At St. Peter's,  we believe equality is of significant importance. As per our school vision of, 'One Family, Aiming High, Learning Together with God,' and our school parable of The Lost Sheep, we believe that all the children in our care are individual and should be treated as such. As the teachings of Jesus shows us, God's love is limitless and without requirement. Please take time looking through our equalities page and how we meet our objectives. 

Equality and Diversity Deep Dive (Autumn 2022):

For our council commissioned visit this year, we were visited by a specialist in equality and diversity. Our report was glowing and highlighted how we go above and beyond to include as many families and communities in our school fibre. 

Equalities Statement

At St. Peter's Primary School we are committed to:

• promoting equality of opportunity
• eliminating discrimination and harassment
• valuing diversity and promoting positive relationships
• providing an inclusive education which enables all pupils to develop their full potential
• meeting the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.

The Equality Act 2010

The Equality Act 2010 replaces previous anti-discrimination legislation with a single Act. The Equality Duty is set out in section 149 of the Act. It replaces the three previous public sector equality duties – for race, disability and gender – and covers the following protected characteristics:

• Disability
• Race and ethnicity
• Gender
• Gender identity 
• Marriage and civil partnership (but only in respect of eliminating unlawful discrimination)
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Religion and belief
• Sexual identity

We ensure that we have due regard to the need to:

• eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct that is prohibited by the Act
• advance equality of opportunity between people who share a characteristic and those who don’t
• foster good relations between people who share a characteristic and those who don’t.

The Governing Body will ensure, that in the cycle of policy reviews, that policies and practices are scrutinised to identify the effects they have on individuals or groups of people in relation to equality.

Aims of the School

At St. Peter's Primary School we aim to nurture and maximise the full learning potential of each child, and foster their spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development. We want our children to be happy, healthy and successful, within our school family.

We aim:

• to create a happy, safe and caring environment;
• to value each child for his or her individual talents;
• to help children to learn that courtesy, good manners and consideration for others are important qualities
• to promote good relationships between pupils and adults in a happy and harmonious community where good relationships are underpinned by mutual respect and kindness. To treat all fairly and listen to others sympathetically and attentively;
• to develop children who have respect and strive for high standards in their appearance, learning and behaviour;
• to prepare our children for the responsibility and experiences of adult life to enable them to develop as well rounded members of society within the world in which they will live;
• to expect and maintain high standards of behaviour, courtesy and politeness at all levels so that all are treated well;
• to be an inclusive school and to establish practice which ensures, in all aspects of our work, that every pupil is given equality of opportunity, regardless of gender, special needs, disability or race;
• to provide teaching and learning of the highest quality, treating our pupils as individuals and to differentiate teaching and learning to take account of their individual and special needs;
• to nurture children’s spiritual moral and social development and help them to grow in self-confidence and self-esteem;
• to ensure that all pupils benefit from a rich, broad, balanced curriculum presented in an interesting, exciting and imaginative manner with many opportunities for first-hand experience, practical work, investigation and learning through play;
• to teach basic skills and core subjects well and to give great emphasis to the foundation subjects and RE, especially to the creative aspects, including art, poetry, story, dance, music, and performance. This will be central to our work;
• to contribute to the life and work of the school with energy and enthusiasm;
• to invite parents and the wider community to work as partners with the school;
• to build a welcoming, friendly, bright and lively, happy place where children feel secure and where they enjoy growing up.

Our school aims to be an inclusive school. We actively seek to include all our children in our school community. We do not exclude individual pupils, or groups of pupils. This means that equality of opportunity must be a reality for our children and we make this a reality through the attention we pay to the different groups of children within our school with consideration of the  following protected characteristics:

• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage and civil partnership (but only in respect of eliminating unlawful discrimination)
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Race
• Religion or belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation

Staff and governors demonstrate our values and commitment to equality by:-

• ensuring acceptable behaviour,
• responding to incidents and complaints in a proactive way,
• providing access to services, facilities and information,
• recruiting and employing people fairly,
• meeting specific needs.

