Buckden C.E. Primary SchoolEquality Policy

1 Introduction

This policy sets out the school’s approach to promoting community cohesion, inclusion, equality and diversity. It covers disability, gender and race/ethnicity, in response to the statutory duties on schools to publish disability and gender equality schemes and a race equality policy.

This document has been produced taking account current relevant legislation:

Equal Pay Act 1970 Sex Discrimination Act 1975 Race Relations Act 1976 as amended in 2000 Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as amended in 2005, Disability Equality Duty

(2005) Code of Practice for Schools 2002 Human Rights Act 1998 Sex Discrimination (Gender Reassignment) Regulations 1999 Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 The Employment Equality Act 2003 Equality Act 2006 Education and Inspections Act 2006 (Duty to promote community cohesion) Curriculum 2000, which incorporates a statement on inclusion, “Providing

effective learning opportunities for all children”.

This Equality Policy statement sets out:

The school’s context Aims and values The school’s overall approach to promoting equality: community cohesion,

recognising and celebrating diversity and tackling discrimination Specific reference to community cohesion, race equality, disability equality,

gender equality Roles and responsibilities Monitoring, reviewing and assessing impact

2 The School Context – what sort of school are we?

The catchment area of the school comprises Buckden, a large village adjacent to the A1, Southoe, a smaller village approximately two miles away and the two hamlets of Diddington and Stirtloe.

All our pupils are carefully monitored in terms of attendance and exclusion rates. Data on these aspects is recorded in school and reported to the Governing Body.

The majority of students perform to the standards expected for KS1 and KS2 SATs. No one ethnic minority group is over-represented in the proportion of students who do not achieve the standards expected.

The school maintains a Special Educational Needs Register.

The school collates information on student, staff and parent disabilities and the ethnicity of staff.

3 Equality – aims and values

At Buckden C.E. Primary School, our policy is based on the following core values as expressed in the schools aims and values:

The Buckden School Community Will Aim to follow our Ethos where:

At Buckden Primary AcademyAll our children are like butterflies in the wind. Some can fly higher than others: Each one flies the best they can, A journey they will share together.Why compare one against the other When each one different!Each one is special!Each one makes us proud!Each one has a unique place within our school!

The Buckden ValuesInspired by the Olympic and Paralympic values and feature across everything we do here at Buckden. Pupils become familiar with the values in their everyday life.

A culture of respect for others An environment of equality for all Taking inspiration from the world around us All here are embraced in our Friendship We encourage determination We strive towards Excellence in all areas

4 Our approach to promoting equality

The overall objective of the school’s Community Cohesion, Inclusion and Equality Policy is to provide a framework for the school to pursue its equality duties to

Buckden C.E. Primary Schooleliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment; promote equality of opportunity; and promote good relations and positive attitudes between people of diverse backgrounds in all its activities.

Through the policy, the school seeks to ensure that no child, staff, parents, guardians or carers or any other person through their contact with the school receives less favourable treatment on any grounds which cannot be shown to be justified. This covers race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, gender, marital status, responsibility, age, trade union or political activities, social class, where the person lives or spent convictions.

The principles of this policy apply to all members of the extended school community – students, staff, governors, parents and all members of the community.

5 A Cohesive community

The communities which our school serves are set out in Section 2. As a school we will promote the national Community Cohesion standards by;

Seeking to close any attainment and achievement gaps that may exist Develop common values of citizenship based on dialogue, mutual respect and

acceptance of diversity. Contribute to building good community relations and challenge all types of

discrimination and inequality Remove the barriers to access, participation, progression, attainment and

achievement

The school’s contribution to promote community cohesion can be grouped under the following headings:

Teaching, learning and curriculum: We teach our pupils to understand others, to promote common values and to value diversity. We actively promote awareness of human rights and the responsibility to uphold and defend them and seek to develop the skills of participation and responsible action.

We do this across the curriculum but especially via our Religious Education, SEAL and PSHE curricula. Our school code, behaviour policy and pupil participation processes (Class councils, school council and HuntSNet youth forum) also promote these skills and attitudes.

Equity and excellence: We seek to provide equal opportunities for all to succeed, removing barriers to access and participation in learning activities and eliminating variations in outcomes for different groups. This includes dealing with bullying and harassment and also monitoring that exclusions and behaviour policies do not discriminate against any groups.

