EXAMPLE OF A SCHOOL EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES POLICY

Whitburn Church of England School

Equal Opportunities Policy

Status

This policy was formally ado= pted by the Governing Body of Whitburn Church of England School on 30^{th
January 2007. It is the
intention of the Governing Body that it should reviewed annually.}

It accords with national legislation and the equal opportunity policies of the LA and of the National Society of the Church of England.

It is a general statement of= the commitment to Equal Opportunities. (For specific detail see also the Disabi= lity Inclusion Policy and Disability Equality Scheme, Equality and Diversity Pol= icy, Race Equality Policy, Sex Equality Policy (to be reviewed), Special Educati= onal Needs Policy, Anti-bullying Policy, Curriculum Access Policy, Pay Policy an= d Performance Management Policy)

Aims

Whitburn Church of England S= chool recognises that direct and indirect discrimination might take place and therefore sees the need for a positive and effective equal opportunities policy.

-&nb= sp; we will promote the concept of equality of opportunity throughout the organisation, both for th= ose adults within the community of the school and for all pupils;

-&nb= sp; we seek to develop an understanding of, and promotion of, human equality and equal opportunities;=

-&nb= sp; we will promote good relations between members of different racial, cultural and religious groups and communities; and

-&nb= sp; we will enable pupils= to take responsibility for their behaviour and relationships with others.=

The Legal Background

The main statutory provisions covering discrimination are the following:

Equal Pay Act 1970

Sex Discrimination Acts 1975= and 1986

Race Relations Act 1976

Rehabilitation of Offenders = Act 1974

Disability Discrimination Act 1995

Race Relations (Amendment) A= ct 2000

Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001

Race Relations Act 1976 (Gen= eral Statutory Duty: Code of Practice) Regulations 2002

Also relevant are: = Employment Rights Act 1996

Equal Pay (Amendment) Regulations 1983

Human Rights Act 1998

Employment Relations Act 1999.

Pa= rt‑time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000

The Statutory Code of Practice on the Duty to Promote Race Equality<= /span>

Whitburn Church of England School’s Code of Conduct, School Principles and Christian ethos all accord with the equal treatment of people promoted by these laws and regulations, and the rights enshrined in the Human Rights Act 1998.

Responsibilities

Th= e Governing Body will monitor and review the working of the policy and procedures by allocation of duties to committees of the Governing Body.=

The Headteacher has responsibility for the equal opportunities policy, and for delegating responsibilities and tasks to other staff, and for ensuring that the policy= is known and understood by staff, pupils and parents.

The Headteacher will present general reports, statistics and incident reports to the Governing Body and = its committees as agreed.

The Deputy Headteacher Curri= culum is responsible for ensuring equal opportunities in the curriculum.

All staff are responsible for following the policy and reporting incidents of unequal treatment to the appropriate senior member of staff.

Employment of Staff

        &= nbsp;   Appointments

-      =     Advertisements and job specifications will all carry a statement that this School is an Equal Opportunities employer, and welcomes applications from all posts from appropriately qualified persons regardless of sex, race, religion, disabili= ty or age;

-&nb= sp;         People with disabilit= ies will be offered facilities at interviews to enable them to demonstrate their suitability for employment;

-&nb= sp;         Candidates for vacant posts will be assessed against relevant criteria only, i.e. skills, qualifications and experience in selection for recruitment;

-&nb= sp;         The school will make = and keep information about the sex, ethnic background, disability and age of ca= ndidates for appointments, and actual appointments; and

-&nb= sp;         inform the Governing = Body’s Staffing Committee on a termly basis, or whenever the governors request the figures.

Staff Development<= /p>

-&nb= sp;         All employees have eq= ual chances of training, career development and promotion;

-&nb= sp;         All recruits to the organisation will be offered induction training which will include a refere= nce to the organisation's equal opportunities policy;

-&nb= sp;         Staff development opportunities will be monitored and figures presented to the governors annu= ally.

-&nb= sp;         All staff, and in particular those concerned with selection and promotion, are given equality awareness training; and

-&nb= sp;         People becoming disab= led while in employment will be given positive help to retain their jobs or to = be considered for redeployment if that is necessary.

Pupils

-&nb= sp;         Pupils have equal acc= ess to the National Curriculum programmes of study (unless disapplied) throughout each Key Stage, and non= ‑compulsory courses, according to aptitude and ability;

-&nb= sp;         Whitburn Church of England School is committed to full educational inclusion (see SEN policy);=

-      =     The Deputy Headteache= r Curriculum will make and record figures on take-up of courses, which will be presented= to the Headteacher annually. The= Headteacher will raise any matters arising with the governors.

-&nb= sp;         Annual analysis of attainment, behaviour and other pupil data will be undertaken by gender, et= hnic background and ability;

-&nb= sp;         All subjects will have equality of opportunity at their core.

-&nb= sp;         School Review and Qua= lity Standards will act to improve the learning of pupils.

-&nb= sp;         School rules and the = Code of Conduct for pupils clearly and explicitly forbid the verbalisation or vocalisation of discrimination on the grounds of race, culture, religious, gender, sexuality and ability/disability;

-&nb= sp;         Positive attitudes and awareness development for equality of opportunity is specifically taught through the PSHE programme and relevant Thought for the Day activities.

-&nb= sp;         All subjects will have equality of opportunity at their core and may make explicit references with= in schemes of work as appropriate.

Racist or Homophobic Bullying

-&nb= sp;         All staff have a legal duty not to bully or otherwise harass other staff;

-&nb= sp;

-&nb= sp;         The Pupil Disciplinary Committee of the Governing Bod= y receives reports every term on reasons for exclusion and includes any incidents of racist of homophobic bullying.

-&nb= sp;         All incidents of raci= st or homophobic bullying amongst pupils will be taken seriously, and will be dealt with appropriately and reported to the appropriate senior member of staff.

Administration

-&nb= sp;         Venues for meetings w= ill take account of the needs of all participants; and

-&nb= sp;         Venues for teaching a= nd learning will take into account the particular needs of the learners and teacher/teaching assistant.

Documents

-&nb= sp;         Language used in documents will reflect and promote equal opportunities and font style and s= ize will take account of the full range of readers; and

-&nb= sp;         Access to documentati= on will include alternative formats such as tape, disk, large print and langua= ges other than English, if spoken or read at home.

Reports to the Police

-&nb= sp;         Incidents that involve racist elements which need to be reported to the police will be reported via the School Inclusion Manager.

Monitoring and Review

-&nb= sp;         This policy will be reviewed annually (or mo= re often if necessary), and improved and developed as appropriate within the governors policy review schedule, (see also the Disability Inclusion Policy= and Disability Equality Scheme, Equality and Diversity Policy, Race Equality Policy, Sex Equality Policy (to be reviewed), Special Educational Needs Pol= icy, Anti-bullying Policy, Curriculum Access Policy, Pay Policy and Performance Management Policy