Race Equality Policy
Pool CE School Race Equality Policy
School context
Pool CE Primary School is set in a predominately white area, but is close to the multicultural cities of Leeds and Bradford. There is a small number of pupils (less than 5%) identified as belonging to ethnic minority groups. The specific challenges to the school and the community in relation to racial equality are, therefore, particularly important.
Schools Race Equality Policy
This race equality policy enables our school to meet our statutory obligations under the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000. It sets out our commitment to tackling racial discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity and good race relations, and explains what this means for the whole school community.
Morals and Values Framework
At Pool CE School we will continuously strive to ensure that everyone in our school is treated with respect and dignity. All individuals within our school will be given fair and equal opportunities to develop their full potential with positive regard to gender, ethnicity, cultural and religious background, sexuality or disability.
Aims
This school will actively promote race equality and oppose racism in all its forms and foster positive attitudes and commitment to an education for equality. We aim to achieve this by:
- Treating all those within the whole school community (e.g. pupils, staff, governors, parents and visitors) as individuals with their own particular abilities, beliefs, challenges, attitudes, background and experiences.
- Creating a school ethos which promotes race equality, develops understanding and challenges myths, stereotypes, misconceptions and prejudices.
- Encouraging everyone within our school community to gain a positive self image and high self esteem.
- Having high expectations of everyone involved with the whole school.
- Promoting mutual respect and valuing each others? similarities and differences and facing equality issues openly.
- Identifying and removing all practices, procedures and customs which are discriminatory and replacing them with practices which are fair to all.
- Monitoring, evaluating and reviewing all of the above to secure continuous improvement in all that we do.
Roles and responsibilities
This race equality policy outlines the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved and connected with the school, so that each individual knows what is expected of them. Promoting race equality and raising the achievement of all pupils is the responsibility of the whole school staff, including support staff.
Governors
The governing body of the school has agreed this policy and will assess and monitor the impact of this policy by reviewing the action plan regularly.
Headteacher
The Headteacher will demonstrate, through personal leadership, the importance of this policy. She will ensure that all staff are aware of the policy and understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to this policy.
Race Equality Co-ordinator
The race equality co-ordinator will be involved in action planning, policy development, monitoring and evaluation. The role will also include keeping up to date with current thinking, being familiar with literature and resources, attending appropriate training courses and feeding back to colleagues.
Subject Leaders
Other subject leaders will be responsible for reviewing and monitoring curriculum policies and planning in their own subject areas to ensure that race equality is promoted.
All school staff
All staff will familiarise themselves with this policy and know what their responsibilities are to ensure that the action plan is implemented. Teachers will know the implications of the policy for their planning, teaching and learning strategies as well as for behavioural issues. Staff and pupils may take time off school for specific religious observance.
Pupils
Pupils will share in the development of the race equality policy and will be made aware of how it applies to them. They will learn to treat each other with respect and report incidents of a racial nature to an adult.
Key areas in promoting race equality
The ethos of the school
- This race equality policy reflects the ethos of the school and is explicit in all the school's policies.
Procedures
- There is a clear policy and established procedures for dealing with incidents of racism and racial harassment which is understood by everyone in the school community.
- The monitoring system used by the school enables the school to report the relevant details to Education Leeds on request.
Pupils achievements and progress
- All pupils attainment and progress in individual subjects is closely monitored.
- The school develops strategies for tackling differences in the attainment and progress of particular ethnic or social groups.
- The school values the achievements and progress of pupils from all ethnic or social groups.
- All pupils have equal access to extra-curricular activities.
- Every pupil is offered the support and guidance they need.
Curriculum, teaching and learning (including language and cultural needs)
- This school promotes an inclusive curriculum which reflects the multi-ethnic nature of our society and helps to prepare pupils for life in a multi-ethnic society.
- Racial equality and ethnic diversity are promoted and racism and discrimination challenged in all areas of the curriculum.
- The school monitors and evaluates its effectiveness in providing an appropriate curriculum for all pupils.
- Teaching methods and styles take account of the needs of pupils from different ethnic groups and encourage positive attitudes to ethnic difference, cultural diversity and racial equality.
- The school takes active steps to ensure that resources in all areas of the curriculum are inclusive.
Pupil behaviour, discipline and exclusion
- The school's procedures for managing behaviour and disciplining pupils are fair and applied equally to all pupils, irrespective of ethnicity.
- The process of excluding a pupil is fair and equitable to all pupils.
- The school will involve parents whenever written, verbal and/or physical racial abuse occurs. Each incident will be treated individually, but with equity.
Staff recruitment and career development
- Recruitment and selection procedures are consistent with the statutory Race Relations Code of Practice in Employment and other Equality legislation.
- Everyone involved in recruitment and selection adheres to this Code.
Parents, governors and community partnership
- Parents are welcome and respected in school and are regularly informed of their child's progress.
- People who represent the local community are encouraged to become school governors.
- Governors are encouraged to play an active role in the life of the school in order to fulfil their monitoring duties.
- The school encourages community groups to use its facilities for after school activities and for holiday schemes.
Race Equality Action Plan 2004-6
- Appoint a new Race Equality co-ordinator to support the Head in these duties.
- Publish revised Race Equality policy on the school website for parents to access.
- Hold an annual cultural awareness week and celebrate cultural diversity through a range of cross curricular activities.
- Establish links with pupils from Bradford Schools through the Otley Courthouse project in conjunction with the Otley Family of Schools.
Monitoring the race equality action plan
The school will monitor the impact of this policy and action plan on pupils, parents and staff from all ethnic groups. In particular, we will monitor the impact of our policies on the attainment levels of our pupils.