Engagement and extended services: Wherever possible, we provide a means for our pupils and their families to interact with people from different backgrounds to build positive relations; including links with different schools and communities locally, across the country and internationally. We will also promote community cohesion through the provision and development of extended services to ensure they meet the needs of all our community wherever possible.

6 Race Equality

The Race Equality and the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000 places a general duty on schools to:

Promote equality of opportunity Promote good race relations Eliminate unlawful racial discrimination

To do this, Buckden C.E. Primary School will include race equality as a significant part of its Inclusion and Equality Policy

and actions. will monitor and analyse admissions, attendance, exclusions, the curriculum,

extra-curriculum participation and performance at KS1 and KS2 for the differing ethnic groups in the school. If underachievement is identified, appropriate intervention will be put in place.

Will ensure that teachers are encouraged to promote positive images of back and ethnic minority people and cultures and to make the curriculum relevant to all learners own experience accurately reflecting their own cultural heritage.

Ensure other school policies and procedures make reference to bilingual, BME and traveller students

Ensure equality issues are addressed in the schools’ Self-Evaluation Framework and School Development Plan

Ensure there are clear processes and procedures for staff and students to report racist incidents and that these are regularly communicated

Ensure records are kept of racist incidents in school which are reported to the Local Authority as required by law, taking action appropriate in each individual case.

Monitor all personnel policies for their impact upon race equality for staff.

7 Disability Equality

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 defines a disabled person as having:

“A physical or mental impairment which has substantial and long term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities”.

The term “disabled person” applies to children, staff, governors, parents and visitors.

Buckden C.E. Primary School Physical impairment includes sensory impairments; mental impairment includes learning difficulties and an impairment resulting

from, or consisting of, a mental illness; “substantial” means “ more than minor or trivial”; long term is a period longer than (or likely to be longer than ) 12 months.

The definition is broad and includes a wide range of impairments, including hidden impairments such as dyslexia, autism, speech and language impairments and ADHD. These may all constitute a disability, but only if the effect on the person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities is substantial and long term.

The effect on normal day to day activities is on one or more of the following:

Mobility manual dexterity; physical coordination; continence; ability to lift, carry or move everyday objects; speech ,hearing and eyesight; memory or the ability to concentrate, learn or understand; perception of risk of physical danger.

People with cancer, MS, HIV or a severe disfigurement are covered by the definition.

The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 places a general duty on schools to: Promote equality of opportunity between disabled persons and other persons Eliminate discrimination that is unlawful under the Act Eliminate harassment of disabled persons that is related to their disabilities Promote positive attitudes towards disabled persons Encourage participation by disabled persons in public life; Take steps to take account of disabled person’s disabilities, even if this requires

more favourable treatment.

To do this, Buckden C.E. Primary School will aim where possible to:

Publish a disability equality scheme and accessibility plan demonstrating how it intends to fulfil its general and specific duties

Identify who are disabled Involve disabled people in the development of the scheme Annually review and report on the scheme and revise it every 3 years Monitor policies and practice and make “reasonable adjustments” to ensure

disabled people are not disadvantaged Increase disabled peoples participation in the curriculum Improve the environment for disabled people Improve the delivery and accessibility of information for disabled people

Monitor disabled student progress, attainment, attendance and exclusions for any differential outcomes

Monitor all personnel policies for their impact upon disability equality for staff.

8 Gender Equality

The Equality Act 2006 amends the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (SDA) and places a statutory duty on schools to:

Eliminate unlawful sex discrimination and harassment Promote equality of opportunity between females and males

To do this, Buckden C.E. Primary School will act to:

Eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment in employment and vocational training, for people who intend to undergo, are undergoing or have undergone gender reassignment.

Consider the need to include objectives to address the causes of any gender pay gap

Gather and use information on how the school’s policies and practices affect gender equality in the workforce and in the delivery of services, in particular education functions

Promote gender equality in relation to job type, job grades, recruitment and promotion, working hours, training and development, appraisal, grievance procedures and disciplinary action

Uphold the county adoption of the Stonewall Diversity Champion status by not discriminating on grounds of sexual orientation.

