Equality Information and Objectives 

Public Sector Equality Duty

The Equality Act 2010 requires us 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 

North Petherton Primary School is an inclusive school where we focus on the well-being, progress, and independence of every child, fostering creativity and collaboration to help every member of our community achieve their aspirations. 

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. It also ensures that we continue to tackle issues of disadvantage and underachievement of different groups. 

Our Approach to Equality

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

• All learners are of equal value
• We recognise and respect difference
• We foster positive attitudes and relationships, a shared sense of cohesion, and belonging through collaboration
• We observe good equalities practice in staff recruitment, retention, and development to promote creativity and innovation
• We aim to reduce and remove inequalities and barriers that already exist, enabling independence and ambition
• We have the highest expectations of all our children, encouraging them to aspire to excellence 

Information on Pupils by Protected Characteristics

The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics. Every person has several of the protected characteristics, so the Act protects everyone against unfair treatment. 

In order to ensure that all pupils are protected from discrimination, the school collects information on protected characteristics. 

Information on Other Groups of Pupils

In addition to pupils with protected characteristics, we gather further information on the following groups of pupils: 

• Pupils eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) 
• Pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) 
• Disadvantaged groups 
• Pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL) 
• Looked-after children 
• Other vulnerable groups 

Eliminating Discrimination and Other Conduct Prohibited by the Act

The information provided here aims to demonstrate that we give careful consideration to equality issues in everything that we do at North Petherton Primary School. ‘Due regard’ ensures that we work towards eliminating discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act while fostering aspiration, creativity, independence, and collaboration among our school community.

We are committed to working for equality for all our staff, parents/carers, and children to meet our duties under the Equality Act 2010. 

We eliminate discrimination by: 

• Maintaining a behaviour policy that ensures all children feel safe at school and addresses prejudicial bullying 
• Reporting, responding to, and monitoring all racist incidents 
• Regularly monitoring the curriculum to ensure it promotes respect for diversity, encourages creativity, and challenges negative stereotyping 

• Delivering high-quality teaching that ensures all pupils are given equal opportunities to succeed and aspire 
• Tracking pupil progress to ensure rapid progress and intervening where necessary to remove barriers to achievement 

Advancing Equality of Opportunity

We advance equality of opportunity by: 

• Using the information we gather to identify underachieving groups or individuals and plan targeted interventions that nurture independence and creative problem-solving 
• Ensuring participation of parents/carers and pupils in school development, fostering collaboration across the community 
• Listening to parents/carers and pupils to create a shared vision of aspiration and equity 

Fostering Good Relations 

We foster good relations by: 

• Ensuring that North Petherton Primary School is seen as a community hub that values collaboration and inclusion 
• Embedding equality, diversity, and aspiration in the curriculum and in collective worship, encouraging pupils to think creatively about solutions to social issues 

Equality Objectives

At North Petherton Primary School, we are committed to ensuring equality of education and opportunity for all pupils, staff, parents, and carers, irrespective of race, gender, disability, belief, religion, or socio-economic background. 

In order to further support pupils, raise standards, and ensure inclusive teaching, we have set the following objectives: 

Objective 1: To monitor and analyse pupil achievement by race, gender, and disability, acting on trends or patterns in the data that require additional support to enable all pupils to reach their aspirations. 

Objective 2: To raise levels of attainment in core subjects for vulnerable learners by fostering creativity, independence, and collaboration. 

Objective 3: To review levels of parental and pupil engagement in learning and school life across all activities, ensuring equity and fairness in access and engagement while encouraging aspiration and innovation.