Equalities Statement & Objectives 2021-2025

Great Horwood Church of England School Vision

 “Where our children play, learn and grow together” knowing that Jesus said:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."  John 15:5

At Great Horwood Church of England School, the academic, emotional and spiritual well-being of all individuals is at the heart of all that we do; where everyone is valued.  We are a safe, welcoming school within the heart of the village community that aims to provide all our children and adults with the learning opportunities to flourish, be healthy, grow in resilience and realise their full potential; being fully equipped and prepared for a successful future. 

Inspired by Christian faith and rooted in the teachings, values and spirituality of the Church of England we embrace our core values of love, perseverance and respect where all individuals learn to value themselves and others. 

We are committed to setting high standards of achievement within a caring and nurturing learning environment. We aim to provide opportunities for children to develop a curiosity of learning, a thirst for knowledge through play, and an exploration of the world around them.

Equalities Statement

The Equality Act 2010 requires Great Horwood Church of England School to publish information that demonstrates that we have due regard for the need to:

• Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010
• Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it
• Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.

Public Sector Equality Duty:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-sector-equality-duty

Great Horwood Church of England School is an inclusive school where we focus on the well-being and progress of every child and where all members of our community are of equal worth. We believe that the Equality Act provides a framework to support our commitment to valuing diversity, tackling discrimination, promoting equality and fostering good relationships between people.  

The Equality statement and objectives for Great Horwood Church of England School have been produced in conjunction with the Oxford Diocese Buckinghamshire Schools Trust Equality and Diversity Policy July 2020 which can be found on the School website.

https://www.greathorwood.bucks.sch.uk/policies-and-procedures/

Our approach to equality is based on the following key principles:

• All learners are of equal value and we endeavour to ensure that everyone is treated fairly and respectfully, creating a safe and welcoming learning environment;
• We recognise and respect difference; that people have different needs, and we understand that treating people equally does not always involve treating them the same
• We foster positive attitudes and relationships and a shared sense of cohesion and belonging.
• We aim to reduce and remove inequalities and barriers that already exist and will continue to tackle issues of disadvantage and underachievement of all protected groups.
• We have the highest expectations of all our children.
• We observe good equalities practice in staff recruitment, retention and development.

We aim to ensure that no-one experiences less favourable treatment or discrimination

because of their:

• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage and civil partnership
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Race, including ethnic or national origins, colour and nationality
• Religion or belief, including the lack of belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation

We welcome our duties:

• To eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations (under the Equality Act 2010)
• To promote community cohesion (under the Education and Inspections Act 2006)

As part of this we will:

• Publish information every year about our school population
• Outline how we have due regard for equality
• Publish our Equality objectives to show how we plan to tackle particular inequalities and improve what we do
• Publish our Equality and Diversity Policy on the school website

Great Horwood School Population Equality Information

Number of pupils on roll at the school: 82
Age of pupils: 3 to 11

Gender: 46% male, 54% female

Pupils eligible for Free School Meals (FSM): 29%

Pupils eligible for Pupil Premium Funding: 30%

Pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) 18%

Pupils with a EHCP: 6%

Looked after children: 2.5%

Pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL): 0%

Not White British: 24%

(Information correct at October 2023 census, next update October census 2024)

We are committed to working for equality for all our staff, parents/carers and children to meet our duties under the Equality Act 2010. The information provided here aims to demonstrate that we give careful consideration to equality issues in everything that we do at Great Horwood Church of England School. ‘Due regard’ ensures that we work towards eliminating discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct that is prohibited by the Equality Act.

We eliminate discrimination by:

• Reviewing our behaviour policy to ensures that all children feel safe at school and addresses prejudicial bullying;
• Reporting, responding to and monitoring all racist incidents;
• Regularly monitoring the curriculum to ensure that the curriculum meets the needs of our pupils and that it promotes respect for diversity and challenges negative stereotyping;
• Rigorous tracking and monitoring of individuals and of all the groups of children, including progress and attainment, to ensure that all children make at least expected progress, and intervening when necessary;
• Ensuring high quality teaching enabling children to reach their potential and all pupils are given equal entitlement to success;
• Ensuring that all pupils have the opportunity to access extra-curricular provision;
• Listening to and monitoring views and experiences of pupils and adults to evaluate the effectiveness of our policies and procedures.

We advance equality of opportunity by:

• Using the information we gather to identify underachieving groups or individuals and plan targeted intervention;
• Ensuring participation of parents/carers and pupils in the daily life of the school and its continued development;
• Listening to pupils, parents/carers and staff.
• Observing positive equalities practice in staff recruitment, retention and development.

We foster good relations by:

• Ensuring that equality and diversity are embedded in our vision, values, and through our Collective Worship and School curriculum offer;
• Ensuring that we develop positive links with the surrounding villages and local community including St James Church, the Parish Council and local groups such as the Scouts and Silver band;
• Ensuring that we develop positive links with other local schools and nurseries in the area;
• Continuing to make links with local businesses and support local charities such as the Medical Detection Dogs and St Lawrence Food Cupboard.

Great Horwood Church of England Equality Objectives

At Great Horwood CE School and Nursery, we are committed to ensuring equality of education and opportunity for all pupils, staff, parents and carers, irrespective of their age, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, colour, race, ethnic or national origin, disability or religious beliefs. In order to further support pupils, raise standards and ensure inclusivity, the Local Governing Body publishes the following objectives for 2021-2025:

Objectives 2021-2025

1. To provide an environment that welcomes, protects and respects diversity ensuring Great Horwood School is inclusive to all children regardless of ethnic group.
2. Ensure that all learners have equal access to a rich, broad, balanced and relevant curriculum and enrichment activities.
3. To diminish the differences between boys and girls attainment, in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of KS2.
4. To promote role models and heroes that young people positively identify with, who reflect and broaden the school’s increasing diversity in terms of race, gender and disability.
5. To increase pupil awareness and understanding of how different communities live locally, nationally and worldwide.
6. To review levels of parental and pupil engagement in learning and school life, across all activities to ensure equity and fairness in access and engagement.

Monitoring and Review

The Equalities objectives are woven into our School Development Plan and as such are monitored and reviewed by the Local Governing Body termly. The annual review of these objectives will be published on the website at the end of each academic year. The next review will be July 2024.

Other related policies:

Equalities and Diversity Policy – see under key Information/Policies and Procedures

https://www.greathorwood.bucks.sch.uk/policies-and-procedures/