Statutory	Yes
Website	Yes
Last Review	September 2024
Next Review	September 2028
Reviewer	Mrs J Habis
Governor Committee	Standards & Wellbeing
Ratified by BoG	16 September 2024

 

Swanmore College Single Equalities Statement

At Swanmore College we believe everyone has the right to be treated equally with respect, kindness, and dignity. All members of the college community have the responsibility to ensure that everyone is treated equally, fairly and with respect, and that prejudice, discrimination and harassment are not tolerated. We believe that a culture of equality is one which celebrates difference and engenders a community where all belong, and all can thrive. Swanmore is committed to maintaining and supporting an inclusive environment for the benefit of our pupils, employees, governors, parents/carers and the community it serves.

At Swanmore our ethos is to innovate and lead the way in establishing equalities, to collaborate and challenge all prejudice or negativity with the goal of creating a truly integrated and inclusive environment.   

Purpose

The aims of the policy are:

• to promote equal treatment across the college for all members of the college community
• to communicate the commitment of the college to promote equal opportunities
• to communicate Swanmore’s commitment to and integration of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
• to communicate the commitment and integration of Fundamental British Values at Swanmore
• to create and maintain an open and supportive environment which is free from discrimination
• to advance equality of opportunity for all members of the college community
• to foster, dignity, respect, mutual tolerance and positive attitudes so that everyone can feel valued within the college
• to actively promote and safeguard the welfare of children, staff and others who come into contact with the college.

This policy is closely linked to all policies and ensures that the college fulfils its obligations under the Equality Act 2010.

National and Legal Context

This policy has been prepared to meet the college’s responsibilities under:

• Equality Act 2010
• Education and Skills Act 2008
• Children Act 1989
• Children and Families Act 2014
• Education & Inspections Act 2006
• UN convention on rights of the Child
• UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities
• Human Rights Act 1998

This following policies, procedures, documents, and resource material are relevant to this policy:

• Admission Policy and arrangements
• Behaviour Policy
• SEND Policy

Regulatory Framework

The Equality Act 2010 was introduced to ensure protection from discrimination,

harassment and victimisation on the grounds of specific characteristics known as protected characteristics.

This means that schools cannot discriminate against pupils, staff, governors, and members of the college community or treat them less favourably because of their sex, race, disability, religion or faith, gender reassignment, sexual orientation or on grounds of maternity. Age, marriage, and civil partnership are also protected characteristics identified by the Act but are not part of the school provision related to pupils.

Under Section 149 of The Equality Act 2010, the college has a duty to advance equality of opportunity and social mobility between persons who share a protected characteristic and foster positive relationships by eliminating discriminations, victimisation, harassment, and any other conduct prohibited by or under the Act. 

The Equality Act 2010 identifies three main types of discrimination that is covered by the act:

• Direct discrimination
• Indirect discrimination
• Discrimination arising from disability.

The Act requires all public organisations, including schools, to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty and:

• Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
• Advance equality of opportunity between different groups
• Foster good relations between different groups.

And to:

• Publish information to show compliance with the Equality Duty
• Publish equality objectives, at least every 4 years, which are specific and measurable.

Education and Inspections Act 2006

Schools have a duty to promote the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people in their care, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pupils and those experiencing homophobic, bi-phobic or transphobic (HBT) bullying.

UNCRC

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is an important, legally binding agreement signed by 196 countries (as of 12 July 2022) which outlines the fundamental rights of every child, regardless of their race, religion or abilities.

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. The convention is universal—these rights apply to every child and the convention entitles every child to claim them.

Every child has rights, without discrimination of any kind against the child, parent, or legal guardian (Article 2). The Convention operates as a whole: each of the rights enshrined within it is interlinked, and no right is more important than another. 

School Context

Swanmore recognises that equality does not necessarily involve treating all people exactly the same; however, our procedures, policies and activities must not discriminate against any member of the Swanmore community. Swanmore will take account of barriers and disadvantages that pupils, parents/carers, and employees may face in relation to their protected characteristic.

Equality and diversity principles will be embedded in the college’s daily practices, policies, and the processes of decision-making, including but not limited to:

• Admissions
• Staff recruitment
• Staff training and career development
• Equal access to all benefits, services, facilities, classes and subjects
• Pupils’ progress and achievement
• School uniform
• Religious belief
• Provision for pupils with particular religious, dietary, language or cultural needs
• Disability and special educational needs
• Pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)
• Pupils with English as an additional Language.

The College aims to: 

• Provide a fully inclusive environment where all pupils and staff feel valued and respected. 
• Promote understanding of the needs of all pupils and staff and ensure appropriate support is in place. 
• Foster an awareness, understanding and acceptance of issues affecting identified groups through the provision of an inclusive curriculum.
• Monitor and robustly tackle the use of any discriminatory language and bullying. 

The College aims to achieve these aims by: 

• Ensuring that policies and practices are inclusive and supportive of all people.
• Making reasonable adjustments to meet the needs of pupils and staff when required, including cultural and religious events.
• Ensuring that the whole school community understands that discriminatory language and bullying are always unacceptable. 
• Providing training for staff in supporting pupils and their diverse needs. 
• By providing support and sources of information for pupils and parents on identified needs and support services. 
• By providing inclusive and non-discriminatory Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) through the PSHE curriculum. 
• By providing SMSC that supports the values of dignity, inclusivity and equality.
• By ensuring that there are multiple ways for pupils to report discriminatory language and bullying.
• By ensuring the recording of incidents by all members of staff and how these incidents have been resolved. 
• By ensuring that the library contains a range of books that reflect our inclusive ethos and community.
• By being a UNICEF Rights Respecting School.