Consult stakeholders (i.e. students, parents, employees, other service users or potential service users, including trade unions) and take account of relevant information in order to determine its gender equality objectives

Prepare and publish a gender equality scheme, showing how the school will meet its general and specific duties including setting out its gender equality objectives

Report against the scheme every year and review the scheme every 3 years Assess the impact of its current and proposed policies and practices on gender

equality

9 Discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief

Part 2 of the Equality Act 2006 also introduces provisions outlawing discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief in education in schools.Buckden C.E. Primary School will not refuse to admit students on the basis of their religion or belief and will treat students equally irrespective of their own or their parents / guardians / carers’ religion or belief or lack of it. This also applies to access to benefits, facilities or services. In addition students will not be excluded from school or subjected to any detriment on the basis of their or their parent’s religion or belief or lack of it.

Buckden C.E. Primary SchoolCambridgeshire Local Authority (the LA) is responsible for setting the admissions policy and criteria for this school. Places for Reception will be allocated based on the Published Admission Number (PAN) for the year group and the admissions criteria set by the LA. In the event of over-subscription, the following criteria will be used to determine priority for places: Children with a Statement of Special Education Need, which names the School (as

agreed with the Student Assessment Service). Children with a verified medical need (supported by medical evidence and agreed

by the consultant community paediatrician). Children living in the catchment area (Buckden, Stirtloe, Southoe and Diddington)

with a brother or sister in attendance at the school at the time of admission. Any other children living in the catchment area. Children living outside the catchment area who are unable to gain access to their

catchment area school because of over subscription. Children living outside the catchment area with a brother or sister at the school at

the time of admission. Any other children seeking a place at the school. In cases of equal merit, priority will be given to those children who would have

furthest to walk by the shortest available safe walking route to the nearest alternative school.

Parents seeking places in other year groups can apply at any time. If there is a place, it will be offered. If the year group is full, the child will be placed on a reserve list and the parents will be offered the right of appeal.

Further information about admissions can be found in the ‘Primary Admissions Booklet for Parents’.

Our induction arrangements are outlined in a separate booklet ‘Happily to School’, which is provided for parents of children entering Reception.

10 Roles and Responsibilities

All who work in the school have a responsibility for promoting equality and inclusion, and avoiding unfair discrimination.

Our governors are responsible for:

Making sure the school complies with all current equality legislation Making sure this policy and its procedures are followed Making sure the school profile contains information on community cohesion and

this policy

The Headteacher is responsible for:

Making sure the policy is readily available and that the governors, staff, parent, carers know about it.

Making sure its procedures are followed Produce annual information for staff and governors about the policy and how it is

working, and providing training for them on the policy, if necessary Making sure all staff know their responsibilities and receive training and support

in carrying these out Making sure the school prospectus, school development plan and all school

policies contain references to community cohesion and this policy taking appropriate action in case of harassment and discrimination

All our staff are responsible for:

dealing with racist incidents, and being able to recognise and tackle bias and stereotyping

promoting equality and good race relations and avoiding discrimination against anyone for reasons of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, gender, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation or social class

keeping up to date with the law on discrimination and taking training and learning opportunities

Visitors and contractors are made aware of the equality policy which is available in school.

Responsibility for overseeing equality practices in the school lies with a named member of staff and governor who are:

The Headteacher Chair of Governors

Responsibilities include: Co-ordinating and monitoring work on equality issues Ensuring community cohesion and this policy are addressed by the schools’ SEF

discussed by relevant governor committees. Coordinate community cohesion issues with outside agencies e.g. HuntSNet,

Access to Learning team, OCYPS PCT , Social care Dealing with and monitoring reports of harassment in any form Monitoring the progress and attainment of vulnerable groups of students e.g.

BME, looked after and Traveller Students Monitoring exclusions and attendance

11 Monitoring, reviewing, assessing impact

This policy is supported by an Equality Development Plan and disability and gender equality schemes. These are linked with the school development plan and include targets determined by the governing body for promoting a cohesive community, inclusion and equality in the school.

The Strategic Committee will ensure that representation from all stakeholders, including children are invited to participate in the review and assessment of the policy and procedures.

