At the Altus School we are committed to providing equality of opportunity for all of our young people and staff. We welcome our responsibilities under the 2010 Equality Act that extends to the following protected characteristics:
- Age
- Sex
- Race
- Disability
- Religion or belief
- Sexual orientation
- Gender reassignment
- Pregnancy or maternity
- Marriage and civil partnership
We undertake our Public Sector Equality Duties in the following ways:
Eliminating discrimination
We aim to eliminate discrimination by:
- Implementing and monitoring key policies to ensure that all students and staff are treated fairly and have equity of opportunity
- Staff Code of Conduct outlining expected behaviours of staff in their conduct with each other, students and the wider community
- Monitoring and tracking of key information, such as attendance and exclusions, to identify any possible trends that require action to ensure particular groups are not discriminated against
Advancing equality of opportunity
As set out in the DfE guidance on the Equality Act, the school aims to advance equality of opportunity by:
- Removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people which are connected to a particular characteristic they have (e.g. pupils with disabilities, or gay pupils who are being subjected to homophobic bullying)
- Encouraging students to participate fully in any activities (e.g. School Council)
- Using Personal Education Plans (PEPs) for children looked after to promote academic attainment and engagement in wider activities
Fostering good relations
The school aims to foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share it by:
- Promoting tolerance, friendship and understanding of a range of religions and cultures through different aspects of our curriculum.
- Working with our local community, including inviting community groups to come and work with young people.
Our Equality Objectives are:
- To work with parents/carers and partner agencies to overcome any barriers that prevent students’ full engagement with school
- To develop a wide curriculum offer that looks to increase knowledge and understanding of life in modern Britain, promoting tolerance and mutual respect.
The Thrive Approach
We embrace the Thrive Approach. Thrive is a dynamic, developmental approach to working with children and young people that helps teachers and adults to interpret their behaviour and address their emotional needs. More information can be found here: Thrive
Useful links
Local Authorities have a duty to publish a Local Offer, setting out in one place information about provision they expect to be available in their area across education, health and social care for children and young people in their area who have SEN or are disabled, including those who do not have EHC plans.
SEND Local Offer - Gloucestershire Families Directory
Gloucestershire Parent Carer Forum - Gloucestershire Parent Carer Forum
The Process - Requesting an EHC assessment - Gov.UK
Education, Health & Care Plans - SENDIASS Gloucestershire
Education, Health & Care Needs Assessment for children in early years settings or at school - SENDIASS Gloucestershire
SEN Jargon Buster - SENDIASS Gloucestershire