Equality and diversity
Promoting Equality and Diversity
As a school we welcome our duties under the Equality Act 2010. The general duties are to:
- eliminate discrimination,
- advance equality of opportunity
- foster good relations
We understand the principal of the act and the work needed to ensure that those with protected characteristics are not discriminated against and are given equality of opportunity.
There are 9 protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 and all schools should be able to demonstrate that no form of discrimination is tolerated and that everyone within our school community shows respect for those who share the protected characteristics.
The 9 Protected Characteristics are:
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- marriage and civil partnership
- pregnancy and maternity
- race
- religion or belief
- sex
- sexual orientation
At Queensgate, rather than teaching all the protected characteristics in every year group, we ensure that our children are given opportunities to develop age-appropriate knowledge and understanding through our well-planned and delivered PSHE curriculum. They also form part of our RE, History, Geography and English lessons; starting in EYFS, where positive messages on equality and diversity are shared with the children, including in books that form part of English lessons and early reading in KS1. The No Outsiders books and resources are planned within our PSHE curriculum and help us promote the central message "All different, all welcome."
We have devised our own child-friendly symbols to represent each of protected characteristics (see QPS Protected Characteristics Overview below). These are displayed around school and referred to by staff when discussing protected characteristics with the children.
The nine protected characteristics are actively promoted in school through:
- Our school core values
- Our school behaviour policy
- Conscious role modelling by all adults in the school community
- Active engagement and communication with parents and carers
- Assemblies
- Discussion within curriculum subjects, taking a cross-curricular approach
- Promoting articulation by building appropriate language and a coherent vocabulary
- Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) sessions
- "No Outsiders" resources
- Religious Education (RE) lessons
- Sporting, Art and Cultural Events
- Pupil Voice
- Educational visits
- Real-life learning outside the classroom
- Guest speakers
- Developing links with local, national and international communities
- Extra-curricular activities, after-school clubs, charity work and work within the local community