Equalities Statement
At Buckingham Primary School, we are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for all pupils, staff, parents and carers irrespective of race, gender, disability, belief, sexual orientation, age or socio-economic background. We aim to develop a culture of inclusion and diversity in which all those connected to the school feel proud of their identity and ability to participate fully in school life.
We tackle discrimination through the positive promotion of equality, by challenging bullying and stereotypes and by creating an environment which champions respect for all.
At Buckingham Primary School, we believe that diversity is a strength which should be respected and celebrated by all those who learn, teach and visit us.
The Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 replaces previous anti-discrimination legislation with a single Act. The Equality Duty is set out in section 149 of the Act. It replaces the three previous public sector equality duties – for race, disability and gender – and covers the following protected characteristics:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender reassignment
- Marriage and civil partnership (but only in respect of eliminating unlawful discrimination)
- Pregnancy and maternity
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
We ensure that we have due regard to the need to:
- Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct that it prohibited by the Act
- Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a characteristic and those who don’t
- Foster good relations between people who share a characteristic and those who don’t
Equality in teaching and learning
We provide all our pupils with the opportunity to succeed and to reach the highest level of personal achievement. We do this by:
- Ensuring equality of access for all pupils and preparing them for life in a diverse society
- Using methods that reflect the diversity of the school, population and local community without stereotyping
- Promoting attitudes and values that challenge any discriminatory behaviour or prejudice
- Providing opportunities for pupils to appreciate their own culture and celebrate the diversity of others cultures
- Seeking to involve all parents in supporting their child’s education
- Utilising teaching approaches appropriate for the whole school population which are inclusive and reflective of our pupils
Staff and governors demonstrate our values and commitment to equality by:
- Ensuring acceptable behaviour
- Responding to incidents and complaints in a proactive way
- Providing access to services and facilities and information
- Recruiting and employing people fairly
- Meeting specific needs
