1. Aims

Our provision aims to meet its obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) by having due regard to the need to:

Eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other conduct that is prohibited by the Equality Act 2010
Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share a relevant protected characteristic
Foster good relations across all characteristics – between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it. The protected characteristics are:

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

Our provision aims to promote respect for difference and diversity in accordance with our values, such as Acceptance, Aspiration, Positivity, Balance, Integrity and Kindness.

2. 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 provisions 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 provisions, the technical guidance for provisions from the Equality and Human Rights Commission and guidance from the Government Equalities Office on meeting the specific duties that support the Public Sector Equality Duty.

3. Roles and responsibilities

The Directors will:

Ensure that the equality information and objectives as set out in this statement are published and communicated throughout the provision, including to staff, pupils and parents/carers
Ensure that the published equality information is updated at least every year, and that the objectives are reviewed and updated at least every 4 years
Delegate responsibility for monitoring the achievement of the objectives on a daily basis to the manager. The equality link Director is Kay Jones. They will:
Meet with the designated member of staff for equality annually and other relevant staff members, to discuss any issues and how these are being addressed
Ensure they’re familiar with all relevant legislation and the contents of this document
Attend appropriate equality and diversity training
Report back to the full Directing board regarding any issues

The manager will:

Promote knowledge and understanding of the equality objectives among staff and pupils
Monitor success in achieving the objectives and report back to governors
Have “due regard” when making a decision or taking an action to whether it may have particular implications for people with particular protected characteristics

4. Eliminating discrimination

The provision is aware of its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and complies with non-discrimination provisions.

Where relevant, our policies include reference to the importance of avoiding discrimination and other prohibited conduct.

Staff are regularly reminded of their responsibilities under the Equality Act – for example, during meetings. Where this has been discussed during a meeting, it is recorded in the meeting minutes.

New staff receive training on the Equality Act as part of their induction, and all staff receive refresher training every September.

The provision has a designated member of staff for monitoring equality issues. They regularly liaise regarding any issues and make senior leaders and governors aware of these as appropriate.

5. Advancing equality of opportunity

As set out in the DfE guidance on the Equality Act, the provision aims to advance equality of opportunity by:

Removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people that are connected to a particular characteristic they have (e.g. students with disabilities, or students pupils who are being subjected to homophobic bullying)
Taking steps to meet the particular needs of people who have a particular characteristic
Encouraging people who have a particular characteristic to participate fully in any In fulfilling this aspect of the duty, the provision will:
Analyse data to determine strengths and areas for improvement, implement actions in response and publish this information

6. Fostering good relations

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

Promoting tolerance, friendship and understanding of a range of religions and cultures
Making students aware of our behaviour and anti-bullying policies
Working with our local community.
Encouraging and implementing initiatives to deal with tensions between different groups of pupils within the provision. We also work with parents to promote knowledge and understanding of different cultures
We have developed links with people and groups who have specialist knowledge about particular characteristics, which helps inform and develop our approach

7. Equality considerations in decision-making

The provision ensures it has due regard to equality considerations whenever significant decisions are made. We consider equality implications before and at the time that we develop policy and make decisions and continue to review these on a continuing basis.

The provision always considers the impact of significant decisions on particular groups. For example, when a provision trip or activity is being planned, the provision considers whether the trip:

Cuts across any religious holidays
Is accessible to pupils with disabilities
Has equivalent facilities for boys and girls

The provision keeps a written record (known as an Equality Impact Assessment) to show we have actively considered our equality duties and asked ourselves relevant questions. This is recorded at the same time as the risk assessment when planning provision trips and activities. The record is completed by the member of staff organising the activity and is stored electronically with the completed risk assessment.

8. Links with other policies

This document links to the following policies:

Accessibility plan
Risk assessment
SEND policy

Approved by:

Kay Jones

Date: 28/6/2025

Last reviewed on:

Next review due by:

June 2028