General Duties

We welcome our duties under the Equality Act 2010. St Leonard’s Lower School's general duties, with regards to equality are:

• Eliminating discrimination
• Fostering good relationships
• Advancing equality of opportunity

We will not discriminate against, harass or victimise any pupil, prospective pupil, or other member of the school community (e.g parents/staff/governors etc) because of their:

• Sex
• Age
• Race
• Disability
• Religion or belief
• Sexual orientation
• Gender reassignment
• Pregnancy or maternity
• Marriage and civil partnership

We aim to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, with special emphasis on promoting equality and diversity, and eradicating prejudicial incidents for pupils and staff. Our school is committed to not only eliminating discrimination, but also increasing understanding and appreciation for diversity.

At St Leonard's Lower School there is no limit placed on what our children can achieve. We provide all children with the opportunity to enjoy learning and achieve their very best, in a safe, secure, and supportive environment. Our school sets high expectations for all learners to achieve high standards.

Aims to eradicate discrimination

We aim to develop a culture of inclusion and diversity in which all those connected to the school feel proud of their identity and able to participate fully in school life. The achievement of pupils will be monitored by race, gender and disability and we will use this data to support pupils, raise standards and ensure inclusive teaching. We will tackle discrimination by the positive promotion of equality, challenging bullying and stereotypes and creating an environment which champions respect for all.

We believe that a greater level of success from pupils and staff can be achieved by realising the uniqueness of individuals, creating a prejudice-free environment where individuals feel confident and at ease is a commitment of the school.

This environment will be achieved by:

• Using a Values based Education approach in all aspects of school life.
• Being respectful.
• Always treating all members of the school community fairly and as we would wish to be treated ourselves.
• Developing an understanding of diversity which is a curriculum intent running through all our subjects.
• Adopting an inclusive attitude.
• Adopting an inclusive curriculum that is accessible to all.
• Encouraging compassion and open-mindedness.

We are committed to having a broad and balanced curriculum. We believe that our pupils should be exposed to ideas and concepts that may challenge their understanding, to help ensure that pupils learn to become more accepting and inclusive of others. Challenging and controversial concepts will be delivered in a way that prevents discrimination and promotes inclusive attitudes. We will also respect the right of parents to withdraw their children from certain classes which pose conflicts to their own beliefs.

Dealing with prejudice

All staff, teaching and non-teaching, should view dealing with incidents as vital to the well-being of the whole school.  We do not tolerate any form of prejudice-related incident. Whether direct or indirect, we treat discrimination against all members of our school with the utmost severity. When an incident is reported, our school is devoted to ensuring appropriate action is taken and a resolution is put into place. 

Our pupils are taught to be:

• Understanding of others
• Celebratory of cultural diversity
• Eager to reach their full potential
• Inclusive
• Aware of what constitutes discriminatory behaviour

The school’s employees will not:

• Discriminate against any member of the school community
• Treat other members of the school community unfairly

The school’s employees will:

• Promote diversity and equality
• Encourage and adopt an inclusive attitude
• Lead by example

School Equality Objectives (reviewed September 2023)

As a school, we have chosen equality objectives which best suit our circumstances and contribute to the welfare of our pupils and our school community. They are a tool to help improve the school experience of a range of different pupils. These equality objectives have arisen from an analysis of our published data and other information where we have identified there is potential for improvement on equalities.

These are:

• To continue to develop a culturally inclusive curriculum which celebrates equality and diversity by promoting pupils understanding of identity and diverse communities.
• To narrow attainment gaps between gender, SEND pupils, LAC and previously LAC, vulnerable/traveller pupils and those pupils with EAL
• To reduce the proportion of persistent absenteeism for specified groups
• To ensure that all pupils are given equal opportunities with regards to curriculum and extra-curricular activities
• To ensure that the school environment is as accessible as possible to all pupils, staff, governors, volunteers and visitors.
• To ensure school communications are accessible to all parents, especially those hardest to reach.