WEST HATCH HIGH SCHOOL

THE BEST THAT I CAN BE

Equality Duty Policy

Policy reviewed

December 2015

Signed

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EQUALITY DUTY POLICY Statement/Principles The policy outlines the commitment of the staff and Governors to promote equality. This involves tackling the barriers which could lead to unequal outcomes so that there is equality of access and the diversity within the school community is celebrated and valued. We believe that equality at our school should permeate all aspects of school life and is the responsibility of every member of the school and wider community. Every member of the school community should feel safe, secure, valued and of equal worth. At West Hatch High School, equality is a key principle for treating all people the same irrespective of their gender, ethnicity, disability, religious beliefs/faith tradition, sexual orientation, age or any other of the protected characteristics (Single Equalities Act 2010). This policy has been drawn up as a result of discussion within a working party made up of representatives of teaching and support staff, pupils, parents, and governors and has been shared with the whole school community. Legal framework 1. We welcome our duties under the Equality Act 2010 to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations in relation to age (as appropriate), disability, ethnicity, gender (including issues of transgender, and of maternity and pregnancy), religion and belief, and sexual identity. 2. We welcome our duty under the Education and Inspections Act 2006 to promote community cohesion. 3. We recognise that these duties reflect international human rights standards as expressed in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, and the Human Rights Act 1998. Guiding principles In fulfilling the legal obligations cited above, we are guided by nine principles: Principle 1: All learners are of equal value. We see all learners and potential learners, and their parents and carers, as of equal value:  whether or not they are disabled  whatever their ethnicity, culture, national origin or national status  whatever their gender and gender identity  whatever their religious or non-religious affiliation or faith background  whatever their sexual identity. Principle 2: We recognise and respect difference. Treating people equally (Principle 1 above) does not necessarily involve treating them all the same. Our policies, procedures and activities must not discriminate but must nevertheless take account of differences of life-experience, outlook and background, and in the kinds of barrier and disadvantage which people may face, in relation to:  disability, so that reasonable adjustments are made  ethnicity, so that different cultural backgrounds and experiences of  prejudice are recognised  gender, so that the different needs and experiences of girls and boys, and  women and men, are recognised  religion, belief or faith background  sexual identity.

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Principle 3: We foster positive attitudes and relationships, and a shared sense of cohesion and belonging. We intend that our policies, procedures and activities should promote:  positive attitudes towards disabled people, good relations between disabled and non-disabled people, and an absence of harassment of disabled people  positive interaction, good relations and dialogue between groups and communities different from each other in terms of ethnicity, culture, religious affiliation, national origin or national status, and an absence of prejudice-related bullying and incidents  mutual respect and good relations between boys and girls, and women and men, and an absence of sexual and homophobic harassment. Principle 4: We observe good equalities practice in staff recruitment, retention and development. We ensure that policies and procedures should benefit all employees and potential employees, for example in recruitment and promotion, and in continuing professional development:  whatever their age  whether or not they are disabled  whatever their ethnicity, culture, religious affiliation, national origin or national status  whatever their gender and sexual identity, and with full respect for legal rights relating to pregnancy and maternity. Principle 5: We aim to reduce and remove inequalities and barriers that already exist. In addition to avoiding or minimising possible negative impacts of our policies, we take opportunities to maximise positive impacts by reducing and removing inequalities and barriers that may already exist between:  disabled and non-disabled people  people of different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds  girls and boys, women and men. Principle 6: We consult and involve widely. We engage with a range of groups and individuals to ensure that those who are affected by a policy or activity are consulted and involved in the design of new policies, and in the review of existing ones. We consult and involve:  disabled people as well as non-disabled  people from a range of ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds  both women and men, and both girls and boys.  LGB&T communities as well as straight. Principle 7: Society as a whole should benefit. We intend that our policies and activities should benefit society as a whole, both locally and nationally, by fostering greater social cohesion, and greater participation in public life of:  disabled people as well as non-disabled  people of a wide range of ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds  both women and men, and both girls and boys  LGB&T communities as well as straight. Principle 8: We base our policies and practices on sound evidence. We maintain and publish quantitative and qualitative information which shows our compliance with the public sector equality duty (PSED) set out in clause 149 of the Equality Act 2010, and on the basis of which we decide on specific and measurable objectives. Evidence relating to equalities is integrated into our selfevaluation documentation. Principle 9: Measurable objectives. We formulate and publish specific and measurable objectives, based on the consultations we have conducted (principle 6) and the evidence we have collected and published (principle 8). The objectives which we identify take into account national and local priorities and issues, as appropriate. Our equality objectives are integrated into the school improvement plan. We keep our equality objectives under review and report annually on progress towards achieving them.

