The legal and local framework for our policy is: 

• Race Relations Act 1976 (as amended in 2000) 
• Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (as amended in 2005) 
• Children Act 2004 • Equality Act 2006 
• Education and Inspections Act 2006 
• Duty to Promote Community Cohesion, Education and Inspections act 2006 

This Policy and principles are in line with the STAR MAT Equalities Policy.

Brayton Church of England Primary School is a welcoming school where everyone is valued highly and where tolerance, honesty, co-operation and mutual respect for others are fostered through all of our relationships and adherence to British Values.

We are committed to the development of the whole person within a supportive, secure and creative environment. A constantly developing broad, balanced and appropriate curriculum provides equal opportunity for all pupils to maximise their potential regardless of age, gender identity, race, colour, sexual orientation, religion or disability.

We endeavour to promote positive relationships with families, governors and members of the wider community. We aim to promote equality and tackle any form of discrimination and actively promote harmonious relations in all areas of school life. We seek to remove any barriers to access, participation, progression, attainment and achievement. We take seriously our contribution towards community cohesion.

We aim to:

• provide a secure learning environment where all individuals see themselves reflected and feel a sense of belonging;
• prepare children for life in a diverse society in which children are able to see their place in the local, regional, national and international community;
• include and value the contribution of all families to our understanding of equality and diversity;
• provide positive non-stereotyping information about different groups of people regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, religion and age;
• plan systematically to improve our understanding and promotion of diversity;
• actively challenge discrimination and disadvantage;
• make inclusion a thread which runs through all our activities.

To achieve these aims we will:

• involve stakeholders in the development, review, evaluation, and impact assessment of all relevant improvement plans, policies and procedures; • publish and share our policies and impact assessments with the whole community;
• collect and analyse data to ensure all groups are progressing well and no group is subject to disadvantage;
• use all available information to set suitable learning challenges for all, respond to pupils’ diverse needs and overcome any potential barriers to learning;
• ensure that the wider school curriculum makes explicit and implicit provision to promote and celebrate diversity;
• have high expectations of behaviour which demonstrates respect to others.

Our school is committed to:

• being proactive in promoting good relationships and equality of opportunity across all aspects of school life and the wider community;
• encouraging, supporting and enabling all pupils and staff to reach their potential and make a positive contribution;
• working in partnership with families, the local authority (LA) and the wider community to establish, promote and disseminate inclusive practice and tackle discrimination.

Responsibilities

The Governing Body:

• ensure that the school complies with equality legislation;
• meet requirements to publish equality schemes;
• ensure that the school’s policy and its procedures and strategies are carried out and monitored with appropriate impact assessments informing future plans;
• scrutinise the recording and reporting procedures at least annually;
• follow the LA’s admissions policy, which is fair and equitable in its treatment of all groups;
• monitor attendance and take appropriate action where necessary;
• have equal opportunities in staff recruitment and professional development and membership of the Governing Body;
• provide information in appropriate, accessible formats;
• be involved in dealing with serious breaches of the policy;
• be pro-active in recruiting high-quality applicants from under-represented groups.

The Headteacher:

• implement the policy and its strategies and procedures;
• ensure that all staff receive appropriate and relevant continuous professional development;
• actively challenge and take appropriate action in any cases of discriminatory practice;
• deal with any reported incidents of harassment or bullying in line with LA guidance;
• ensure that all visitors and contractors are aware of, and comply with, the school’s equality and diversity policy
• ensure that Governors are kept up to date with any issues or changes in provision.

All staff:

• be vigilant in all areas of the school for any type of harassment and bullying;
• deal effectively with all incidents from overt name-calling to the more subtle forms of victimisation caused by perceived differences;
• identify and challenge bias and stereotyping within the curriculum and in the school’s culture;
• promote equality and good relations and not discriminate on grounds of race, gender, religion, age and sexual orientation;
• promote an inclusive curriculum and whole school ethos which reflects our diverse society;
• keep up to date with equality legislation, development and issues by attending relevant training and accessing information from appropriate sources.
• All breaches of the policy will be rigorously followed up using the appropriate procedures and reported to the Governing Body and LA as required.

Policy planning and development

• In the planning and development stage of and new policy-making, we will ensure we have consulted and taken into account stakeholder views.
• All improvement plans will be designed with an element of impact assessment built in to monitor the success of each activity.
• Equality and diversity will be referred to in any other relevant policy and aim to address any areas of possible inequality.
• Our target-setting processes ensure appropriate, challenging targets are set in relation to identifiable groups as well as individual pupils / cohorts.
• Monitoring and Quality Assurance
• Each pupil’s progress is monitored and tracked. The resulting data is analysed in respect of gender, race, ability or additional needs, looked-after status etc – any vulnerability or potential barrier to learning is scrutinised. 
• In addition to monitoring to rule out any potential disadvantage, quality assurance procedures ensure the school meets its duty to positively promote diversity. (eg recording evidence through monitoring of differentiation & scaffolding; texts are reviewed to ensure appropriateness and inclusivity.)
• The data collected is used to inform further school planning, target-setting and decision making about interventions needed.