Date policy revised - September 2007
Next review due - September 2009
School context
Pool CE Primary School is set in a predominately white area, but is close to the multicultural cities of Leeds and Bradford. There is a small number of pupils (less than 5%) identified as belonging to ethnic minority groups. The specific challenges to the school and the community in relation to racial equality are, therefore, particularly important.
Schools Race Equality Policy
This race equality policy enables our school to meet our statutory obligations under the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000. It sets out our commitment to tackling racial discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity and good race relations, and explains what this means for the whole school community.
Morals and Values Framework
At Pool CE School we will continuously strive to ensure that everyone in our school is treated with respect and dignity. All individuals within our school will be given fair and equal opportunities to develop their full potential with positive regard to gender, ethnicity, cultural and religious background, sexuality or disability.
Aims
This school will actively promote race equality and oppose racism in all its forms and foster positive attitudes and commitment to an education for equality. We aim to achieve this by:
- Treating all those within the whole school community (e.g. pupils, staff, governors, parents and visitors) as individuals with their own particular abilities, beliefs, challenges, attitudes, background and experiences.
- Creating a school ethos which promotes race equality, develops understanding and challenges myths, stereotypes, misconceptions and prejudices.
- Encouraging everyone within our school community to gain a positive self image and high self esteem.
- Having high expectations of everyone involved with the whole school.
- Promoting mutual respect and valuing each others? similarities and differences and facing equality issues openly.
- Identifying and removing all practices, procedures and customs which are discriminatory and replacing them with practices which are fair to all.
- Monitoring, evaluating and reviewing all of the above to secure continuous improvement in all that we do.
Roles and responsibilities
This race equality policy outlines the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved and connected with the school, so that each individual knows what is expected of them. Promoting race equality and raising the achievement of all pupils is the responsibility of the whole school staff, including support staff.
Governors
The governing body of the school has agreed this policy and will assess and monitor the impact of this policy by reviewing the action plan regularly.
Headteacher
The Headteacher will demonstrate, through personal leadership, the importance of this policy. She will ensure that all staff are aware of the policy and understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to this policy.
Race Equality Co-ordinator
The race equality co-ordinator will be involved in action planning, policy development, monitoring and evaluation. The role will also include keeping up to date with current thinking, being familiar with literature and resources, attending appropriate training courses and feeding back to colleagues.
Subject Leaders
Other subject leaders will be responsible for reviewing and monitoring curriculum policies and planning in their own subject areas to ensure that race equality is promoted.
All school staff
All staff will familiarise themselves with this policy and know what their responsibilities are to ensure that the action plan is implemented. Teachers will know the implications of the policy for their planning, teaching and learning strategies as well as for behavioural issues. Staff and pupils may take time off school for specific religious observance.
Pupils
Pupils will share in the development of the race equality policy and will be made aware of how it applies to them. They will learn to treat each other with respect and report incidents of a racial nature to an adult.
Key areas in promoting race equality
The ethos of the school
- This race equality policy reflects the ethos of the school and is explicit in all the school's policies.
Procedures
- There is a clear policy and established procedures for dealing with incidents of racism and racial harassment which is understood by everyone in the school community.
- The monitoring system used by the school enables the school to report the relevant details to Education Leeds on request.
Pupils achievements and progress
- All pupils attainment and progress in individual subjects is closely monitored.
- The school develops strategies for tackling differences in the attainment and progress of particular ethnic or social groups.
- The school values the achievements and progress of pupils from all ethnic or social groups.
- All pupils have equal access to extra-curricular activities.
- Every pupil is offered the support and guidance they need.
Curriculum, teaching and learning (including language and cultural needs)
- This school promotes an inclusive curriculum which reflects the multi-ethnic nature of our society and helps to prepare pupils for life in a multi-ethnic society.
- Racial equality and ethnic diversity are promoted and racism and discrimination challenged in all areas of the curriculum.
- The school monitors and evaluates its effectiveness in providing an appropriate curriculum for all pupils.
- Teaching methods and styles take account of the needs of pupils from different ethnic groups and encourage positive attitudes to ethnic difference, cultural diversity and racial equality.
- The school takes active steps to ensure that resources in all areas of the curriculum are inclusive.
Pupil behaviour, discipline and exclusion
- The school's procedures for managing behaviour and disciplining pupils are fair and applied equally to all pupils, irrespective of ethnicity.
- The process of excluding a pupil is fair and equitable to all pupils.
- The school will involve parents whenever written, verbal and/or physical racial abuse occurs. Each incident will be treated individually, but with equity.
Staff recruitment and career development
- Recruitment and selection procedures are consistent with the statutory Race Relations Code of Practice in Employment and other Equality legislation.
- Everyone involved in recruitment and selection adheres to this Code.
Parents, governors and community partnership
- Parents are welcome and respected in school and are regularly informed of their child's progress.
- People who represent the local community are encouraged to become school governors.
- Governors are encouraged to play an active role in the life of the school in order to fulfil their monitoring duties.
- The school encourages community groups to use its facilities for after school activities and for holiday schemes.
Race Equality Action Plan 2004-6
- Appoint a new Race Equality co-ordinator to support the Head in these duties.
- Publish revised Race Equality policy on the school website for parents to access.
- Hold an annual cultural awareness week and celebrate cultural diversity through a range of cross curricular activities.
- Establish links with pupils from Bradford Schools through the Otley Courthouse project in conjunction with the Otley Family of Schools.
Monitoring the race equality action plan
The school will monitor the impact of this policy and action plan on pupils, parents and staff from all ethnic groups. In particular, we will monitor the impact of our policies on the attainment levels of our pupils.
Date policy revised - September 2007
Next review due - September 2009