Equality Statements

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(a) Pupils’ attainment and progress West Hatch High School expects the highest possible standards. Staff have high-expectations of all pupils and continually challenge them to reach higher standards. All adults in the school will be expected to provide good, positive role models in their approach to all issues relating to equality of opportunity. We recognise and value all forms of achievement. We will monitor and analyse pupil performance by ethnicity, gender, disability and special educational need and social background. Any disparities which are identified will be addressed through targeted curriculum planning, teaching and support. As a school we will identify the particular needs of individuals and groups and use targeted interventions to narrow any gaps in achievement. (b) The quality of provision – teaching and learning All staff ensure the classroom is an inclusive environment in which pupils feel all contributions are valued. Positive steps are taken to include pupils who may otherwise be marginalised. We take account of pupils’ experiences and starting points and are responsive to pupils’ different learning styles. All pupils are regularly consulted about their learning. Pupil grouping is planned and varied to reflect the requirements of learners and their social development needs. Allocations to teaching groups will be kept under continual review and analysed by ethnicity, gender and background. Our teaching styles include collaborative learning. All pupils will be encouraged to question, discuss and collaborate in problem solving tasks. Pupils will be encouraged to be a resource for their peers. Staff encourage pupils to become independent and assist them in taking responsibility for the management of their own learning and behaviour. Staff will use a range of methods and strategies to assess pupil progress. Assessments are analysed for gender, cultural and social bias, and take account of access issues, eg print size. West Hatch believes that self-assessment is a teaching-learning strategy, and we will provide all pupils with opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning through regular reflection and feedback on their progress. (c) The quality of provision – curriculum and other activities We provide an appropriate compulsory curriculum for pupils of all backgrounds. We will monitor and evaluate its effectiveness through target setting and attainment analysis. All pupils participate in the mainstream curriculum of the school. The curriculum builds on pupils’ starting points and is differentiated appropriately to ensure the inclusion of: Boys and girls Pupils learning English as an additional language Pupils from minority ethnic groups Pupils who are gifted and talented

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Pupils with special educational needs Pupils with a disability Pupils who are in public care Pupils who are at risk of disaffection and exclusion Lesbian, gay or questioning young people Each area of the curriculum is planned to incorporate the principles of equality and to promote positive attitudes to diversity. All subjects contribute to the spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development of all pupils. The content of the curriculum reflects and values diversity. It encourages pupils to explore bias and to challenge prejudice and stereotypes. Extra curricular activities and special events eg school productions, cater for the interests and capabilities of all pupils and take account of parental preferences related to religion and culture. (d) The quality of provision – guidance and support West Hatch actively promotes good personal and community relations and recognise diversity as having a positive role to play within the school. All staff are expected to foster a positive atmosphere of mutual respect and trust among boys and girls from all ethnic groups and range of abilities. Staff challenge stereotypes and foster pupils’ critical awareness and concepts of fairness, enabling them to detect bias and challenge inequalities. Our pastoral support takes account of religious, cultural and ethnic differences, special educational needs, disability and the experiences and needs of diverse backgrounds. West Hatch responds to the needs of learners who may have English as and additional language. We expect work experience providers to demonstrate their commitment to equality, including disability, gender and race equality. Victims of harassment and bullying are given appropriate support using external agencies where appropriate. The perpetrators are dealt with in line with school policy and are provided with relevant support to consider and modify their behaviour. (e) Behaviour and attendance West Hatch expects high standards of behaviour from all pupils, appropriate for their development level. We have procedures for disciplining pupils and managing behaviour that are fair and applied equally to all. All staff are expected to operate consistent systems of rewards and consequences. It is recognised that cultural background and disability may affect behaviour. Our school takes this into account when dealing with incidents of unacceptable behaviour.