We collect and analyse a range of equality information for our pupils/students:

We make regular assessments of pupils’ learning and use this information to track pupils’ progress, as they move through the school. As part of this process, we regularly monitor the performance of different groups, to ensure that all groups of pupils are making the best possible progress. We use this information to adjust future teaching and learning plans, as necessary.

Resources are available to support groups of pupils where the information suggests that progress is not as good as it should be. The governing body receives regular updates on pupil performance information.

School performance information is compared to national data and local authority data, to ensure that pupils are making appropriate progress when compared to all schools, and to schools in similar circumstances.

As well as monitoring pupil performance information, we also regularly monitor a range of other information. This relates to:

• Attendance
• Exclusions and truancy
• Racism, disabilism, sexism, homophobia and all forms of bullying
• Parental involvement
• Participation in After School Activities and Learning Activities

Our monitoring activities enable us to identify any differences in pupil performance and provide specific support as required, including pastoral support. This allows us to take appropriate action to meet the needs of specific groups in order to make necessary improvements.

St, Peter's School is also committed to providing a working environment free from discrimination, bullying, harassment and victimisation. We aim to recruit an appropriately qualified workforce and establish a governing body that is representative of all sections of the community in order to respect and respond to the diverse needs of our population.

Information may be collected regarding

• Applicants for employment
• Staff profiles
• Governing body profiles
• Training events

Due regard is given to the promotion of equality in the School Improvement Plan. The person responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of the policy and any action planning is the headteacher.

Their role is to:

• Lead discussions, organise training, update staff in staff meetings, support discussions
• Work with the governing body on matters relating to equality
• Support evaluation activities that moderate the impact and success of this policy

Developing Best Practice

Learning and Teaching

We aim to provide all our pupils with the opportunity to succeed, and to reach the highest level of personal achievement. To do this, teaching and learning will:

• Provide equality of access for all pupils and prepare them for life in a diverse society
• Use materials that reflect a range of cultural backgrounds, without stereotyping
• Use materials to promote a positive image of and attitude towards disability and disabled people
• Promote attitudes and values that will challenge discriminatory behaviour
• Provide opportunities for pupils to appreciate their own culture and religions and celebrate the diversity of other cultures
• Use a range of sensitive teaching strategies when teaching about different cultural and religious traditions
• Develop pupils advocacy skills so that they can detect bias, challenge discrimination, leading to justice and equality
• Ensure that the whole curriculum covers issues of equality and diversity;
• All subject leaders' departments, where appropriate, promote and celebrate the contribution of different cultures to the subject matter
• Seek to involve all parents in supporting their child’s education
• Provide educational visits and extended learning opportunities that involve all pupil groups
• Take account of the performance of all pupils when planning for future learning and setting challenging targets
• Make best use of all available resources to support the learning of all groups of pupils
• Identify resources and training that support staff development

Learning Environment

There is a consistently high expectation of all pupils regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation, age or any other recognised area of discrimination. All pupils are encouraged to improve on their own achievements and not to measure themselves against others. Parents are also encouraged to view their own children’s achievements in this light.

• Teacher enthusiasm is a vital factor in achieving a high level of motivation and good results from all pupils
• Adults in the school will provide good, positive role models in their approach to all issues relating to equality of opportunity
• The school places a very high priority on the provision for special educational needs and disability. We will meet all pupils’ learning needs including the more able by carefully assessed and administered programmes of work
• The school provides an environment in which all pupils have equal access to all facilities and resources
• All pupils are encouraged to be actively involved in their own learning
• A range of teaching methods are to be used throughout the school to ensure that effective learning takes place at all stages for all pupils
• Consideration will be given to the physical learning environment – both internal and external, including displays and signage when appropriate

Equality Objectives  September 2024 to July 2026