Equality statement and Objectives
Equality Statement and Objectives
Academy: Co-op Academy Woodlands
Approved by: Adele Clark (Headteacher)
Approved date: October 2023
Governors: Approved: October 2023
Next Review Date: September 2024
Equality Statement and Objectives
Introduction
At Co-op Academy Woodlands, we are committed to promoting equality and preventing discrimination in both employment and education provision. We will create an inclusive environment, to ensure that every member of the Woodlands community can contribute and is given an equal opportunity to achieve their full potential. Each individual is entitled to learn, teach or work in a supportive environment and to benefit from the diversity, equality and inclusivity of our school community.
We will foster an appreciation of our diversity and celebrate this in the environment, curriculum and experiences. We offer a broad and balanced curriculum, and consider our pupils' varied experiences, abilities and needs. The achievements, attitudes and well-being of all members of our school community matters.
Equality Statement
At Woodlands, we recognise that the overall ethos and climate of the school contributes to what our children learn from us in school; that children pick up on the values and expectations we promote. Children learn as much from the subtle ‘little things’ that go on, all the hidden messages that are so powerful (the hidden curriculum) – as in their formal lessons.
We understand that what the child brings from home is important. We will endeavour to create and maintain a school that is welcoming, and reflective of the diverse multicultural society around us; a school that fosters a sense of well-being, confidence and security; a school that affirms individual identity and demonstrates respect for each other (see our Positive behaviour policy); a school that ensures time and space for each individual and a school that challenges and expands horizons and encourages confidence, independence, cooperation and participation.
In order to achieve this, we will:
- Always challenge in an open and frank manner, behaviour and language which threaten the promotion of equal opportunities and take time to discuss with children the negative and damaging effect it has.
- Take the opportunity to use display space and assembly time to promote issues of equality, diversity and self-esteem.
- Implement praise, reward, criticism and punishment with due consideration for equality. Equal opportunity demands a right to an equal response and outcome to a situation
- Encourage a climate of openness where children feel safe and confident to raise issues of concern to them, bullying, racism, online-safety, taunting etc., and where the school can place a positive influence on discussion and events.
- Be sensitive to the needs of all individuals; recognising each in his or her own right, and without placing labels on individuals or groups of children. This includes a commitment to ensure that individual or group needs are met.
- Be aware of the power of language, including body language, as a tool which can promote equality or perpetuate inequality.
- Children, too, need to be made aware of their language use and its implications. In addition, they also need to be made aware of their part in promoting positive relationships and the ethos of the school.
- Encourage high aspirations and a skill set for a global citizenship by offering a range of opportunities and experiences to broaden and raise personal expectations as much as possible.
At Woodlands, our aims are designed to ensure that the school meets the needs of all of its community, taking account of the nine protected characteristics; race, disability, sex, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy, maternity/paternity and gender reassignment. It is important that in this school we meet the diverse needs of pupils to ensure inclusion for all and that all pupils are prepared for full participation in a multi-ethnic society.
Actions Taken 2022/23
During the last year we have taken the following actions to advance equality, diversity and inclusion, and to comply with our equality duty.
Pupils
- Outcomes for ALL was below national standards at the end of Reception, KS1 and KS 2. ALL did attain better than Disadvantaged, however data showed that the gap narrowed from the beginning of the year. Data for our main ethnicity groups shows that Asian or Asian other (16 children) makes better progress in Reading, Writing and Maths than the other main ethnicity groups. Our Black or Black other (15 children) made less progress than White British (22 children) and Asian and Asian other.
- Reasonable adjustments in the curriculum are in place to break down learning barriers which ensure that all pupils can access the curriculum irrespective of their ability, language, gender, race, religion, disability or cultural background
- The school have invested in purchasing books which includes authors that better represent the diversity in school as well as social stories with which the children can identify with.
Colleagues
- Show appreciation of all staff and the work they do by ensuring that we reward all through our reward and recognition scheme in school
- Ensure all staff are listened and responded to by consulting with them on key policies as well as key plans through the use of google surveys
- Take religion, culture and ethnicity in consideration when planning staff events and staff rewards.
Our community
- Offer and provide support through our pastoral team and teaching staff
- Celebrate Black History Month
- Include and celebrate significant people in our curriculum that is representative of our community
Equality Objectives
Objective 1
We will imbed equality, diversity and inclusion into the curriculum and teaching and learning practices by:
- Continuing to ensure that people of significance in our curriculum are local and representative of our community to celebrate our diversity
- Being part of the Skills Builder Partnerships, we will further develop our curriculum to consider Careers and Work-Related learning to ensure we widen all our pupils’ personal and educational horizons which will promote equal opportunities for our pupils regardless of colour, gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, religion and socio-economic status in the world of work. We have invited a wide variety of professionals into school to talk about their career paths on
- Continue to celebrate and promote the benefits of our diverse community by inviting parents and people representing this community into school
- Plan and deliver a culture week in summer to celebrate our multicultural community
- Language Buddies in each class to support children who do not speak English and make them welcome
- We will through the use of our PHSE and Care to Talk sessions teach children about equality and diversity and tackle prejudices so that our pupils will be informed and educated in differences and have respect and appreciation for differences
- Through our Reading curriculum and the books, we purchase we will ensure that both the content and the authors, on the whole, are representative of our diverse context
- Improve outcomes for all groups to narrow the gap between school and national by analysing data at key assessment points.
Objective 2
To embed equality, diversity and inclusion in the academy by:
- Monitoring and analysing pupil progress by disability, English as an additional language, disadvantaged and gender to identify trends or patterns and act on these.
- Monitor attendance for key groups and ensure good attendance for all
- We will provide additional support through tutoring and targeted interventions with the aim of narrowing the gap for equality groups
- We will continue to create and promote opportunities for pupil, parent and staff voice to consult and have dialogue around key issues
- Ensure that we have key messages about expectations, attendance and the curriculum available for parents in their home language to ensure a good understanding of this and to promote working together to achieve the best outcomes for all pupils.