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Clear procedures are in place so that all forms of bullying and harassment, including racism and harassment related to disability, sexism and homophobia, are dealt with promptly, firmly and consistently and are in line with relevant local and national polices and guidance such as those for anti-bullying and dealing with racist incidents. All forms of harassment are recorded, monitored and dealt with in line with relevant school policies. We monitor exclusions by gender, ethnicity and special educational need. Background is also considered. Action is taken in order to address any disparities between different groups of pupils. West Hatch will take all reasonable steps to prevent the exclusion of a pupil for a reason related to any disability they may have. Pupils, staff and parents are aware of policies and procedures for dealing with harassment. They know that any language or behaviour, which is racist, sexist, homophobic or potentially damaging to any minority group, is always unacceptable. There are strategies to reintegrate long-term non-attenders and excluded pupils, which address the needs of all pupils. Families are aware of their rights and responsibilities in relation to pupil attendance and absence is always followed up in a way that takes account of cultural issues or matters relating to a child’s disability. We make provision for leave of absence for religious observance, for staff as well as pupils. We monitor attendance by gender, ethnicity and special educational need. Background is also considered. Action is taken in order to address any disparities between different groups of pupils. West Hatch will fully support children with long-term medical needs who may have an erratic attendance because they are in and out of hospital. (f) Partnership with pupils, parents, carers and the wider community Progress reports to parents/carers are clearly written and free from jargon to encourage parents to participate in their child’s education. Parents with a disability, may ask the school for support with this access. Maintain good channels of communication, e.g. through parent forums, to ensure parents’ views are captured to inform practice; Parents are fully involved in the school-based response for their child with special educational needs and understand the purpose of any intervention or programme of action. Informal events are designed to include the whole community and at times may target minority groups. We work in partnership with parents and the community to address specific incidents and to develop positive attitudes to difference.

(g) Leadership and management The school’s admission process is fair and equitable to all pupils.

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West Hatch will not discriminate against a disabled pupil in the arrangements it makes for determining admission. We will admit pupils with already identified special educational needs. Pupils with statements of special educational needs will always be admitted unless, through the statutory assessment process, it is demonstrated that the pupil’s inclusion would be incompatible with the efficient education of other children. Comprehensive information about pupils’ ethnicity, first language, religion, physical needs, diet etc is included in the admissions process. West Hatch adheres to recruitment and selection procedures which are fair, equitable and in line with statutory duties and national guidelines. We will take steps to encourage people from under represented groups to apply for positions at all levels in the school and ensure recruitment and selection processes are monitored. Equality and diversity issues are reflected in our school’s employment practices. Everyone associated with the school is informed of the contents of this policy. All staff and visitors must support the ethos of the school, promoting equality and challenging bias and stereotyping wherever they observe it. We will ensure that staff training continually highlights equality issues. Equality is incorporated in the induction programme for new staff. The skills of all staff are recognised and valued. All staff are given status and support and are encouraged to share their knowledge. Staff and visitors provide a wide range of role models and the school strives to reflect the diversity of the local and wider community. West Hatch opposes all forms of racism, homophobia, prejudice and discrimination. Resources and displays in our school reflect the experience and backgrounds of pupils promote diversity and challenge stereotypes. (h) Linguistic diversity We recognise and celebrate the linguistic diversity in British society. We look for opportunities to enrich the curricular experience of all our pupils by:  Highlighting how English has borrowed from other languages  Raising awareness of the similarities and differences between English and other languages  Providing pupils with the opportunity to work with pupils from international partner schools.

