School policy statement on equality and community cohesion

Our school is committed to equality both as an employer and a service-provider:

• We try to ensure that everyone is treated fairly and with respect.
• We want to make sure that our school is a safe, secure and stimulating place for everyone.
• We recognise that people have different needs, and we understand that treating people equally does not always involve treating them all exactly the same.
• We recognise that for some pupils extra support is needed to help them to achieve and be successful.
• We try to make sure that people from different groups are consulted and involved in our decisions, for example through talking to pupils and parents/carers, and through our School Council.
• We aim to make sure that no-one experiences harassment, less favourable treatment or discrimination because of their age; any disability they may have; their ethnicity, colour or national origin; their gender; their gender identity or reassignment; their marital or civil partnership status; being pregnant or having recently had a baby; their religion or beliefs; their sexual identity and orientation.

We welcome our general duty under the Equality Act 2010 to eliminate discrimination, to advance equality of opportunity and to foster good relations, and our specific duties to publish information every year about our school population; to explain how we have due regard for equality; and to publish equality objectives which show how we plan to tackle particular inequalities, and reduce or remove them.

We also welcome our duty under the Education and Inspections Act 2006 to promote community cohesion.

We welcome the emphasis in the Ofsted inspection framework on the importance of narrowing gaps in achievement which affect, amongst others:

• pupils from certain cultural and ethnic backgrounds
• pupils who belong to low-income households and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals
• pupils who are disabled
• pupils who have special educational needs
• boys in certain subjects, and girls in certain other subjects.

In addition to this short statement, we also have a full school policy on equality and community cohesion. Please ask for a copy if you would like to see it.

For more information please contact:

Ro Maybury (Member of staff with responsibility for equality issues)
Tel: 02086401010
Email: abbotsburyprimary@merton.sch.uk

Member of Governing  Body: TBC
Contact via the school

The Equality Act 2010 requires us to publish information that demonstrates that we have due regard for the need to:

• Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct 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 between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.