Equalities 

In accordance with our aims we intend to promote quality, creativity and opportunity in all that we do at Oakley Vale.

We will assess current school practices and implement all necessary resulting actions in relation to:

• Gender
• Race
• Disability
• Religious belief
• Age
• Sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity
• Socio-economic background and other protected characteristics

We will promote community cohesion at school comparing our school to its local national contexts implementing all necessary actions in relation to:

• Ethnicity
• Religion or belief and
• Socio economic background

The Public Sector Equality Duty 2011 has three aims under the general duty for schools/academies and settings:

1. Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act. By removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics.
2. Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. By taking steps to meet the needs of people from protected groups where these are different from the needs of other people.
3. Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. By encouraging people from protected groups to participate in public life or in other activities where their participation is disproportionately low.

Our school has considered how well we currently achieve these aims with regard to the eight protected equality groups: race/disability/sex/gender reassignment/age/pregnancy and maternity/religion and belief/sexual orientation.

In compiling this equality information we have:

• Identified evidence already in the school/academy/setting of equality within policies and practice and identified gaps.
• Examined how our school/academy/setting engages with the protected groups, identifying where practice could be improved.
• Analysed our effectiveness in terms of equality

Information about our school

The school has data on its composition broken down by:

• Year group, ethnicity, gender and proficiency in English
• Types of disability and special educational need
• Vulnerable groups of children according to socio-economic need
• Inequalities of outcome and participation connected with ethnicity, gender, disability and with proficiency in English

The school uses data on inequalities of outcome and involvement when setting itself objectives for achievable and measurable improvements. This data is available on request from the school office.

How we chose our equality objectives

Our equality objective-setting process has involved gathering evidence as follows:

• from the monitoring and analysis of pupil progress with a particular focus on children in the groups identified above.
• from the following data – monitoring of learning, Pupil Progress meetings, Vulnerable Pupils information, Parent and child Surveys, minutes of staff meetings and governors’ meetings.

The evidence was then analysed in order to choose objectives that will:

• promote equality of opportunity for members of identified groups
• eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and
• foster good relations between different groups in terms of:
• ethnicity, belief, socio-economic background, gender and gender identity, disability, sexual orientation and age.