Download Equality Policy - St Brendan`s Catholic Primary School, Corby

St Luke Academies Trust
Equality Policy
Presented to Directors:
Adopted by Directors:
Review date:
This policy is to be used in conjunction with Equality policies set out at
each individual school within the Trust.
Introduction
St Luke Academies Trust is committed to equality of opportunities for all members of the
Trust community. The Trust Board aims to ensure that no employee, job applicant, parent or
pupil or other member of the Trust community is treated less favourably than anyone else.
Equality does not mean treating everyone the same; it means treating people fairly, with
respect, having regard for their rights and wishes. Sometimes, this might mean giving
people extra help so that they have the same chances.
This policy is concerned with all pupils’ access to the curriculum and the recruitment and
opportunity of all staff.
The Equality Act 2010, replaces and consolidates previous anti-discrimination legislation,
including the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Race Relations Act 1976 and Race
Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 with a single Act. The Trust follows guidance from the
Catholic Education Service in the interpretation of the Equality Act 2010 (See Appendix 1)
and in the Public Sector Equality Duty (Appendix 2)
The Act introduced a single Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), sometimes referred to as
the general duty that applies to Schools, Academies and all Public Bodies.
The combined Equality Duty came into effect in April 2011. In common with all public
bodies, St Luke Academies Trust will have due regard to the need to:
• Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other conduct that is
prohibited by the Act.
• Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected
characteristic 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.
The Trust Board and the Leadership teams within each school in the Trust will:
• Be aware of the duty to have due regard when making decisions or taking action and will
assess whether it may have implications for people with particular protected
characteristics.
• Consider equality implications before and at the time that they develop policy and take
decisions, and they will keep them under review on a continuing basis.
It is unlawful to discriminate in the following areas, termed protected characteristics:
• Age
• Disability
• Gender
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage and civil partnership
• Pregnancy – the act extends this protection to pupils
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• Race
• Religion or belief
• Sexual orientation
Aims and objectives
The Trust Board aims:
• To comply with the legislation of the Equality Act 2010.
• To provide high quality education and, as a good employer, provide development
opportunities for all staff.
• To ensure that equality remains high on the strategic agenda at each individual school
within the Trust.
• To seek to eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment on the grounds of any of the
protected characteristics and to promote equality.
• To ensure that all staff work together with a shared sense of purpose to meet the needs
of every pupil.
• To ensure that pupils and staff contribute towards a happy and caring environment by
showing respect for and appreciation of one another as individuals.
Disability
The Trust Board is committed to ensuring that all reasonable adjustments to avoid
disadvantage to any disabled member of the Trust community including pupils. When
considering what a reasonable adjustment is, the governors of each individual school will
take into account the circumstances of each case. Factors which the governors will consider
include: the financial or other resources required for the adjustment, its effectiveness, its
effect on other pupils, health and safety requirements and whether aids have been made
available through the Special Educational Needs route.
St Luke Academies Trust has certain exceptions to the general code, as applied to most
schools with a religious character in England and Wales.
These are:
• The Admissions Code permits that any school within the Trust will give priority to
practising Catholics providing that the school continues to be oversubscribed.
 Exceptions are provided for schools with a religious character in relation to how
education is provided and access to aspects of school life. Schools within the Trust
will be able to mark or celebrate events specific to their religion and ethos. Parents,
guardians or carers will not be able to claim that their children have been
discriminated against simply because an equivalent celebration of events
of significance to their particular religion is not arranged. Schools will also still be
able to organise trips to a local church and will not have to organise visits to
accommodate children of other faiths within the school. The DfE guidance also
states as an example that a child of a different faith could not claim that they were
being treated less favourably because objects symbolic of a school’s faith, such as
the Bible, were given a special status on the school.
• In schools within the Trust, in common with other voluntary aided schools,
preference may be given in connection with the appointment, remuneration or
promotion of teachers, to those whose religious beliefs or religious practice is in
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accordance with the tenets of the school’s religion or religious denomination or who
give or are willing to give religious education in accordance with the tenets of the
faith. Conduct that is incompatible with the precepts of the Church, or which fails to
uphold its tenets, may be taken into consideration in determining whether the
teacher’s employment should be terminated.
Roles and Responsibilities
The role of directors
• The Trust’s Board has set out its commitment to equal opportunities in this plan and
it will continue to do all it can to ensure that the Trust and its schools are fully
inclusive to pupils and responsive to their needs, based on race, gender and
disability.
• The Trust’s Board seeks to ensure that people are not discriminated against when
applying for jobs at our schools on grounds of race, gender or disability.
• The directors will take all reasonable steps to ensure that the schools’ environment
give access to people with disabilities, and also strive to make communications as
inclusive as possible for parents, carers and pupils.
• The directors welcome all applications to join the schools, whatever a child’s socioeconomic background, race, gender or disability.
• The Trust’s Board will ensure that no child is discriminated against whilst in one of
our schools on account of their race, sex or disability.
The role of the head teacher
• To implement the school’s Equality Plan, supported by the local governing body.
• To ensure that all staff are aware of the Equality Plan, and that teachers apply these
guidelines fairly in all situations.
• To ensure that all appointments panels give due regard to this plan, so that no-one
is discriminated against when it comes to employment or training opportunities.
• To promote the principle of equal opportunity when developing the curriculum, and
promote respect for other people and equal opportunities to participate in all
aspects of school life.
• To treat all incidents of unfair treatment and any incidents of bullying or
discrimination, including racist incidents, with due seriousness.
The role of all staff: teaching and non-teaching
• To ensure that all pupils are treated fairly, equally and with respect, and will
maintain awareness of the school’s Equality Plan.
• To strive to provide material that gives positive images based on race, gender and
disability, and challenges stereotypical images.
 To challenge any incidents of prejudice, racism or homophobia, and record any
serious incidents, drawing them to the attention of the head teacher.
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APPENDIX 1: CES GUIDANCE NOTE FOR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
APPENDIX 2: THE PUBLIC SECTOR EQUALITY DUTY IN ENGLAND
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