Equality and Diversity at Talbot
As a school we welcome our duties under:
- The Equality Act 2010 to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations in relation to the protected characteristics of; age (4-11); disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion and belief; sex; sexual orientation
- The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) to assess the impact of our policies and practices on staff and pupils and take action to remove any obstacles identified, having due regard to:
- Eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
- Advancing equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.
- Fostering good relations across all protected characteristics between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.
In fulfilling our statutory duties we are guided by the following seven principles:
- All members of the school and wider community are of equal value
- We recognise and respect diversity
- We foster positive attitudes and relationships, and a shared sense of cohesion and belonging
- We will ensure that the recruitment, retention and ongoing development of staff is undertaken in a fair and equitable manner to support our school’s vision and values
- We aim to reduce and remove inequalities and barriers that already exist
- We consult widely
- We feel that the community as a whole should benefit
The seven principles stated above means that school displays a commitment to upholding our values of tolerance and respect. There are nine officially protected characteristics, and we ensure they are not discriminated against wherever possible. Where appropriate, we identify practical objectives and specific actions to challenge discrimination.
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- marriage and civil partnership
- pregnancy and maternity
- race
- religion or belief
- sex
- sexual orientation
How are we advancing Equality Objectives in line with our duties?
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In 2023-24 we will continue to narrow the gap in attainment and progress between children from different learner groups. We will also continue to ensure that our curriculum reflects the diversity of our community and effectively supports the children to identify and tackle discrimination linked to race, faith, gender, orientation, disability and socio-economic disadvantage. An ongoing commitment to pupil voice will embed these aims. We will positively engage with independent advisory bodies to inform our pedagogy, curriculum and offer, for example through our engagement with the Anti-Racism professional network, run by The Centre For Race, Education and Decoloniality (CRED) at Leeds Beckett University.
- Actions and provision should be read in conjunction with the Equality Policy Statement, Pupil Premium Policy, Sports Premium Policy, SEND and Inclusion Policy and Accessibility Plan. These commitments are implemented at an age and developmentally appropriate way through our curriculum.
We also demonstrate our commitment in the following ways:
- The nominated Equality Governor (Hena Ninan) will report on how the school reviews and considers its equality duties as part of the Governor Annual Report. This will be published on the school website
- Documents presented to the Governing Board through sub-committee and Full Governing Board meetings, e.g. standing items, Headteacher reports, Senior leadership analysis of attendance, all forms of bullying and access to extended learning opportunities
- Publishing attainment data on the school website and additional links to Department for Education (DfE) information, i.e. school league-tables
- Provision as identified in our curriculum long term plans, e.g. Personal, Social, Emotional and Health (PHSE) and the Connected Curriculum. These are available to view on the school website
- Provision and awareness as identified in the staff handbook
- Sharing questionnaire outcomes, e.g. parents, staff and children. These are available on the school website to view
A copy of our Accessibility Plan and Equality Policy Statement can be found on the Policies and Information page of the website.
We are very pleased to share the exciting news that the school has been recognised and received the Red Kite Alliance RED Award in recognition of our work to embed a culture of mutual respect and championing equality and celebrating diversity.
The assessors evaluated our provision and made some very positive comments that resonate so clearly with what we aim for our school to provide, i.e.:
- ‘A ‘daily diet’ which demonstrates our personal, knowledge-led, approach to creating a culture where ‘every child is understood.’
- ‘A real determination to go above and beyond the basic expectations.’
- ‘Efforts to eliminate discrimination which are rigorous and display a consistent approach to ensuring a wide range of procedures are embedded.’
- ‘A consistent consideration of the pupils, the communities they come from, and the impact a school can have on a local area.’
- ‘Pupils who are being encouraged to be excellent local and global citizens.’
- ‘A ‘golden thread’ of Equality and Diversity throughout your school.’
