Equalities Statement

Claremont School Equalities Statement

Claremont School welcomes a diverse population of both students and staff. The school’s mission statement is to 'Enjoy learning for living'.

Our vision is that:

Team Claremont nurtures students to grow towards the warmth of the sun in whichever direction is right for them, breaking down walls to allow the beams to shine through.
Rays of light burst through to create opportunities for awe and wonder, so our students expand their horizons today, to dream big tomorrow.
Every day the sun rises on Claremont and lights up success.

In order to realise our vision, equality of opportunity, the absence of unfair discrimination, avoiding harassment and eliminating victimisation must be at the core of all the school’s activities. We believe that diversity is an asset - we recognise, respect and value differences, and seek to remove any barriers that may be presented.

Our diversity may be reflected in specific statutory characteristics of students and staff, known as ‘protected characteristics’ - age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage & civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation - and through other non-statutory aspects including deprivation (socio-economic), health and being a carer.

As a school these protections impact directly on our learners and those who seek admission; their parents and carers; our staff and those who we are seeking to appoint; our governors; our professional partners; and the wider community with whom we come into contact.

In accordance with our values we shall:

treat everyone equally on their merits and not treat anyone unfairly because of their difference;
value all of our learners, and other members of the school and wider community equally regardless of their specific characteristics;
advance equality of opportunity and foster positive attitudes and relationships between groups and communities different from each other;
encourage a shared sense of cohesion and belonging within the school and the wider community;
celebrate differences and the diversity of backgrounds of our students, staff and any other members of the school community;
not unfairly discriminate against any students;
ensure good equalities practices and not unfairly discriminate in the general treatment of staff, including staff recruitment, or any other members of the school community.

The school is committed to promoting and developing equality of opportunity in all its functions and will seek to do this by communicating its commitment to equality and diversity to all members of the school community;

communicating where responsibility lies for equality issues;
providing training for decision-makers and briefings for staff and students;
maintaining mechanisms for implementation, monitoring, evaluation and review of the expectations in our Equalities statement;
taking positive action to redress any under-representation of particular sub-groups in the workforce;
treating acts of discrimination, victimisation or harassment as a disciplinary offence;
consulting with trade unions, (both internally and externally), interested groups and individuals, internal and external.

In compliance with the Equalities Act 2010 we closely track groups with distinct characteristics .

This statement should be read in association with the school’s Accessibility Plan.

We aim to make the governing body representative of the school and the wider Bristol area.

All visitors to the school, including parents and carers, and contractors, are expected to support our commitment to equalities

Equalities Objectives 2021-2024

Increase access to the curriculum for all pupils.
Use the unique character of Claremont School to value differences and foster good relations in the various communities in which the school has an influence.
Improve and maintain access to the physical environment, in particular to ensure every opportunity is taken in the school redevelopment and rebuild process to maintain and enhance our ability to provide support for all our learners, their parents and carers, our staff, our governors, our professional partners and the wider community with whom we come into contact.
Use equality impact assessment methodologies to further improve policy formulation, decision making and service delivery.

Date agreed: July 2021

Revised October 2021 with updated Vision

To be reviewed at the latest by: July 2024

Responsibilities

The Governing Body is responsible for:

ensuring that the school complies with the relevant equality legislation;

scrutinising, challenging and supporting school policies, the curriculum and other matters as part of its general accountability role.

The headteacher is responsible for:

Ensuring that the Equality Statement and its procedures are followed;

enabling staff to have opportunities to familiarise themselves with the equalities statement, policies and expectations of the school;

ensuring that relevant issues are addressed through the curriculum;

ensuring that all school policies are consistent with equalities guidance;

taking appropriate action in cases of harassment, victimisation, hate incidents and discrimination, including racial bullying, homophobic bullying, bullying related to gender or disability;

making sure the accessibility plan is up to date, and published on the website;

ensuring that differences and diversity are celebrated and part of the wider curriculum in school;

making sure all staff know their responsibilities and receive training and support in carrying these out.

All staff are responsible for:

avoiding discrimination against anyone for reasons of ethnicity, disability or gender;

promoting equal opportunities and good race relations;

dealing with racist, homophobic and other hate-incidents;

being able to recognise and tackle inappropriate bias and stereotyping;

acting in accordance with the equalities statement and policies of the school.