Protected Characteristics
At Shirland Primary School we prepare learners for adult life, equipping them to be respectful and responsible British citizens. We aim to develop their understanding, appreciation and celebration of diversity of the different protected characteristics defined by law.
Under the Equality Act 2010, people in Britain are protected from discrimination, harassment and victimisation. The Equality Act states that there are 9 protected characteristics;
- Age
- Disability
- Gender reassignment
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Marriage or civil partnership
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
- Pregnancy and maternity
No form of discrimination is tolerated at Shirland Primary School and our pupils show respect for those who share the protected characteristics.
The government does stress that not all these characteristics have to be taught in every year group and schools should use their professional judgement to plan their curriculum appropriately.
At Shirland our curriculum is planned and delivered so that children develop age-appropriate knowledge and understanding during their time at school. Through a thorough PSHCE and RSE curriculum and school assemblies, we teach our children about these issues.
Protected Characteristics Across the School
The protected characteristics are actively promoted in our school through:
Our school rules: safe, ready, respectful
Our PSHCE scheme- PSHE Matters
Our school behaviour policy
Conscious role modelling by all adults in the school community
Active engagement and communication with parents and carers
Personal Development, Church/Open The Book and Celebration Assemblies
British Values, SMSC and Equality and Diversity throughout our curriculum
Discussion within curriculum subjects and constantly making links throughout
Promoting articulation by building appropriate language and a coherent vocabulary
Sporting, Art and Cultural Events
Pupil Voice and Staff Voice
Educational visits
Real-life learning outside the classroom
Extra-curricular activities, after-school clubs, charity work and work within the local community
Developing a love of reading through a range of authors and genres
Sporting competitions – both within and outside of school, varied competitions are organised by our PE lead
Art projects and visits
School Council activities and projects
Educational experiences and visits
Real-life learning outside the classroom
Guest speakers
Developing links with the local community
Safer recruitment, retention and staff development
Religious Education (RE) lessons, RSE lessons, LGBT discussions and Protected Characteristic talks in assemblies - During their time with us at Fazakerley Primary, different aspects of Christianity are taught in every year group. Our children are also taught about all the major world religions. These are taught with the understanding that we celebrate and respect all religions and their principles.
Embedding Protected Characteristics into the whole school ethos promotes:
Self-esteem, self-knowledge and self-confidence
Respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic process
Acceptance of responsibility for their own behaviour
Respect for their own and other cultures
Understanding of how they can contribute positively to school and home life and to the lives of those living and working in the locality and further afield
An understanding of Equality, Human Rights and Protected Characteristics
An understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process
An appreciation that living under the rule of law protects individual citizens and is essential for their wellbeing and safety
An understanding that the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law
An acceptance that other people having different faiths or beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour
An understanding of the importance of identifying and combating discrimination
We collect and analyse the following data to assess the impact of our Equality Policy. The data is recorded on our CPOMs system and the main areas we assess are:
Admissions
Attendance
Exclusions
Outcomes (data)
Racial incidents
Bullying incidents
Homophobic incidents
Any other prejudice related incidents