Equality & Diversity

Bridge & Patrixbourne CEP School is an inclusive school where we focus on the well-being and progress of every child and where all members of our community are of equal worth.

As a school community, we value and celebrate all forms of diversity including (but not limited to), neurodiversity, family composition, culture and ethnicity. By embracing our differences, we create a more inclusive and compassionate environment where all students feel valued and understood.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

This passage reminds us of the interconnectedness of all individuals and the importance of nurturing each unique branch to ensure the whole vine thrives. Just as each branch contributes to the overall health and fruitfulness of the vine, each student, with their unique abilities and perspectives, contributes to the strength and vibrancy of our school community.

Celebrating diversity aligns with our school values. It encourages us to see the potential in every child and to support them in reaching this. By doing so, we enrich the lives of all our students and also teach all our children the values of empathy, understanding, and cooperation.

We are committed to providing resources and support to ensure that every student can thrive. This includes professional development for our staff, individual educational plans, and fostering an environment where differences are celebrated and everyone feels a sense of belonging.

Every member of our school community helps to make our school a place where every child is cherished and encouraged to grow.

Our approach to equality and diversity is based on the following key principles:

All learners are of equal value
We recognise and respect difference
We foster positive attitudes and relationships and a shared sense of cohesion and belonging
We observe good equalities practice in staff recruitment, retention and development
We aim to reduce and remove inequalities and barriers that already exist
We have the highest expectations of all our children

Public Sector Equality Duty

The Equality Act 2010 requires us to publish information that demonstrates that we have due regard for the need to:

Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010
Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it
Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.

We believe that the Equality Act provides a framework to support our commitment to valuing diversity, tackling discrimination, promoting equality and fostering good relationships between people. It also ensures that we continue to tackle issues of disadvantage and underachievement of different groups.

Information on pupils by protected characteristics

The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics. Every person has several of the protected characteristics, so the Act protects everyone against unfair treatment.

In order to ensure that all pupils are protected from discrimination, the school collects information on protected characteristics.

Information on other groups of pupils

In addition to pupils with protected characteristics, we gather further information on the following groups of pupils:

Pupils eligible for Free School Meals (FSM)
Pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN)
Disadvantaged group
Pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL)
Young carers
Looked after children
Other vulnerable groups

Eliminating discrimination and other conduct that is prohibited by the Act

The information provided here aims to demonstrate that we give careful consideration to equality issues in everything that we do at Bridge & Patrixbourne CEP School. ‘Due regard’ ensures that we work towards eliminating discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct that is prohibited by the Equality Act.

We are committed to working for equality for all our staff, parents/carers and children to meet our duties under the Equality Act 2010.

We eliminate discrimination by:

Adoption of the single Equality Scheme
Our behaviour policy ensures that all children feel safe at school and addresses prejudicial bullying
Reporting, responding to and monitoring all racist incidents
Regularly monitoring the curriculum to ensure that the curriculum meets the needs of our pupils and that it promotes respect for diversity and challenges negative stereotyping
Teaching is of the highest quality to ensure children reach their potential and all pupils are given equal entitlement to success
Tracking pupil progress to ensure that all children make rapid progress, and intervening when necessary
Ensuring that all pupils have the opportunity to access extra-curricular provision
Listening to and monitoring views and experiences of pupils and adults to evaluate the effectiveness of our policies and procedures.

Advancing equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it

We advance equality of opportunity by:

Using the information we gather to identify underachieving groups or individuals and plan targeted intervention
Ensuring participation of parents/carers and pupils in school development
Listening to parents/carers
Listening to pupils at all times

Fostering good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it

We foster good relations by:

Ensuring that Bridge & Patrixbourne CEP School is seen as a community school within our local community
Ensuring that equality and diversity are embedded in the curriculum and in collective worship.

Accessibility & Equality Objectives

At Bridge & Patrixbourne CEP School, we are committed to ensuring equality of education and opportunity for all pupils, staff, parents and carers, irrespective of race, sex, disability, belief, religion, socio-economic background, sexual orientation or gender reassignment.

In order to address these, we focus on three key areas: