Equality Statement
At The Royal Kent School, staff and Governors are committed to:
- promoting equality of opportunity
- eliminating discrimination and harassment
- valuing diversity and promoting positive relationships
- providing an inclusive education which enables all pupils to develop their full potential
- meeting the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.
The Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 replaces previous anti-discrimination legislation with a single Act. The Equality Duty is set out in section 149 of the Act. It replaces the three previous public sector equality duties – for race, disability and gender – and covers the following protected characteristics:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender reassignment
- Marriage and civil partnership (but only in respect of eliminating unlawful discrimination)
- Pregnancy and maternity
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
At RKS, we ensure that we have due regard to the need to:
- eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct that is prohibited by the Act
- advance equality of opportunity between people who share a characteristic and those who don’t
- foster good relations between people who share a characteristic and those who don’t
Equality in Teaching and Learning
We provide all our pupils with the opportunity to succeed and to reach the highest level of personal achievement. We do this by:
- Ensuring equality of access for all pupils and preparing them for life in a diverse society
- Using materials that reflect the diversity of the school, population and local community without stereotyping
- Promoting attitudes and values that challenge any discriminatory behaviour or prejudice
- Providing opportunities for pupils to appreciate their own culture and celebrate the diversity of other cultures
- Seeking to involve all parents in supporting their child’s education
- Utilising teaching approaches appropriate for the whole school population which are inclusive and reflective of our pupils.
Our current Equality Objectives (2023 - 2027)
In order to comply with the Equality Act 2010 and the specific duties for schools, we are required to publish our equality objectives which are outlined below:
- Improve access to the curriculum and wider provision for pupils with both suspected and diagnosed specific learning disabilities.
Examples of actions:
- - Training for all staff in specific learning disabilities such as ADHD and Dyslexia
- - Review support available for parents so they understand the school's approach to accommodating these difficulties
- - Evaluate resources which may be useful for school or individual pupil support
- 2. Review and develop our provision relating to racial equality and anti-racism, so that the school community are aware that prejudice is unacceptable and know how they can deal with issues relating to this
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Examples of actions:
- - Anti-racism training for all staff
- - Review direct and indirect opportunities for anti-racism focus in the school's taught and wider curriculum, including in the Early Years
- - Develop the school Equality and Diversity policy
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3. Promote positive mental health and well-being for our whole school community, ensuring that all stakeholders know how to access support
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Examples of actions:
- - Key members of staff to undertake specific leadership training (i.e. Senior Mental Health Leader, Mental Health First Aider) to support the review of school processes to promote positive mental health amongst the whole community
- - Maintain focus on Mental Health at key times of the year (for example, during our 'Well-being week')
- - Provide a clear pathway of support for parents who are concerned about their child's mental health
Updated January 2023