Buckden C.E. Primary SchoolThis policy will be regularly monitored and reviewed by staff and governors to ensure that it is effective in eliminating discrimination, promoting access and participation, equality and good relations between different groups, and that it does not disadvantage particular sections of the community.

This review process will be conducted using the Cambridgeshire standards which are based on the national “Community Cohesion Education Standards for Schools” (DfES, Home Office and Commission for Racial Equality 2004), “Guidance on the duty to promote community cohesion” (DCSF 2007, ref. 00598-2007) and “Our Shared Future (Commission on Integration and Cohesion, 2007)

Any pattern of inequality found as a result of impact assessment is used to inform future planning and decision making.

The named member of staff and governor responsible for equality will monitor specific outcomes.

The Headteacher will provide an annual monitoring report for review by the strategic committee of the Governing Body. These will include: school population, key initiatives, progress against targets and future plans.

APPENDIX 2

The School Context – - The school became an Academy on 1st November 2011.- The school is a Church of England controlled school, which is reflected in the school ethos

statement and we have an active partnership with the local church of St Mary's and the Diocese of Ely.

- The school is a larger than average village primary school serving the locality of Buckden, Southoe, Diddington and Stirtloe. We also take pupils in from a wider catchment of Godmanchester, The Offords, Brampton, Great Staughton, Grafham and Perry.

- The school is a in a settling role situation. At our peak we had a role of 399 in 2000. This has settled year on year to our current position of 249 in October 2013. There have been a number of factors but in the main this has been the opening of two schools in 1999 (St Annes in Godmanchester) as a further faith school that limited the numbers coming from this locality and in 2001 (Cromwell Park) which picked up much of the surplus we took in from the Brampton locality. The other significant factor is the context of Buckden as an affluent village in the main, however this is changing as the socio-economic makeup of the village and surrounding areas change - there is little turnover in housing stock and the population is settled. We have noted for the last year that pupils are coming from outside our catchment area.

- The school is a training partner school with two local initial teacher training establishments: University of Bedford and Cambridge University Faculty of Education

Equality Development Plan 2014 - 2015

Key Priorities: Promote equality of opportunity for all regardless of race, gender, disability or religious belief and practices. Promote good race relations and eliminate unlawful racial discrimination Eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment Promote positive attitudes towards disabled persons Encourage participation by disabled persons in public life Race Equality Action Plan, Disability and Gender Equality Scheme Take steps to take account of disabled person’s disabilities, even if this requires more favourable treatment.

Objectives Success Criteria Who When Budget Monitoring

Evaluation

Audit the curriculum for positive role models of ethnic groups, disability and gender bias on a 3 year rolling programme.

Resources Manager and all subject leaders to take a proactive role in fulfilling this objective.

Resources catalogued and sorted relevant updates purchased and out of date/negative role models removed from resources.

Monitoring programme established in job role.

JM

All Subj. Lead

Sept 2014 to Sept 2015

Time out of the 10 hours per week for resources manager

Complete and update the building accessibility plan (reference to the suitability and condition survey by the LA).

Plan completed Plan agreed by the

Resources Govs Plan shared with key

stakeholders (i.e. renters).

MH Spring 2015

To ensure that all documents in school are made available (on request)as:

Website Downloads Enlarged Print (A4 A3) Coloured Papers (dyslexia friendly) Readily available

Stakeholder feedback indicates which parents need this support.

Letters readily available in different

CMJMJM

Office

With effect from September 2014 (new

General – coloured paper (£150)

LA alternative media sought on request (or signposted to parents i.e. admissions booklets or LA complaints procedure).

formats on request. academic year).

Collect data on school staff ethnicity and disability to enable annual monitoring or personnel processes and procedures

JM Annually – Autumn Term

Raise awareness of DDA – supporting stakeholders in meeting needs when on school premises.

Letters about concerts, productions, curriculum evenings etc. offer reserved seating for visual impairments or disabilities.

AC

Office Team

To further promote community cohesion. The school works actively in partnership with the wider community.

Extend the role of the ‘Community Co-ordinator’ and Collective Worship co-ordinator in supporting community cohesion.

All religious groups are represented in the school positively (Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Baptist) through assemblies and work in RE.

Positive role models amongst pupils are recognised (i.e. using own knowledge of their faith to support others in a unit of work – for example Judaism).

CSAC

Ongoing