Equality

At Helmdon Primary School we are committed to ensuring equality of education and opportunity for all pupils, staff, parents and carers receiving services from the school, irrespective of race, gender, disability, faith or religion or socioeconomic background. 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 school recognises it has to make special efforts to ensure that all groups prosper including:

• Boys and girls, men and women
• All minority ethnic groups including travellers, refugees and asylum seekers
• Pupils or families with different religions or beliefs
• Pupils and others with special educational needs
• Pupils and others with a range of disabilities
• Children who are looked after and their carers
• Children or staff who are gay or lesbian
• Pupils who are pregnant or have just given birth
• Pupils or staff undergoing gender reassignment

The achievement of pupils is monitored by race, gender and disability and we use this data to support pupils, raise standards and ensure inclusive teaching. We tackle discrimination by the positive promotion of equality, challenging bullying and stereotypes and creating an environment which champions respect for all. As a school we believe that diversity is a strength, which should be respected and celebrated by all those who learn, teach and visit us. As a school we try to ensure that disabled pupils can play as full a part as possible in school life. We implement accessibility plans, which are aimed at:

• Increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the curriculum.
• Improving the physical environment of the school to enable disabled pupils to take better advantage of education, benefits, facilities and services provided.
• Improving the availability of accessible information to disabled pupils and their families.

Our Equality Duty Policy can be viewed here: Equality Duty Policy

Equality Objectives: September 2024 - July 2026

1. Ensure that the achievement (progress) of children from vulnerable and disadvantaged families is in line with or above that of non-disadvantaged children.

2. Ensure the school actively promotes and prioritises raising awareness, appreciation and celebration of diversity including gender, sexuality, race and religion.

3. To maximise opportunities and achievement for all groups of pupils, including gender, sexuality, race and religion and those with SEN, including access to extracurricular activities.

For more detail, please see below: