Diversity
At Falkland Primary School, we are a multicultural diverse school. We prepare learners for adult life, equipping them to be respectful and responsible British citizens for life in modern Britain. We aim to develop their understanding, appreciation and celebration of the diversity of the different protected characteristics defined by law.
Our Aims:
- Promote equality of opportunity in schools and prevent discrimination.
- Teach children about the Equality Act 2010.
- Create a positive culture in the school where all groups of people are welcome.
- Teach children to feel comfortable in themselves while recognising and celebrating differences and diversity in others.
- Prepare children to leave primary school happy and excited about living in a community full of difference and diversity.
- To contribute positively to society and life in Britain as they grow up.
We recognise the importance that all pupils gain an understanding of the world they are growing up in and learn how to live alongside, and show respect for, a diverse range of people. A way in which we ensure we are providing children with the knowledge and skills to do this is through the teaching of protected characteristics.
The 9 Protected Characteristics:
The Equality Act became law in 2010. It covers everyone in Britain and protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation. Everyone in Britain is protected. Under the Equality Act, there are nine Protected Characteristics:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender reassignment
- Race - including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin 5. Religion or belief
- Marriage or civil partnership
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
- Pregnancy and maternity
The government does stress that not all these characteristics have to be taught in every year group and schools should use their professional judgement to plan their curriculum appropriately. At Falkland Primary School, we ensure that our children are given opportunities to develop age-appropriate knowledge and understanding through a well-planned and delivered curriculum.
Teaching the Protected Characteristics aims to support children in gaining an understanding of the diverse and multicultural society they live in. It strives to develop their appreciation of differences between individuals and groups and to teach acceptance and tolerance of other people’s cultures, traditions, and ways of life. In addition to explicit teaching, the nine protected characteristics are further embedded through assemblies and daily interactions.
Promoting the 9 Protected Characteristics at Falkland: We believe that children should be able to recognise themselves and their circumstances so they can see their lived experiences validated and valued. The Protected Characteristics are actively promoted at Falkland and we work to ensure that our children understand that:
- Everyone is included
- Everyone is different
- We celebrate our differences
- We are all equal in our differences
At Falkland, we champion diversity and inclusion and embed the Protected Characteristics into the whole school ethos by:
- Promoting all the 9 Protected Characteristics through our school vision, our school core values and our therapeutic behaviour policy
- Embedding a values-based curriculum and ethos
- Delivering whole school assemblies linked to diversity and equality, promoting the protective characteristics including high-quality texts which promote diversity and inclusion
- Reading and discussing picture books and stories encouraging respect and developing understanding of diversity.
- Developing a love of reading through a range of authors and genres
- Developing a love of art through a range of different artists
- Adopting a differentiated and adapted learning experience and environment for those with special educational needs and disabilities- supported by robust inclusion, equality and diversity policies and practises.
- Developing children’s self-esteem, self-knowledge, self-confidence and resilience
- Developing children’s voice through the ambassador roles and school pupil champion roles within the school (Falkland Ambassadors, Reading Champions, Mental Health Champions, Digi Leaders and Eco Warriors).
- Understanding and celebrating differences and acknowledging the strengths of others
- Embedding a culture of respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic process e.g. school champions and ambassadors
- Using restorative approaches to support children to take responsibility for their behaviour and to teach children to make good choices
- Promoting an understanding of how we can all contribute positively to the school and home life and the lives of our local community e.g. classroom and school responsibilities, singing at the care home, harvest festival collection, fundraising for local charities.
- Have an understanding of Equality, Human Rights and Protected Characteristics.
- An understanding that we have the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law e.g. British Values and RE curriculum
- Developing an understanding of the importance of identifying and combating discrimination
- Working with parents to take an active part in identifying barriers and identifying actions that can be taken to eradicate these
- Have the highest expectations for all our children and staff, and the wider community to ensure all our children can learn and grow together
- Develop further children’s understanding of our diverse curriculum through educational experiences, visits and residentials
- Supporting all staff and children to recognise and reach their potential - CPD, leadership and being great role models
- Encouraging children who have a particular character to participate fully in all activities - for example; enrichment clubs before and after school, and child-led provision/clubs held at lunchtimes or competitions representing the school.
- Supporting all staff and children with their Mental Health through Mental Health Awareness Week, assemblies, the PSHE curriculum, workshops, ELSA and opportunities for Play Therapy or Lego Therapy
The Protected Characteristics are actively promoted at Falkland and further information can be found on our individual subject pages on the website.
Useful Websites: