Equality and Diversity
At St Thomas à Becket Church of England Aided Primary School, we are committed to ensuring that every member of our community is treated with dignity and respect. We actively promote equality of opportunity for pupils, staff, parents, governors and visitors, in line with the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty (Equality Act 2010).
The duty requires schools to:
-
Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
-
Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
-
Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
We are proud to say that our school values of care, respect and aspiration underpin everything we do, ensuring that every child can thrive in a safe and inclusive environment.
How We Are Complying with the Public Sector Equality Duty
-
Curriculum and wider experiences: We design a broad curriculum that actively broadens children’s horizons, ensuring they learn about and celebrate different cultures, histories, beliefs and traditions. Opportunities to experience and respect diversity are woven into assemblies, themed weeks, trips and enrichment activities.
-
Inclusive teaching and learning: We regularly discuss themes such as neurodiversity, disability, equality and fairness with children in an age-appropriate way, helping them to develop empathy, understanding and respect for others.
-
Representation and leadership: We are committed to increasing diversity on our governing board so that it better reflects our school and the wider community we serve.
-
Staff development and equality of opportunity: All staff have equal access to professional development, training and progression opportunities, and we ensure our recruitment processes are fair, inclusive and accessible.
Equality Objectives (2025–2029)
Over the next four years, we have set the following equality objectives to help us build on our current practice:
-
Broaden pupils’ cultural horizons by ensuring that all children have opportunities to experience and learn about a wide range of cultures through curriculum content, trips, visitors and enrichment activities.
-
Promote awareness of neurodiversity and inclusion by embedding age-appropriate discussions, resources and activities into the curriculum, assemblies and pastoral provision.
-
Increase diversity in school leadership by taking positive steps to encourage applications from underrepresented groups to our governing board.
-
Ensure equal access for staff to professional development, wellbeing support and career opportunities, strengthening a culture of fairness and inclusivity.