Allensbank Primary School

Equalities Policy

Mission Statement

Allensbank Primary School is a happy and welcoming school that is committed to providing a friendly, safe and nurturing learning environment for all.

The school fosters respect, celebrates diversity and actively promotes high standards for all.

Vision Statement

At Allensbank Primary School everyone works together to ensure that

• We lay the foundation for a love of learning through being committed to high quality provision which enables the development of skills for the future.

• We have high expectations of ourselves and achieve our full potential through a supportive, nurturing ethos.

• We have a safe, secure environment to learn in and we take pride in the appearance of both the indoor and outdoor learning environment.

• Pupils take responsibility for their own learning, working towards individual targets and celebrating their achievements.

• We show respect and consideration for others within our diverse school community and nurture positive partnerships with parents, carers and the wider community.

• We promote personal growth by actively encouraging relationships based on honesty, trust and respect.

• We have pride and confidence in ourselves as individuals and feel valued within our school.

• We recognise the importance of regular attendance which enables all pupils to achieve high standards.

‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood’
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Allensbank Primary School is a diverse school on the outskirts of Cardiff, currently having 304 pupils on roll in total from Nursery to Year 6. The school population has shown a growth in recent months.

There are currently 11 full time and 3 part time teaching staff and 12 full time and 3 part time teaching assistants, with 52% pupils being girls and 48% being boys. 33% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. The SEN register records 93 children in the following categories, SA 75, SA+11 and statemented 4 (not including pupils within the SRB classes who all have statements). The school is currently in the process of gathering information about disabled pupils, in addition to those who are already on the SEN register, together with information about disabled parents/carers of pupils in the school and other school users.

Pupils are from a range of ethnic backgrounds with the largest ethnic groups being Bangladeshi (25 pupils), Pakistani (21 pupils) and Arab (19). No pupils are from a Welsh speaking home background and 117 pupils are from an English speaking home background. A detailed breakdown can be found in the appendix that accompanies this policy.

There are 4 members of staff who are first language Welsh-speakers. The school currently has 2 bi-lingual teaching assistants that help support Arabic, Polish and Czech speaking pupils, the remainder of staff being first language English-speaking.

29 members of staff are female and 1 members of staff are male.

The aims of this policy are to:

• Promote positive attitudes to diverse and minority communities and relationships between these groups

• Encourage participation of people from diverse backgrounds, ages, faiths, sexual orientation and impairments in public life

• Promote equality of opportunity for all

• Eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation

• Advance equality of opportunity

These aims reflect the General Duties required by the Equality Act 2010.

The school is committed to working towards equality regardless of Disability, Race, Gender, Age, Religion or Belief, Sexual Orientation and Gender Reassignment, and to the creation of an inclusive culture in which every individual, regardless of ability and background, is enabled to participate and is valued as a member of the school community. We therefore promote positive approaches to difference and foster respect for people of all cultural backgrounds.

Stereotyped attitudes should be viewed as demonstrating a lack of understanding and knowledge and may result in low self-esteem and limited aspirations for the individual/s involved.

The school values and encourages involvement of people from all sections of the local community, and through this involvement aims to provide positive images, which challenge stereotypical thinking.

The school is opposed to all forms of prejudice and discrimination and committed to promoting equality for people of all Races, Nationalities, Genders or Gender Identities, Sexual Orientations, Ages, Religions or Beliefs as specified in the Equalities Act 2010. Language or behaviour, which is racist, sexist, homophobic or potentially damaging to any group will not be tolerated and will be challenged. The school takes its responsibility to monitor and report on racist incidents each term seriously and uses this information to plan strategies to combat incidents motivated by hate. We share this information with the LA to help shape actions to combat hate crime across the City

The governing body is responsible for:

• Making sure the school complies with equality legislation

• Making sure the equality policy and its procedures are followed

The Headteacher is responsible for:

• Making sure that the equality policy is readily available, along with all other policies relating to various aspects of equality and inclusion and that governors, staff, pupils, parents and carers are aware of their content

• Making sure the policy and its procedures are followed

• Producing regular information for staff and governors about how the policy is working, and providing training for them on the policy if necessary

• Making sure all staff know their responsibilities and receive training and support in carrying these out

• Taking appropriate action in cases of harassment and discrimination

The Headteacher, Miss J Drogan, is responsible for accessibility planning and overseeing the equalities requirements within statutory arrangements.

All staff are responsible for:

• Dealing with racist, homophobic and other incidents based on difference, and other incidents of harassment and bullying

• Being able to recognise and tackle bias and stereotyping

• Promoting equality and good relations between all groups

• Keeping up to date with the law on discrimination and equality

The full equalities policy statement is:

• Published on the school’s website

• Brought to the attention of all non-LA contractors or service providers

• Brought to the attention of parents and is available on request for parents, visitors and members of the wider community

The Equalities Action Plan is:

• Included in the School Improvement Plan

• Communicated to all staff

Both the equalities policy and action plan will be monitored termly and evaluated on an annual basis by the Headteacher/ SLT, in line with the school’s School Improvement Plan. The policy will be updated by the school on an annual basis, in order to include accurate data relating to the whole school community.

As a school we are fully committed to inclusive practice. To this end, we will continue to engage and consult with our whole school community on issues relating to further developing our practice. The feedback from the pupils, staff, parents and all other users of the school premises will be used to assist the school in fulfilling its duties and improving its inclusive practice.