At Archbishop Courtenay we believe everyone should be treated equally and we uphold the Public Sector Equality Statement.

The public sector equality duty was created by the Equality Act 2010 and replaces the race, disability and gender equality duties. The duty came into force in April 2011 and covers age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation. It applies in England, Scotland and in Wales. The general equality duty is set out in section 149 of the Equality Act. In summary, those subject to the general equality duty must have due regard to the need to:

• Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
• Advance equality of opportunity between different groups
• Foster good relations between different groups

The duty to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination in the area of employment, also covers marriage and civil partnership.

How Archbishop Courtenay Primary School eliminates discrimination:

• Policies are in place to cover anti-bullying, behaviour, staff pay and appraisal.
• Governor meeting minutes show equality is discussed and relevant actions taken.
• Equality issues are recorded and presented to governors, with relevant action taken.
• Single equality objectives are identified and published. Actions are embedded into school development plans as appropriate.

How Archbishop Courtenay Primary School advances equality of opportunity:

• Safer recruitment processes are in place, including panel selection and decision making that is removed from the 9 protected characteristics.
• Attainment data reviews different pupil groups e.g. gender, EAL and disadvantage. Relevant actions for specific pupil groups are built into action plans and school development.
• Bullying incidents are recorded and presented to governors, which shows very low incidence of bullying overall, but also specifically related to a protected characteristic.
• Accessibility plan in place, with adaptation for those with disability e.g. disabled toilet access for pupils and adults.

How Archbishop Courtenay Primary School fosters good relationships:

• Relationships with parents fostered through clear, regular communications: either face-to-face, by letter and parents' evenings. This includes ad-hoc welcome meetings and individual meetings and/or discussions with parents where there is an additional needs.
• Assemblies are used to promote diversity, friendship, and understanding of a range of religions and cultures.
• By making collaboration and community a priority for school development.