Equality Duty for schools

At Creeting St Mary CEVA Primary School we are committed to promoting equality of opportunity, eliminating discrimination and harassment, valuing diversity and promoting positive relationships. We provide an inclusive education which enables all pupils to develop their full potential meeting the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.

At Creeting St Mary CEVA Primary School, we believe that diversity is a strength which should be respected and celebrated by all those who learn, teach and visit us.

This Equality Statement is concerned with all pupils' access to the curriculum and the recruitment and opportunity of all staff.

The Equality Act of 2010 introduced a since Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) that applies to schools and all public bodies.

In common with all public bodies, Creeting St Mary CEVA Primary School will have due regard to the need to:

• Eliminate discrimination
• Advance equality of opportunity between people who share protected characteristics and people who do not share it.
• Foster good relations across all characteristics, between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.

We seek to provide a broad and balanced curriculum in which the basic skills in literacy and numeracy are taught progressively and systematically. Furthermore, the school's aim is to provide for all pupils according to their needs, irrespective of gender, ability or ethnic origin. The curriculum avoids stereotypes and provides good role models for all pupils. The school seeks to ensure that the curriculum is not delivered in a discriminatory way.

We provide our pupils with the opportunity to succeed and to reach the highest level of personal achievement. We do this by:

• Ensuring equality of access for all pupils and preparing them for life in a diverse society
• Encouraging pupils to respect the fundamental British Values of democracy
• Using materials that reflect the diversity of society without stereotyping
• Promoting attitudes and values that challenge any discriminatory behaviour or prejudice
• Provide opportunities for pupils to appreciate their own culture and celebrate the diversity of other cultures
• Seeking to involve all parents in supporting their child's education
• Utilising teaching approaches for the whole school population which are inclusive and reflective of our pupils.

All members of the school community are responsible for promoting the school's equality statement and are obliged to respect and act in accordance with it.

Equality Objectives

The Equality Act 2010 replaced all existing equality legislation. It put in place a number of duties to ensure public bodies and schools have due regard to certain Protected Characteristics. The protected characteristics are: age, gender reassignment, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation and pregnancy / maternity.

The general duty is set out in Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. In summary, all public bodies and schools must have due regard to the need to:

1. Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
2. Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
3. Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

Schools have a legal requirement to prepare and publish one or more specific and measurable equality objectives, every 4 years, which will help them to further the three aims of the Equality Duty. 

Further information about equality issues can be found in the school’s Equality Policy.