Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
Our school aims to make all members of our community feel welcome and valued. Our vision and values promote inclusion, equity, diversity and belonging.
We welcome our duties under the Equality Act 2010 to eliminate discrimination. As a school we believe that diversity is a strength which should be respected and celebrated by everyone within our community.
We tackle discrimination through the positive promotion of equality, by challenging bullying and stereotypes and by creating an environment which champions respect for all.
Protected characteristics are the aspects of a person’s identity that are protected under the Equality Act 2010. This law makes the discrimination, harassment and victimisation against someone based on these characteristics illegal. This is integral to help promote a fairer and more equal society.
At Robert Mellors, we believe it is our duty to foster good relationships between those who have certain protected characteristics and those who don’t. We acknowledge our role in teaching children to value everybody by teaching them about the protected characteristics which all humans have. In this way, we are better preparing children for their future lives, helping them 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.
At RMPA, we teach about the protected characteristics.
- Age
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Sex
- Marriage or civil partnership
- Sexual orientation
- Gender reassignment
- Pregnancy and maternity
- Disability
Things we consider when teaching about the protected characteristics.
- Age appropriateness
- Repetition
- Progression through the year groups
- Explicit use of appropriate language in context
- Making links to lived experiences and others in context
- Making things meaningful
- Visits or visitors
- Open and honest discussions
We promote an understanding of protected characteristics in a variety of ways including.
- Our Make a Difference values
- Assemblies
- Focused PSHE/RE lessons including AREP (Anti-racism Education)
- DART
- Specially selected books in the library and classrooms
- Discussions in English lessons and across the curriculum
- Displays around school
- Texts/drama/role play
- Visitors and visits
- Pupil /Staff/Parent voice groups
- School policies including Behaviour and Anti-Bullying
The Governing Body ensures that in the cycle of policy reviews, policies and practices are scrutinised to identify the effects they have on individuals or groups of people in relation to equality and equity.
Make a Difference – Values and Culture
We are an inclusive school where pupils, staff, parents and governors work in partnership with the aim to meet the needs of the community.
Our school ethos and culture are built on the foundations of our Make a Difference values;
- Respect
- Resilience
- Focus
- Teamwork
- Responsibility
- Compassion
Staff and governors demonstrate our values and commitment to equality by;
- Ensuring acceptable behaviour
- Responding to incidents and complaints in a proactive way
- Providing access to services, facilities and information
- Recruiting and employing staff fairly
- Meeting specific needs
At Robert Mellors, we recognise that eliminating discrimination is an ongoing duty. We create our equality objectives in small steps so that they are ambitious, proactive and responsive to issues as they are identified through monitoring as well as pupil and parent voice.