Roles and Responsibilities

Governors – The governing body is responsible for ensuring that the school complies with legislation and that this policy, associated procedures and action plans are implemented and have processes to deal with any concerns or unlawful action that arises. Each Committee of the Governing Body will keep relevant aspects of the school’s commitment to the Public Sector Equality Duty under review, including standards, curriculum, admissions, exclusions, staffing issues, and the school’s physical environment.

Headteacher – The headteacher is responsible for the implementation of this policy, for ensuring that all staff and pupils are aware of their responsibilities and that staff are given appropriate training and support. The Headteacher is responsible for taking appropriate action in any cases of unlawful discrimination, harassment or victimisation. The Headteacher is responsible for reporting any discriminatory incidents to the LEA. The Headteacher, through the Senior Leadership Team, will monitor the outcomes of this policy and report to the Governing Body.

EAL Lead – The EAL Lead is responsible for ensuring that children with little or no access to the English language are able to access the curriculum and are able to use their first language, whilst ensuring that their culture, race and religion are respected.

Staff – All employees are expected to work in accordance with the principles outlined in this policy to:

• promote an inclusive and collaborative ethos in their practice
• deal with any prejudice or discriminatory incidents that may occur
• teachers will plan and deliver curricula that supports the inclusive ethos of the college
• teachers and support staff will support pupils in their classes who have additional needs.

All staff will challenge prejudice, unconscious bias and discrimination and will deal fairly and professionally with any prejudice related incidents that may occur. All incidents will be recorded as per the college’s procedures and drawn to the attention of the Headteacher.

Curriculum

Swanmore will ensure that their curriculum delivers diverse representation of all groups and remains fully inclusive of all.

The delivery of the curriculum and Teaching and Learning across the curriculum will apply appropriate pedagogy and strategies to support diversity, inclusivity and the ethos of dignity for all.

Enrichment

The college has a duty to provide fully accessible and inclusive enrichment opportunities. All students should have equal access to clubs, trips and enrichment. Swanmore offers a diverse range of enrichment opportunities:

• After school clubs
• Wednesday afternoon enrichment
• Trips to a range of events and sites
• Lunchtime clubs
• College performances
• Outside speakers

Further formation about equality can be found on Swanmore College website on the pages related to:

• School policies
• Full Governor meeting minutes
• Curriculum overviews
• Latest news and information.

Appendix A

Equality Objectives 2024 - 2028

 

Objective	Aims and Actions	Intended Impact	Review
Develop and embedded pupil and staff awareness of the Rights of a Child	Maintain Gold Award UN Rights Respecting School status. Respecting School Award embedded across the school and curriculum. Continue to explicitly teach these in PSHE/SMSC/curriculum subjects/assemblies. Further staff training UNRC. Achieve re-accreditation at the end of 3 year Gold Award.	Embed understanding of UNRC articles and values (pupils and staff) across the curriculum and Personal Development provision. Putting the Articles into action across the college.	Gold Award achieved September 2024. Review impact and actions annually.
Ensure there is support for LGBTQ+ pupils, families and staff at Swanmore	Continue the running of the LGBTQ+ club and support group. Offer greater support to families of LGBTQ+ pupils by sharing information about support groups and online organisations. Achieve re-accreditation for EPDA and Wellbeing Award.	To foster an ethos of dignity and inclusivity where equality is valued and achieved for all pupils.	Review impact and actions annually.
Embedded Fundamental British Values	Ensure all pupils and staff understand how FBVs underpin and support the values of our society, equality and diversity. Continue to explicitly teach these in PSHE/SMSC/curriculum subjects/assemblies. Achieve re-accreditation for EPDA and Wellbeing Award.	By embedding FBVs and the associated skills for communicating and behaving in a socially positive manner, pupils will be active and positive members of their community.	Review impact and actions annually.
Celebrate difference and inclusivity	Diversity Week activities will continue to be celebrated during Diversity Week in the Summer Term. A range of clubs and support groups will continue to be run and supported by staff. Achieve re-accreditation for EPDA and Wellbeing Award.	To celebrate how diversity, inclusivity and equality positively impact on individuals, communities and society.	Review impact and actions annually.
Staff Mental health	Staff Wellbeing Group to be further developed to provide support and information on wellbeing and mental health. Achieve re-accreditation for Wellbeing Award.	More positive feedback from staff voice surveys. Improved staff wellbeing. An embedded ethos and culture of diversity and inclusivity for all staff.	Review impact and actions annually.
Pupil Wellbeing	Anti-bullying training and ambassadors – Diana Award to continue. Achieve re-accreditation for EPDA and Wellbeing Award. Pastoral staff to support pupil wellbeing.	Improved wellbeing for pupils. Greater confidence from pupils to challenge and address any bullying and discrimination incidents effectively. An embedded ethos and culture of diversity and inclusivity for all pupils.	Review impact and actions annually.