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Statutory Requirements The equality objectives in Section 10 below address our duties under current equality legislation, up to and including the Equality Act 2010. They also relate to the procedure for recording incidents involving pupils in schools. The access plan in Section 11 below addresses our duty under the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) 2001and the Equality Act 2010 Schedule 10. The community cohesion plan in Section 12 below addresses our duty under the Education and Inspections Act 2006. Community Cohesion The largest ethnic group recorded in the school’s 2010/2011 Census return was White British (68.5%). The next largest groups were: Indian (5.6%) and Pakistani (3.7%). Census data confirms the school’s deprivation indicator is 0.19 (compared with 0.22 nationally). Responsibilities In our school, all members of the school community have a responsibility for promoting equalities. The Governing Body has responsibility for ensuring that:  The school complies with all equalities legislation relevant to the school community;  The school’s equalities policy is maintained and updated regularly; and that equality schemes are easily identifiable (these may be included within the School Improvement Plan, the school’s Accessibility Plan or may be stand alone documents);  The actions, procedures and strategies related to the policy are implemented;  The designated Equalities Governor will have an overview, on behalf of the governing body, on all prejudice related incidents or incidents which are a breach of this policy and ensure that appropriate action is taken in relation to these incidents. The Headteacher and Senior Leadership team has responsibility for:     

In partnership with the Governing body, providing leadership and vision in respect of equality; Overseeing the implementation of the equality policy and schemes; Co-ordinating the activities related to equality and evaluating impact; Ensuring that all who enter the school are aware of, and comply with, the equalities policy; Ensuring that staff are aware of their responsibilities and are given relevant training and support;  Taking appropriate action in response to any prejudice-related incidents. All school staff have responsibility for:  The implementation of the school’s equalities policy and schemes;  Dealing with incidents of discrimination and knowing how to identify and challenge bias and stereotyping;

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 Ensuring they do not discriminate on grounds of ethnicity and culture, disability, sexual orientation or other groups vulnerable to discrimination.  Keeping up to date with equalities legislation. The Headteacher (Mrs Frances Howarth) is responsible overall for dealing with reports of prejudice-related incidents. Visitors and contractors are responsible for following relevant school policy.

Monitoring and Review The staff member responsible for co-ordinating the monitoring and evaluation is Laurie McVittie. She will be responsible for:   

Providing updates on equalities legislation and the school’s responsibilities in this regard; Working closely with the governor responsible for this area who is Shelia Weeden. Supporting positively the evaluation activities that monitor the impact and success of the policy on pupils from different groups, e.g SEN, Children in Care, Minority Ethnic including Traveller and EAL pupils and Free School Meals, in the following recommended areas: o Pupils’ progress and attainment o Learning and teaching o Behaviour discipline and exclusions o Attendance o Admissions o Incidents of prejudice related bullying and all forms of bullying o Parental involvement o Participation in extra-curricular and extended school activities o Staff recruitment and retention o Visits and visitors

Measuring the Impact of this Policy The equalities policy and all other relevant policies will be evaluated and monitored for their equality impact on pupils, staff, parents and carers from the different groups that make up our school. The main findings from equality impact assessments will be published for the school community.

1. Staff Development Staff training and development will be organised to ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities (in general) and of issues identified from time to time as priorities.

2. Publication and Review This Equality Scheme fulfils statutory requirements under the terms of legislation referred to above. As it is a public document, the school governors publish it by making it available on request.

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The scheme will be kept under regular review.

3. How We Conduct Equality Impact Assessment The school monitors the potential impact of its policies and practices on equality in a variety of ways:  the analysis of student attainment data;  the analysis of data re rewards sanctions, attendance and absence;  the use of student surveys (e.g. Keele Attitudinal Survey) and of other student voice feedback;  the monitoring of participation in extra-curricular and enrichment activities;  the routine and regular discussions between pastoral staff and individual students. Equality objectives identified by this process are included in the three-year plan in Section 10 below.

