Equality

Our Equality Objectives for September 2024-2027

Objective 1

To ensure the school actively promotes and prioritises raising awareness, appreciation and celebration of diversity including gender, sexuality, race and religion.

Why we have chosen this objective:

From an analysis of our school profile alongside the demographics of our local area we know that our school community is not fully representative of life in Modern Britain. We want our community to embrace the uniqueness of the human race more readily and to have the opportunity to explore a range of issues pertinent to the protected characteristics as part of their education provision.

To achieve this objective, we plan to:

·   Ensuring planning of the curriculum represents life in Modern Britain where all people are represented.

·   Celebrate national and international events that are important to different groups of people

·   Plan collective worships carefully to deepen children’s awareness of the world around them.

·   Have curriculum days/weeks that celebrate diversity e.g. Interfaith week, Black History Month.

Objective 2

To monitor and analyses pupil achievement by race, gender and disability and act on any trends or patterns in the data that require additional support for pupils.

Why we have chosen this objective:

The school have started to monitor and anaylse pupil achievement data in terms of protected characteristics. We have not yet found any trends or patterns but we understand we need to do this regularly so any patterns/trends can be identified so pupils who require additional support are identified quickly.

To achieve this objective, we plan to:

·   The Headteacher will analyses pupil achievement and pupil progress after each data drop looking at different protected characteristics.

·   The data and analysis will be discussed by SLT and presented to the Governing Body Achievements Committee to be discussed.

·   Patterns and trends will be investigated and shared with teaching staff.  

Objective 3

To recognise that communication is not only through spoken language and promote opportunities for training and development to support non-verbal communication.

Why we have chosen this objective:

The school has an increasing number of children with significant and often complex needs including ASD, Downs Syndrome, EAL. There are many children who struggle to comprehend or respond appropriately to spoken word and require alternative forms of communication including visual.

To achieve this objective, we plan to:

·   Makaton level 1 and 2 training for the whole school staff.

·   Makaton signs to be used across the school

·   Makaton signs to be taught to the children so they can confidently us them to communicate.  

Progress we are making towards this objective:

Objective 4

To narrow the disadvantaged pupil gap in KS2 so that a greater proportion of DA pupils finish KS2 with age related expectations.

Why we have chosen this objective:

From an analysis of our internal school data, which is discussed termly at pupil progress meeting it indicates inequality of attainment/progress for our pupils who receive pupil premium funding.

To achieve this objective, we plan to:

·   Closely monitor data for our DA pupils.

·   Teachers to be aware of DA pupils and their progress

·   Inclusion Assistant to support emotional development to ensure children are ready to learn

·   Inclusion Assistant to support focus DA children in core subjects e.g. Maths to support academic progress.

·   Continue to run parent workshop to enable parents to support children at home. Ensure DA parents are invited and targeted to attend the workshops.

·   Invite DA parents into school at different opportunities to build positive relationship with school and education.

You can read our Equalities Duty Framework Policy on our policies page here.

Public Sector Equality Duty 

The single Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) came into effect in April 2011 as a result of the Equality Act 2010. It requires public bodies to promote equality and replaced three pre-existing duties relating to disability, race and gender equality.

The PSED applies to all maintained and independent schools, including academies, and maintained and non-maintained special schools.

Protected Characteristics 

The Department for Education (DfE) has published non-statutory advice that sets out schools' obligations under the PSED.

Paragraph 5.1 explains that the PSED extends to the following protected characteristics:

• Race, disability, sex, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, gender reassignment 

Three Main Elements

Paragraph 5.1 of the document explains that the PSED has three main elements. In carrying out their functions, public bodies are required to have due regard to the need to: 

• Eliminate discrimination and other conduct that is prohibited by the Equality Act 2010
• Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it
• Foster good relations across all characteristics, and between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it

Due Regard

Paragraph 5.4 of the DfE's advice says that 'due regard' has been defined in case law and means giving "relevant and proportionate consideration to the duty".

For schools, this means:

• Decision makers must be aware of the duty to have due regard when making a decision or taking an action, and must assess whether it may have implications for people with particular protected characteristics
• Schools should consider equality implications before and at the time that they develop policy and take decisions, not as an afterthought, and they need to keep them under review on a continuing basis
• The PSED has to be integrated into the carrying out of the school’s functions, and the analysis necessary to comply with the duty has to be carried out seriously, rigorously and with an open mind

Specific Duties

The PSED introduces secondary legislation in the form of specific duties. The duties require schools to: 

• Publish information to demonstrate how they are complying with the PSED. This information must include, in particular, information relating to people who share a protected characteristic
• Prepare and publish equality objectives

Schools are required to update this published information at least annually and to publish objectives at least once every four years.

What do we do at Monks to eliminate discrimination?

We have set a clear vision and values which expect all our staff to act in a non-discriminating manner and be mindful to avoid actions that will be deemed as such to the public and our wider community.

We have up-to-date and ratified policies which set out a clear message that discrimination is not tolerated: staff code of conduct, behaviour, anti-bullying, safeguarding and child protection. 

We understand that it is unlawful to fail to make reasonable adjustments to overcome barriers to using services caused by disability and one of our equalities objectives addresses this. 

The governing body and school leaders involved in recruitment will avoid unlawful discrimination in all aspects of employment including recruitment, promotion, opportunities for training, pay and benefits, discipline and selection for redundancy. Another one of our equalities objectives addresses this. 

Through a structured PSHE curriculum offer, collective worships, workshops and visits, equalities will be discussed with and taught to the children, exemplifying the British Values and school values that we believe in.