Equality Policy

1. Aims and values

At Wilmslow we want our young people to BE@Wilmslow.

By this, we don’t just mean that they should ‘be at Wilmslow’. We want them to feel that they can thrive and flourish at our school as we believe that this is the best way for young people to fulfil their potential. Therefore, we want them to truly ‘BE’.

Our three messages are:

Be proud– this links to the importance that we place on the character virtues of Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Determination and Empathy
Be strong– we can’t promise our students that life, learning and work will always be easy but we do want to support them to be strong
Be yourself – we want all our students to be the best version of themselves, not a second-rate version of anyone else

2. Public sector equality duty

We believe that these values support us in our public sector equality duty of:

eliminating discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other conduct that is prohibited by the Equality Act 2010
advancing equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it. For example, with relation to people who share a protected characteristic through:
removing or minimising disadvantages that are connected to that characteristic
taking steps to meet individual needs including meeting the needs of people with disabilities
encouraging participation in public life or any other activity in which participation is disproportionately low
fostering good relations across all characteristics – between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it. In particular the need to:
tackle prejudice
promote understanding

The protected characteristics are:

Age
Disability: a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term (12 months or more) adverse effect on that person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities
Gender reassignment
Pregnancy and maternity
Race
Religion or belief
Sex
Sexual orientation

3. Commitment

We will:

Promote knowledge and understanding of the equality objectives amongst staff and students through our Wider Curriculum programme, professional learning and development of policies
Identify training needs
Ensure that our curriculum, policies, procedures and school improvement objectives, including stakeholder voice, are integrated with the equality objectives with serious, rigorous and open minded intent to promote equality in our community
Ensure that decision makers are aware of the Public Sector Equality Duty and exercise due regard to equality implications when making a decision or taking an action (and not as an afterthought), assessing its implications for those with particular protected characteristics and keeping this under review
Publish information related to people who share a relevant protected characteristic who are affected by our policies and practices to demonstrate how the school is promoting equality, in line also with our size (with more than 150 employees) including evidence:
That the school is aware of the requirements of the Equality Act and determined to comply with its non-discrimination provisions in policies for students and staff
That the school is engaged in training
Of monitoring of equality issues for students and staff, including through analysis of the performance and wellbeing of student groups
Incorporate our Equality Objectives within our School Improvement Plan so that these are subject to ongoing evaluation and review

4. Eliminating discrimination

Our aim is to eliminate discrimination:

In the delivery of the Formal and Wider Curriculum
In the access to the provision and services provided by the school such as sports facilities and resources
In the implication of uniform requirements, for example related to higher cost or more detrimental effects on one sex
By ensuring that students are not excluded from education and access to provision as a result of an actual or perceived protected characteristic (of themselves or another person associated with them such as a parent/ carer) or subject to any other detriment
By recognising the duty to make reasonable adjustments for those with a disability so that:

Where a disabled student is placed at a disadvantage, reasonable steps are taken to avoid this which do not have a detrimental effect on other students

Auxiliary aids are provided where reasonable to alleviate substantial disadvantage

By ensuring that reasonable adjustments are made within the behaviour policy and through learning passports for students which flag appropriate reasonable adjustments to be made in learning*
By ensuring that bullying which relates to a protected characteristic is treated equally to other forms of bullying
By ensuring that harassment (unwanted conduct in related to a protected characteristic) and victimisation (less favourable treatment as a consequence of a protected act) are addressed through our policies for students and staff
By ensuring that recruitment practices eliminate discrimination, for example health related questions for job applicants
By ensuring that reasonable adjustments are used to support staff with a disability

5. Advancing equality of opportunity

Our aim is to advance equality of opportunity by:

Making reasonable adjustments to support students with a disability to access the provision and services provided by the school
Taking Positive Action where this is appropriate and proportionate in targeting measures to alleviate disadvantages experienced by, or meet the individual needs of, students with particular protected characteristics
Supporting this aim through our Accessibility Policy

6. Fostering good relations

The school aims to foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share it:

Through our commitment to, and provision for, a fully comprehensive education for the children of the Wilmslow community
Through our ethos and values with a focus on Respect, Empathy and students being themselves
By promoting diversity and equity, and the Fundamental British Values of Tolerance, Individual Liberty and Mutual Respect, across different aspects of our Formal and Wider Curriculum, as captured in our Equity and Diversity document
Through our form time programme including our assemblies
Through our work on building strong relationships using Wilmslow Way procedures such as our antibullying protocols
Through work with the local community

Legislation and guidance

This document meets the requirements under the following legislation:

The Equality Act 2010, which introduced the public sector equality duty and protects people from discrimination

The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011, which require schools to publish information to demonstrate how they are complying with the public sector equality duty and to publish equality objectives

This document is also based on Department for Education (DfE) guidance: The Equality Act 2010 and schools.