EQUALITY

What does the Equality Act mean?

The Equality Act 2010 replaced nine major pieces of legislation and this makes it easier for schools to understand their legal responsibilities and tackle inequalities in education.

The Equality Act 2010 replaced nine major Acts of Parliament, which deal with equality and discrimination. The Act provides a single, consolidated source of discrimination law, covering all the types of discrimination that are unlawful.

The Act uses the term “protected characteristics” to refer to aspects of a person’s identity. Treating a person less favourably because they have one or more of these characteristics would be unlawful. The protected characteristics are:

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

Further information on our school equalities:

At our school we promote and educate our key theme of 'No Outsiders!'

At Barmston Village Primary School, we follow guidance from the Government on how to teach British Values.  No Outsiders is part of our Personal, Social, Health and Emotional (PSHE) curriculum and enhances our teaching on relationships as part of our PSHE curriculum. It is taught through a series of picture books addressing the different areas of the Equality Act.  This part of the curriculum links to British Values and Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural learning (SMSC).  As this is part of the school curriculum, every child takes part.  No Outsiders supports quality teaching and learning.  It challenges stereotypes and the use of derogatory language in lessons and around school.  No Outsiders strategies reflect and value the diversity of pupils’ experiences and provide pupils with a comprehensive understanding of people and communities beyond their immediate experience.

How we will achieve this ethos?

• Shared voice and language 
• Weekly assemblies 
• Half termly lessons - linked to literature 
• Displays 
• Praise and sanction 
• All stakeholders buying into this
• High profile
• Books and other literature which celebrate diversity in our library and classrooms which can be taken home.

Why is this ethos so important?  

Our children leave us destined for the workplace, for a role in modern Britain. We want our children to champion inclusion and celebrate diversity. To feel that they never are an outsider and to welcome all that they meet. We believe that no one is  born to hate - it is learnt - we need to teach another lesson to spread love and  show love.

Book Coverage and Learning Intentions:

The No Outsiders scheme uses a selection of 35 books, covering Early Years to Y6, selected to support primary schools to develop a curriculum response to the Equality Act 2010. The titles in this book pack encourage children to explore identities and focus on diversity as a whole. Our aim is for children to leave primary school happy and excited about living in a community full of difference and diversity, whether that difference is through ethnicity, gender, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or religion.