4. How We Chose our Equality Objectives Our equality objective-setting process has involved gathering evidence as follows: i. from the equality impact assessments listed in Section 8 above, ii. from the following specific data: Raiseonline Reports submitted to the Behaviour and Attendance Partnership iii. and from discussions with relevant people. The evidence was then analysed in order to choose objectives that will: i. promote equality of opportunity for members of identified groups; ii. eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation; and iii. foster good relations between different groups in terms of o ethnicity, o religion or belief, o socio-economic background, o gender and gender identity, o disability, o sexual orientation and o age.

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10. Equality Objectives 2015-16 (To be kept under regular review)

Equality objectives (focused on outcomes rather than processes) Improved attainment of boys below level 4 at GCSE

Improved attainment of students who have a learning passport

Improved attainment of all learners above a level 6a from Y9 onwards

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11. Access Plan 2015-16 This can relate very closely to the disability elements of the equality objectives in Section 10 above, except that it covers pupils only whereas the equality plan includes all members of the school community. West Hatch High School’s Accessibility Plan - Disability Equality ACTION PLAN 2015 - 2016 TIMEFRAME

AREAS OF PRIORITY

TARGETS

1.Increasing the extent to which pupils with a disability can participate in the school curriculum

 Identification of students with disabilities with reference to new legal requirements  Collection and collation of information regarding students with disabilities  Annual curriculum review of courses offered to students

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2.Improving the physical environment of the school to increase the extent to which people with a disability can take advantage of education and associated services

3.Improving the delivery of information to people with a disability

PERSON WITH RESPONSIBILITY 

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On going – annual review On going – as required September

 Heads of Department to review programmes of study and amend as required  Learning Manager to further develop pastoral support systems

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July

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Learning Support Co-ordinator Learning Support Co-ordinator Deputy i/c curriculum courses Heads of Department

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On going

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Learning Managers

 Further staff training and development of trips and visits for all students

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On going

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Trips and Visits Coordinator

 Developing systems for working with outside agencies, taking into account new LA protocols  Further barriers to physical movement around the school to be identified and plans to address issues put in place

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On going

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On going

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 Heads of Department to plan, with their staff, the physical needs of students

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 Learning Manager to plan, with their staff, the physical needs of students with regards to tutor areas

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On going – June new year start On going – June new year start

Learning Support Coordinator and deputy Premise manager/ Premise & Finance Governors Committee Heads of Department

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 To develop a system by which requests for information in various formats can be accessed and acted upon as appropriate  Heads of Department to plan, with their staff, the communication needs of students  Learning Manager to plan, with their staff, the communication needs of students with regards to tutor areas

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December 2011

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 Trip/club/activity organisers to plan, with their staff, the communication needs of students

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On going – June new year start On going – June new year start On going

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OUTCOME 

Pupils identified and appropriate information collected

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Appropriate course offered to students  Appropriate programmes of study in place  Students more confident in accessing school life  All students given equal opportunity to access trips and visits. Staff have greater confidence in leading trips/visits.  Procedures in place for working with outside agencies  Greater independence of movement around school site 

Improved access to learning for students with disabilities

Learning Manager

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Improved access to learning for students with disabilities

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Deputy Senco

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 

Heads of Department

Greater availability of information Improved access to learning for students with disabilities

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 Learning Managers

Improved access to learning for students with disabilities

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 Trip/club/activity organisers

Improved access to learning for students with disabilities

12. Community Cohesion Plan 2015-16 The choice of appropriate actions to promote community cohesion is based on the needs identified in the contextual statement in Section 3 above, relating to ethnicity, religion or belief and socio-economic background. For this purpose, the four geographical dimensions of “community” are as follows:  the school community  local communities  communities across the UK  the global dimension West Hatch High School’s Community Cohesion Plan - ACTION PLAN 2015 – 2016 AREAS OF PRIORITY The extent to which the school has developed an understanding of the religious, ethnic and socioeconomic characteristics of its community in a local, national and global context

The extent to which the school has taken an appropriate set of planned actions based on an analysis of its context and is evaluating the impact of its work

