Saint Patrick’s Catholic Primary School

'We arise today, to learn, love and grow through Jesus.’

Intent

The Equality Act (2010):

• makes it unlawful for the responsible body of a school to discriminate against, harass or victimise a pupil or potential pupil:
• in relation to admissions,
• in the way it provides education for pupils,
• in the way it provides pupils access to any benefit, facility or service, or
• by excluding a pupil or subjecting them to any other detriment.

At St. Patrick’s, we are a fully inclusive school which focusses on the well-being and progress of every child and does not discriminate against any pupil, parent/carer, staff member or visitor with regard to the 9 protected characteristics.

• Age
• Disability
• Sex
• Marriage and Civil Partnership
• Race
• Pregnancy and Maternity
• Sexual orientation
• Religion of belief
• Gender reassignment
   

At St. Patrick’s we are committed to ensuring that all members of our community are of equal worth and as such, we believe that the Equality Act (2010) provides a framework to support our commitment to valuing diversity, tackling discrimination, promoting equality and fostering good relationships. In doing so, we recognise that these duties reflect the international human righs 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.  

Implementation

At St. Patrick’s we ensure that the 9 protected characteristics are taught, respected and promoted in school by:

• Our Mission statement and core values which teaches children the importance of loving one another, learning happily and growing together in all areas of school life.
• Recognises and celebrates when children show good citizenship within the community and parish.
• Delivers PSHE to explore current and relevant topics in Modern Britain, encouraging discussions in a respectful matter.
• Ensures that our History curriculum explores the past in a way that we can learn from it in the future.
• Explores other faiths alongside the teaching of ‘Come and See RE’ to ensure that our children understand the importance of respecting the religious beliefs of others.
• Promotes and celebrates the individuality of us all through our ‘This is Me’ Art topic.
• Sets out clear guidelines regarding pupil and adult behaviour towards each other in a range of policies.
• Ensures that the school’s Admissions and Recruitment policy are fully inclusive.
• Ensures that vulnerable groups of pupils are not discriminated against and provided with the necessary support to be able to access the full curriculum and achieve their potential.
• Deals with any incidents of discrimination as set out in policies such as Anti-Bullying, Staff disciplinary etc.
• Reports any action of prejudice behaviour to the Local Authority and seek further advice when dealing with these incidents.
• Work with outside agencies to support the promotion of equality and what this means in society
• Ensure that all visitors to the school, including parents/carers support the school’s commitment to equality and comply with the guidelines set out in this policy.

Impact

At St. Patrick’s we believe, the welcoming, respectful environment, enriched in morals and teachings, continues to enhance the educational and pastoral experience of every individual passing through our doors, to ensure that they develop and become well-rounded individuals within the community, with the ambition to reach their potential and succeed. We recognise the unique needs of each child and support them in developing the whole child. As such, the impact of this policy will be that attainment records will show equal progression and attainment for all groups, including those identified as vulnerable. Data regarding suspensions and behaviour will show no pattern in incidents linked to a specific group of pupils. There will be no or few reports of prejudice-based incidents at the school. Pupil and parent voice will show that pupils feel valued, respected and provided for on an equal basis and staff voice will reflect that staff feel they are treated fairly and equally within their role.