Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Ash Grove Academy is a Gold Rights Respecting School. This means that we are embedding the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child within all that we do.
Being part of a Rights Respecting school results in four key areas of impact for our children – wellbeing, participation, relationships and self-esteem. Our vision is that all of our children will feel confident to express themselves and use their voice to raise awareness of injustice in the world; we want all of our children:
* to feel healthier and happier
* to feel safe
* to have better relationships
* to become active and involved in school life and the wider world
We believe that when children learn about their rights, and understand the importance of respecting the rights of others, the impact reaches beyond the school gates and has a positive effect on the whole community. Our school values - being Respectful, Caring, Curious and Co-operative - are underpinned by the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Legal Duties
As a school we welcome our duties under the Equality Act 2010. The general duties are to:
- eliminate discrimination.
- advance equality of opportunity.
- foster good relations.
Protected Characteristics
We understand the principal of the act and the work needed to ensure that those with protected characteristics are not discriminated against and are given equality of opportunity.
A protected characteristic under the act covers the groups listed below:
- Age
- Disability
- Race
- Sex
- Gender reassignment
- Maternity and pregnancy
- Religion and belief
- Sexual orientation
- Marriage and civil partnership
In order to meet our general duties listed above, the law requires us to do some specific duties to demonstrate how we meet the general duties. These are to:
- publish equality information - to demonstrate compliance with the general duty across its functions. We will not publish any information that can specifically identify any child.
- prepare and publish equality objectives.
Inclusion
At Ash Grove Academy, we believe that no child should be left behind. We strive to ensure that all students feel valued and have equal access to opportunities regardless of their background or learning needs.
The DfE defines 'disadvantaged' children as those who are in receipt of free school meals, are looked after by the Local Authority or have been adopted and are therefore eligible for Pupil Premium funding. However, we recognise that disadvantage can extend beyond those that are eligible for Pupil Premium funding. We believe that all pupils should be considered as individuals and therefore consciously avoid labelling, generalising and stereotyping disadvantaged pupils by referring to them as a single group. Not all disadvantaged pupils face similar barriers nor do they have less potential to succeed, but it is important that we recognise the range of need within our community in order that we can offer timely support to remove barriers and ensure our pupils are happy and thriving in school.
In addition to the DfE definition, all staff at Ash Grove recognise disadvantage as:
- Limited lived experiences, including education within the home
- SEND including SEMH difficulties
- Generational disadvantage, barriers to engagement
- ACES and vulnerabilities
- Young Carers
The Ash Grove Academy Equality Information and Objectives (PSED) Policy, Equality Objectives Statement and Pupil Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy can all be found below.
