Equality and diversity, or multiculturalism, is the idea of promoting and accepting the differences between people. More specifically,

 

Equality is about ensuring all individuals are treated fairly and equally.

 

At Morpeth All Saints CE First School we welcome and adhere to our duties under the Equality Act 2010 to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations in relation to age (as appropriate) sex, disability ethnicity, gender identity, religion and belief and sexual orientation.  We welcome our duty under the Education and Inspections Act 2006 to promote community cohesion and more recent directives to teach about character and values through SMSCD in the curriculum.   We recognize these duties are essential and that they reflect international human rights standards as expressed in the UN Convention on the Human Rights Act and Rights of the child and the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities and the Human Rights Act 1998.

 

Equality is about ensuring that every individual has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents  and believing that no one should have poorer life chances because of where, what or whom they were born, what they believe, or whether they have a disability.  Equality recognizes that historically, certain groups of people with particular characteristics e.g.,  race, disability, sex and sexuality, have experienced discrimination. Much harmful discriminatory behaviour, such as bullying, comes from a lack of understanding for diverse cultures, lifestyles, beliefs and differences between individuals. Educating our children about identities, diversity, equality and human rights helps them learn to respect, celebrate difference and help tackle prejudice and discrimination.  The whole curriculum we provide is underpinned by an awareness and teaching of equality of opportunity for all. The thread that binds the curriculum. An underpinning, not an add on.

 

The Equality Act 2010 covers the way the curriculum is delivered, as schools and other education providers must ensure that issues are taught in a way that does not subject pupils to discrimination. Schools have a duty under the Equality Act to ensure that teaching is accessible to all children and young people, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT). Inclusive RSE will foster good relations between pupils, tackle all types of prejudice – including homophobia – and promote understanding and respect. The Department for Education has produced advice on The Equality Act 2010 and schools (DfE, 2014b).

 

Schools have a legal duty to promote equality (Equality Act, 2010) and to combat bullying (Education Act, 2006) (which includes homophobic, sexist, sexual and transphobic bullying) and Section 4.2 of the national curriculum (2014) states “Teachers should take account of their duties under equal opportunities legislation that covers race, disability, sex, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, and gender reassignment.”

 

The Church of England document ‘Valuing all God’s Children’, 2017 states:

“All bullying, including homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying, causes profound damage, leading to higher levels of mental health disorders, self-harm, depression and suicide. Central to Christian theology is the truth that every single one of us is made in the image of God. Every one of us is loved unconditionally by God. We must avoid, at all costs, diminishing the dignity of any individual to a stereotype or a problem. Church of England schools offer a community where everyone is a person known and loved by God, supported to know their intrinsic value.” (Page1).  It is also a part of the 2018 SIAMS schedule that Church of England schools should enable their pupils to “embrace difference”.

 

Protected characteristics

It is against the law to discriminate against someone because of a protected characteristic.

What are protected characteristics?

It is against the law to discriminate against someone because of:

• age
• disability
• gender reassignment
• marriage and civil partnership
• pregnancy and maternity
• race
• religion or belief
• sex
• sexual orientation

 

These are called protected characteristics.

You are protected under the Equality Act 2010 from these types of discrimination. 

 

Age

A person belonging to a particular age (for example 32 year olds) or range of ages (for example 18 to 30 year olds).   See our advice and guidance on age discrimination.

 

Disability

A person has a disability if she or he has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on that person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.  See our disability advice and guidance section.

 

Gender reassignment

The process of transitioning from one gender to another.

See our advice and guidance on gender reassignment discrimination.

 

Marriage and civil partnership

Marriage is a union between a man and a woman or between a same-sex couple.   Same-sex couples can also have their relationships legally recognised as ‘civil partnerships’. Civil partners must not be treated less favourably than married couples (except where permitted by the Equality Act).  See our advice and guidance on marriage and civil partnership discrimination.

 

Pregnancy and maternity

Pregnancy is the condition of being pregnant or expecting a baby. Maternity refers to the period after the birth, and is linked to maternity leave in the employment context. In the non-work context, protection against maternity discrimination is for 26 weeks after giving birth, and this includes treating a woman unfavourably because she is breastfeeding.  Find out more about our work on pregnancy and maternity in the workplace.

 

Race

Refers to the protected characteristic of race. It refers to a group of people defined by their race, colour, and nationality (including citizenship) ethnic or national origins.    See our advice and guidance on race discrimination.

 

Religion and belief

Religion refers to any religion, including a lack of religion. Belief refers to any religious or philosophical belief and includes a lack of belief. Generally, a belief should affect your life choices or the way you live for it to be included in the definition.   See our guidance on religion or belief at work.

 

Sex

A man or a woman.  See our guidance on sex discrimination.

 

Sexual orientation

Whether a person’s sexual attraction is towards their own sex, the opposite sex or to both sexes.

See our advice and guidance on sexual orientation discrimination.

 

Equality Act

Find out more about the Equality Act 2010, which provides the legal framework to tackle disadvantage and discrimination.

 

The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most rapidly and widely ratified international human rights treaty in history.  The Convention changed the way children are viewed and treated – i.e., as human beings with a distinct set of rights instead of as passive objects of care and charity.  The unprecedented acceptance of the Convention clearly shows a wide global commitment to advancing children’s rights.

The Convention has 54 articles that cover all aspects of a child’s life and set out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all children everywhere are entitled to. It also explains how adults and governments must work together to make sure all children can enjoy all their rights.  Every child has rights, whatever their ethnicity, gender, religion, language, abilities or any other status.  The Convention must be seen as a whole: all the rights are linked and no right is more important that another. The right to relax and play (Article 31) and the right to freedom of expression (Article 13) have equal importance as the right to be safe from violence (Article 19) and the right to education (Article 28).

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

• Accessible Communication Formats (Government guidance)
• Producing accessible materials for print or online (Abilitynet)
• Creating clear print and large print documents (UK Association for Accessible Formats)
• The Sensory Trust information sheet on clear and large print
• Am I making myself clear? (Mencap’s guidelines for accessible writing)
• Dyslexia Style Guide (British Dyslexia Association)

Radicalisation and Extremism

Morpeth All Saints CE First School believes and actively supports the view that all pupils should be protected from radicalisation and extremism. Our approach to this is in line with the Government’s CONTEST strategy (the counter terrorist strategy) and PREVENT (stopping people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism).

Radicalisation is the process by which people come to support terrorism and extremism, and in some, cases participate in terrorist groups. Extremism is the vocal or active opposition to the fundamental British values in bullet points above.

Our total commitment to safeguarding student welfare means we are vigilant to monitoring vulnerability to radicalisation including:-

 

• Family tensions
• Sense of isolation
• Migration
• Distance from cultural heritage
• Experience of racism or discrimination
• Feeling of failure

 

Any concerns must be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, Mr. N. Reeson, who will make a referral using the Channel referral form.