote equality, diversity and good relations in relation to age (as appropriate), faith and religion, gender reassignment and sexual and gender identity.

We welcome our duty under the Education and Inspections Act 2006 to promote community cohesion.

We recognise that these duties are essential for achieving the five outcomes of the Every Child Matters framework, and that they reflect international human rights standards as 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.

Guiding principles

In fulfilling the legal obligations referred to above, we are guided by seven principles:

Principle 1: All learners are of equal value

We see all learners and potential learners, and their parents and carers, as of equal value:
￮ whether or not they are disabled
￮ whatever their ethnicity, culture, religious affiliation, national origin or national status
￮ whatever their gender and gender identity
￮ whatever their sexual identity.

Principle 2: We recognise and respect difference

Treating people equally (Principle 1 above) does not necessarily involve treating them all the same. Our policies, procedures and activities must not discriminate, but are differentiated, as appropriate, to take account of differences of life-experience, outlook and background, and in the kinds of barrier and disadvantage which people may face, in relation to:
￮ disability, so that reasonable adjustments are made
￮ ethnicity, so that different cultural backgrounds and experiences of prejudice are recognised
￮ gender, so that the different needs and experiences of girls and boys, and women and men, are recognised.

Principle 3: We foster positive attitudes and relationships, and a shared sense of cohesion and belonging

We intend that our policies, procedures and activities should promote:
￮ positive attitudes towards disabled people, good relations between disabled and non-disabled people, and an absence of harassment of disabled people
￮ positive interaction, good relations and dialogue between groups and communities different from each other in terms of ethnicity, culture, religious affiliation, national origin or national status, and an absence of prejudice-related bullying and incidents
￮ mutual respect and good relations between boys and girls, women and men, and an absence of sexual harassment

Principle 4: Staff recruitment, retention and development

We ensure that policies and procedures should benefit all employees and potential employees, for example in recruitment and promotion, and in continuing professional development:
￮ whether or not they are disabled
￮ whatever their ethnicity, culture, religious affiliation, national origin or national status
￮ whichever their gender.

Principle 5: We aim to reduce and remove inequalities and barriers that already exist

In addition to avoiding or minimising possible negative impacts of our policies, we take opportunities to maximise positive impacts by reducing and removing inequalities and barriers that may already exist between:
￮ disabled and non-disabled people
￮ people of different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds
￮ girls and boys, women and men.

Principle 6: We consult widely

People affected by a policy or activity should be consulted and involved in the design of new policies, and in the review of existing ones. We involve:
￮ disabled people as well as non-disabled
￮ people from a range of ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds
￮ both women and men, and girls and boys.

Principle 7: Society as a whole should benefit

We intend that our policies and activities should benefit society as a whole, both locally and nationally, by fostering greater social cohesion, and greater participation in public life of:
￮ disabled people as well as non-disabled
￮ people of a wide range of ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds
￮ both women and men, girls and boys.

Our Objectives

Protected Characteristic:
Disability SEN

Raise the attainment and progress of pupils with SEND and narrow the gaps between Send and non-SEND

Protected Characteristic:
Gender

Narrow gaps between progress and attainment for boys and girls in reading, writing and maths.

Protected Characteristic:
Ethnicity

Raise awareness of and positive attitudes to a multi-cultural society

Protected Characteristic:
Pregnancy and maternity

LA procedures are followed to ensure that’s colleagues taking maternity leave are not disadvantaged.

Protected Characteristic:
Religion

Raise awareness and understanding of, and develop tolerance to, different religions.

Protected Characteristic:
Sexual orientation and gender reassignment

Develop a positive attitude to sexual orientation and gender reassignment.

Protected Characteristic:
Age

Recruitment and retention recognises skills and abilities of all age groups.