TARGETS

TIMEFRAME

PERSON WITH RESPONSIBILITY

 To ensure the school commits to the necessary partnerships/alliances that provide benefit for our students, staff as well as other schools in the community  To develop an updated and relevant programme of information events and consultation evenings with parents  To continue the cycle of stakeholder attitude surveys

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 To ensure students’ behaviour is very good

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Evaluation of Impact and Improvement  Progress, attainment and attendance of vulnerable students: exclusion data  Parental evaluations (also staff)  Programme in place

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 To achieve greater consistency of understanding and delivery of school’s pastoral programmes

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 To respond to changed provision for IAG (Information and Guidance and work experience

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 To ensure school policies reflect legislation regarding equality (Equality Duty)

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Regular use of evidence data e.g. exclusion, detentions, on-call etc. identification of key trends e.g. groups of students, area of school, time of day etc. Feedback from students, staff, focus groups etc. Identify intended outcomes/ objectives Establish quantitative and qualitative measurements Review students destination data Local collaboration on R.P.A. – data etc. Feedback from students on priority need for advice/ support

Gender Ethnicity

FSM RELIGION

Total Population Girls Boys AAFR - African Asian Bangladeshi Indian Other Asian AOTH - Any other Asian backgro Pakistani Other Black African BCON - Congolese Black Caribbean BGHA - Ghanaian Black - Nigerian Any other Black Background BSLN - Sierra Leonian BSOM - Somali Hong Kong Chinese Other Chinese Other Mixed Background White and Asian White and Black African White and Black Caribbean White and any other Ethnic Group Information not obtained Filipino Other Ethnic Group Thai Vietnamese Refused White - British White Eastern European Greek/Greek Cypriot White - Irish Italian Kosovan Other White Turkish/Turkish Cypriot White Western European Albanian Eligible Not Eligible ANGLICAN BAPTIST BUDDIST CHRISTIAN HINDU ISL

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1197 575 622 4 16 62 19 1 67 11 4 42 6 14 15 1 4 3 3 18 26 15 43 12 2 2 8 1 2 30 678 37 4 4 4 6 13 13 2 5 88 1109 4 1 5 520 33 53

% of sch 48.04 51.96 0.33 1.34 5.18 1.59 0.08 5.60 0.92 0.33 3.51 0.50 1.17 1.25 0.08 0.33 0.25 0.25 1.50 2.17 1.25 3.59 1.00 0.17 0.17 0.67 0.08 0.17 2.51 56.64 3.09 0.33 0.33 0.33 0.50 1.09 1.09 0.17 0.42 7.35 92.65 0.33 0.08 0.42 43.44 2.76 4.43

SEN

PRIMARY NEEDS

ATTENDANCE

JEHOVAH WITNESS JEWISH MTH MUSLIM NONE OTHER ROMAN CATHOLIC SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST SIKH UNCLASSIFIED NO SEN SEN SUPPORT STATEMENT ECHP

10 26 5 97 258 5 91 1 39 8 1112 66 17 2

0.84 2.17 0.42 8.10 21.55 0.42 7.60 0.08 3.26 0.67 92.90 5.51 1.42 0.17

3 1 35 2 3 8 18 17 3

0.25 0.08 2.92 0.17 0.25 0.67 1.50 1.42 0.25

2014-2015 TOTAL SESSIONS AUTHORISED UNAUTHORISED PA BELOW 80% PA BELOW 85%

NO OF SESSION 364583 23035 6871 99 100

SCHOOL % 100 21.62 1.88 0.03 0.03

2015 TO 16/11/15 TOTAL SESSIONS AUTHORISED UNAUTHORISED PA BELOW 80% PA BELOW 85%

NO OF SESSION 106557 3562 2055 42 36

SCHOOL % 100 3.34 1.93 0.04 0.03

AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISORDER HEARING IMPAIRMENT MODERATE LEARNING DIFFICULTY VISUAL IMPAIRMENT PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT SPEECH, LANUGUAGE & COMMUNICATION NEED SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTY SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, MENTAL HEALTH OTHER DIFFICULTY / DISABILITY

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