Equality action plan Equality objectives

Transcription

1 Equality action plan Farnham Heath End School will record and publish relevant equality information and the issues it has taken account of and clear how it has compiled with the equality duty. Equality objectives Farnham Heath End School has five equality objectives for , reflecting the changes in its work. Through its equality objectives the school will aim to ensure that there is no difference in employment outcomes for our staff or potential recruits because of their age, gender, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion and belief. Outcomes: If we are successful in meeting our objectives we will achieve the following: All staff will be confident in dealing with students or colleagues with protected characteristics and will make reasonable adjustments as appropriate for disabled people and those with mental health issues; Recruitment and selection will have been managed and implemented in a demonstrably fair manner; Staff and students from diversity or minority groups will have been treated fairly in all respects when compared with their colleagues and peers; and Any difference in outcome, or perception of outcome, among minority groups will be reducing or eliminated. These are our measures of success: To comply with, and demonstrate our commitment to, the equality duty to assess our success in meeting our equality objectives we will consider any feedback we receive from stakeholders via consultation. We will address specific equality issues and risks as they arise. We will also analyse the workforce information available. We will undertake an analysis of the workforce each time we undertake a major change exercise to ensure our workforce remains balanced and as representative as possible in the circumstances. We will proactively elicit feedback about how effectively we are meeting our equality objectives in the following ways:

2 We will engage with our stakeholders via FHES news an electronic newsletter sent to Governors, staff, parents and students. We will welcome any feedback from our stakeholders on how well we are meeting our equality objectives; We will consult our recognised trade unions, share information and consider any feedback on the extent to which we are meeting our equality objectives; We will engage with our stakeholders and trade unions when we undertake impact assessments to establish whether there are, or could be, any adverse impacts on diversity groups during any potential change exercises. We will act upon and publish our assessment findings as appropriate. The Specific Duties how Farnham Heath End School has compiled with the General Duty: Duty Actions Taken Eliminate conduct that is prohibited by the Act The school has maintained a racist incidents log for four years (since 2008) and as such incidents have remained at 10/11 on an annual basis. The school has surveyed all students (February 2012) and those students who have experienced bullying is at 30%. 10% said the school dealt with it well, 10% did not inform the school and 10% of students wanted more done. We are actively taking steps to raise the educational outcomes of our white British Boys and students on free school meals, as these groups were identified as underachieving groups in the school and nationally. All school policies have been recently reviewed and the Equalities Policy now compiled with the requirements of the Equalities Act Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected Curriculum activities have been developed to advance equality, for characteristic and people who do not share it example Teaching Assistants running the after school ILT club for needy students or those without computers; laptops for students with writing difficulties School promotion of diversity themes, e.g. disability awareness, Anti- Foster good relations across all characteristics between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it Bullying day. The pastoral structure and use of vertical tutoring allows students to experience informal peer mentoring. This allows younger students to have an increased opportunity and exposure to mentoring. Older students take ownership over the younger students in their tutor group and often help, guide and support each other outside their pastoral

3 environment. Reading mentors and Business mentors regularly attend the school to assist students. Students continue to be actively involved in the development of the school and improvements to teaching and learning through the School Council and Learning Ambassadors. The Specific Duties Publish Evidence of Equality Analysis Undertaken: Policy/Practice considered Policy/Practice evaluated Outcome of analysis Equal Opportunities including Race and Disability Discrimination Policy Behaviour Reviewed with support from a Babcock 4S consultant in December 2011 and a stakeholder working group Students widely consulted through Survey Monkey and the Student Council. Ofsted also reviewed this policy in February 2011 and gave positive feedback Policies streamlined and updated to comply with the Equality Act 2010 (now includes the identified protected characteristics). There is now a single Equality Policy rather than separate documents. There is a renewed focus on consistency (February 2012) Students are informed about the sanctions system and Heath. This escalation procedure is clearly displayed in teaching environments and applied by members of staff to sanction poor behaviours Anti-Bullying The school participates and supports the National Anti-Bullying week. This involves promoting ant-bullying information and advising students what to do if they are a victim of bullying. The school runs a pastoral curriculum and students are familiarised with which behaviours are acceptable in; school and the wider society.

4 The students at Heath End are exposed to E- Safety assemblies, making them aware of the inherent dangers exposure to ICT can present, and more importantly how to avoid any of these dangers. Special Education Needs SEN policy Provide in class support from teaching assistants to support students within lessons Provide withdrawal literacy and numeracy lessons to improve student skills and be able to access the curriculum Provide a tutor group for students on the autistic spectrum to reduce anxiety so they can access mainstream education Recruitment and Retention SLT/Staff and Governors Policy will need updating to include new requirements for health related questions during selection process. Some of our documentation requires amending to comply with the Equality ACT. The Specific Duties Publish Evidence of Engagement Undertaken: Individual/Group engaged or consulted Nature of engagement Engagement/Consultation outcome Parents Regular and on-going, open-door meetings for The school actively engages with parents of any parent of present of future students to address any issued raised. Engagement boards at all Parent evenings to ascertain good practice and areas for further improvements students with protected characteristics because there are annual reviews of Statemented students and students with Pastoral Support Plans have review meetings. As a result of the parents boards and parent surveys, policies and procedures are reviewed and sometimes changed e.g Headteacher Any member of the community can make an appointment with the Headteacher to discuss homework, phones, reports Any issues raised re access for students with protected characteristics

5 Community CAMHS Community Adolescent Mental Health issues Liaison with these groups to promote social and community cohesion as well as the well-being and educational achievements of students from their community Ongoing liaison regarding students under their care Creative partnership work, e.g. Pursued by the bear company postcards from Hale PHSE talks, Christian community youth club, Business Back to School Day, through partnership working with other schools, Senior Citizens party. Student referrals where relevant The Specific Duties Set and Publish Equality Objectives These objectives will be reviewed on an annual basis. Objective Success Criteria Review Date Responsibility Consider equality implications before and while developing policy/decisions and keep under review on a continuous basis FHES are compliant with Equalities legislation and best practice Ongoing as FHES are currently reviewing all policies in 2012 To narrow the gap in performance of white British boys and free school meal students To reduce the number of racist incidents To increase staff s understanding of equality and its implications on a day to day basis, and in this way reduce or remove inequalities in attainment throughout the school, particularly inequalities All students reach their learning potential Racist incidents for 2012/13 are less than 10 All staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to demonstrate equality of opportunity for all From February 2012 then ongoing through termly reporting cycle March 2013 September 2012 Senior Leadership Team with Cheryl Connelly leading policy management project Jim Vinton Deputy Head and Pastoral team Senior Leadership Team

6 relating to the protected characteristics listed in the Equality Act Ensure that the appointment of staff is in line with equal opportunities legislation All appointments adhere to equal opportunities legislation Ongoing as appointments arise Cheryl Connelly