We take our legal duties to eliminate discrimination, to advance equality of opportunity and to foster good relations in our school community very seriously.

Our aims:

• To create an inclusive environment where everyone is valued
• To establish respect for everyone in the school and the wider community through courtesy, consideration and acceptance

To ensure that we meet these aims, we continually monitor our provision under the following headings:

Who comes to our schools?

As an organisation, our main functions are to provide equal access to high quality educational opportunities for all pupils, to offer appropriate support as needed, and to enable all to achieve well in school. To do so we consider the social, ethnic and religious backgrounds across our two schools.

How do we ensure equality of opportunity for all members of the schools’ communities?

Teaching staff regularly review our curriculum content to ensure that it not only meets statutory requirements, but also matches the needs and interests of the pupils, including those with English as an Additional Language (EAL), children who are or have been eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) or who have Special Educational Needs (SEN).

Throughout the school year, we closely monitor the progress and attainment of all pupils. As part of this process, we also look at the achievements of specific groups, including those children from minority ethnic backgrounds and any pupils identified as having social, behavioural or educational needs. If any child is identified as off-track, interventions are put in place to support their learning.

Attendance is closely linked to attainment. We closely monitor attendance and regularly reinforce the necessity of good attendance. Support is offered to families as required.

How well do we foster good relations between people?

We want our school community to provide a welcoming and comfortable setting for all who visit, work and study here. We aim to foster an open environment where people feel they are always treated with dignity and respect. For more information on the steps we have taken to meet this aim, click here.

How do we ensure that we continue to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation?

The following procedures are in place to manage:

• Pupil exclusions: fixed term exclusions are kept to a minimum and only applied in cases of extreme behaviour where the pupil is a danger to themselves or others, and all other solutions, possible at that time, exhausted. The schools follow approved procedures in all cases.
• Bullying, victimisation and harassment incidents: staff take seriously, and deal promptly with, any issues around bullying, discrimination or harassment of pupils or members of staff:
  • County guidelines are followed and, in the case of incidents involving pupils, parents of both victim and aggressor are involved and support offered to both parties
  • Staff recruitment:
    • We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.
    • We review our recruitment procedures on a regular basis and senior staff members attend Safer Recruitment training.

How do we encourage the participation and engagement of all stakeholders in developing equalities at our schools?

Governors and staff are very aware of the need to gather the views of all stakeholders: to engage all pupils, their families and the local community in developing and implementing our equality policy and in ensuring that the importance of equality is fundamental to our ethos as an organisation, e.g.

• pupil councils at each school meet termly to discuss specific aspects of school life and Colneis pupils participate in the Felixstowe Schools’ Forum
• parents views are canvassed annually by questionnaire
• parents from different ethnic groups are invited into school to share aspects of their cultural heritage with the pupils
• the schools work with local organisations and outside agencies to enhance the curriculum content and to ensure provision meets the needs of any pupil with a disability

Things we do well:

• Nurture all pupils and ensure that they are all well integrated into the school community, including those with disabilities and additional needs.
• Provide a supportive environment for all pupils and their families, ensuring that any concerns are addressed effectively
• Demonstrate high expectations of educational attainment and behaviour in all pupils by:
  • Regularly monitoring pupil progress and ensuring that the curriculum is differentiated to meet the needs of individual pupils as required.
  • Ensuring that all pupils, including particular groups, e.g. pupils with additional needs and children who speak English as an Additional Language (EAL) make expected progress in school
  • Promoting the ethos of the school as one of tolerance and inclusion. This is reflected in pupil behaviour and displays around the school.
• Recognise the importance of parental involvement in a child’s learning:
  • Good communication channels are established and maintained
  • Parents are invited into school to work with their child
  • Appropriate provision is put in place to ensure that any parents with English as an Additional Language or a disability, e.g. impaired hearing, sight or mobility, is able to access all information and activities in school
  • Advice and learning opportunities are also offered to enable parents to further develop their skills and more confidently support their child at home.
• Work closely with outside agencies to meet the varying needs of all pupils and their families.

Equality Objectives 2023-2025

We have considered the information above and have identified 3 objectives that our school will focus on for the period shown:

1. Increase levels of parental and pupil engagement in learning and school life, across all activities, with a focus on those who are currently under-represented (particular those falling under Equality Act protected characteristics).

2. To actively close gaps in attainment, progress and attendance between all pupils in a year group and specific groups of pupils; especially pupils eligible for free-school meals, pupils with special education needs and disabilities, looked after children and children with a social worker.

3. Broaden pupils’ perspectives and understanding of groups, cultures and countries different from their own (including but not limited to Gypsy and Travellers, migrants, faith groups, people with disabilities and people who are LGBTQ+) through a programme of whole school assemblies, displays, curriculum, reading resources and special events. Progress against our Equality Objectives will be reviewed annually by the Whole Governing Body of both schools. More information, including our equality policy, is available from the school office.