Equalities

At Kilburn Grange School we take equality very seriously, please see below for the equalities statement.

Vision and Values (2)

Kilburn Grange School welcomes a diverse population of children, families and staff. In order to celebrate and build upon this diversity, it is essential that equality of opportunity and the absence of unfair discrimination be at the core of all the school’s activities, policies and procedures.

The wider Kilburn Grange School community recognises the link between equality and quality, and will not unfairly discriminate in the recruitment or general treatment of staff or students on the basis of any factor which is not relevant to academic achievement.

Kilburn Grange School is a totally inclusive school that focuses on the well-being and progress of every child, and we are committed to ensuring all members of our community are of equal worth. As such, we believe that the Equality Act provides a framework to support our commitment to valuing diversity, tackling discrimination, promoting equality and fostering good relationships between all members of our school community. It also ensures that we continue to tackle issues of disadvantage and underachievement of different groups.

We recognise that our duties as a school reflect international human rights 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.

 The Public Sector Equality Duty:

This requires all public organisations, including schools to:

  • Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
  • Advance equality of opportunity between different groups
  • Foster good relations between different groupsThere are nine protected characteristics covered by the Act under which it is unlawful to treat people unfairly.  The protected characteristics are:
    • Age
    • Disability (including SEN)
    • Gender reassignment
    • Marriage and civil partnership
    • Pregnancy and maternity
    • Race
    • Religion or belief
    • Sex
    • Sexual orientation

Every person has one or more of the protected characteristics; therefore the Act protects everyone against unfair treatment. The Equality Act makes it unlawful to treat someone differently, either through direct and indirect discrimination, harassment, victimisation and by failing to make a reasonable adjustment for a disabled person.

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

We recognise that these duties reflect international human rights 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

We expect our whole school community, including families, the local community and any visitors to our school, to support our commitment to promoting equalities and meeting the requirements of the Equality Act. We will provide advice and guidance, should members require it to enable them to do this.

We actively seek out opportunities to embrace the following key concepts:

  • Shared Humanity. Identifying commonality and shared values, aspirations and needs underpins our approach to equality. We value our fundamental similarities and universality.
  • Valuing difference and diversity. We appreciate the richness within our differences and look for ways of celebrating and understanding them better.
  • Interdependence, interaction and influence. We recognise that, as they evolve, distinct cultures, beliefs and lifestyles will impact on and inform each other.
  • Social cohesion within our school and within our local community.
  • Excellence. We aim to inspire and recognise high personal and collective achievement throughout our community, the UK and the wider world. Excellence is to be found everywhere.
  • Personal and cultural identity. We will provide opportunities to explore and value the complexity of our personal and cultural identities.
  • Fairness and social justice. We will develop our understanding of the inequality that exists in society and explore ways of individually and collectively promoting a more equitable society.

What are we doing to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation?

  • We take account of equality issues in relation to admissions and exclusions.
  • We ensure that we consider all aspects of equalities when we determine our curriculum and the way in which we provide education for our pupils.
  • We consider the way we provide access for pupils to facilities and services.
  • We are aware of the Reasonable Adjustment duty for disabled pupils – designed to enhance access and participation to the level of non-disabled pupils and stop disabled children being placed at a disadvantage compared to their non-disabled peers.
  • Our admissions arrangements are fair and transparent. We do not discriminate against pupils by treating them less favourably on any grounds.
  • We actively promote equality and diversity though the curriculum and by creating an environment which encourages respect for all.
  • All appointment panels give due regard to this statement so that no one is discriminated against when it comes to employment, promotion or training opportunities.
  • When we recruit staff, we ensure that we do not discriminate on the grounds of their sex, race, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity.
  • All staff appointments and promotions are made on the basis of merit and ability and in compliance with the law. However we are concerned to ensure wherever possible that the staffing of the school reflects the diversity of our community.
  • We challenge all forms of prejudice and prejudice based bullying.
  • We respect the religious beliefs and practice of all staff, pupils and parents, and comply with reasonable requests relating to religious observance and practice.

What are we doing to advance equality of opportunity between different groups?

  • We know the needs of our school community very well and collect and analyse data in order to inform our planning and identify targets to achieve improvements. We take action to close any gaps, for example, for those making slower progress in acquiring age-appropriate skills and knowledge. We also ensure children from all groups are challenged to excel and provide support to enable individuals to exceed age-related expectations.
  • We collect, analyse and use data in relation to attendance and exclusions of different groups.
  • We use a range of learning and teaching strategies to ensure we meet the needs of all pupils.
  • We are alert and proactive about the potentially damaging impact of negative language in matters such as race, gender, disability and sexuality.
  • We ensure equality of access for all pupils to a broad and balanced curriculum, removing barriers to participation where necessary in order to prepare every child for life in a diverse society.
  • We seek to involve all parents and families in supporting their child’s education journey.
  • We encourage classroom and staffroom discussion of equality issues which reflect on social stereotypes, expectations and the impact on learning, including teaching and classroom-based approaches appropriate for the whole school population, which are inclusive and reflective of our pupils.

 What are we doing to foster good relations?

  • We prepare our pupils for life in a diverse society and ensure that there are activities across the curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our pupils.
  • We teach about difference and diversity and the impact of stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination through PSHE and citizenship and across the curriculum.
  • We use materials and resources that reflect the diversity of the school population and local community in terms of race, gender, sexual identity and disability, avoiding stereotyping. We include the contribution of different cultures to world history and promote positive images of people.
  • We promote a whole school ethos and values that challenge prejudice based discriminatory language, attitudes and behaviour.
  • We provide opportunities for pupils to appreciate their own culture and celebrate the diversity of other cultures.
  • We provide opportunities for pupils to listen to a range of opinions and empathise with different experiences.
  • We promote positive messages about equality and diversity through displays, assemblies, visitors, whole school events e.g. Black History Month, Deaf Awareness week etc.

What are we doing to tackle discrimination?

  • Harassment on account of race, gender or disability is unacceptable and is not tolerated within the school environment.
  • All staff are expected to deal with any discriminatory incidents that may occur. They are taught to know how to identify and challenge prejudice and stereotyping; and to support the full range of diverse needs according to a pupil’s individual circumstances.
  • Racist incidents and other incidents of harassment or bullying are dealt with by the member of staff present, escalating to a class teacher/Headteacher where necessary.
  • All incidents are reported to the Headteacher and racist incidents are reported to the governing body and local authority on a termly basis.

Please refer to our Equality Policy for full details of our approach to promoting equality.